- Suvendu Adhikari sworn in as Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister
- BJP wins 207 seats, ending TMC’s 15-year dominance
- PM Modi and Amit Shah attend Kolkata oath-taking ceremony
- New cabinet reflects OBC, tribal, Matua and Rajbanshi representation
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 9th May: Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday inducted five ministers into the first-ever BJP government in West Bengal after taking oath as the state’s Chief Minister.
The ministers sworn into the cabinet were Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Kshudiram Tudu and Ashok Kirtania.
The oath-taking ceremony at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior BJP leaders.
Dilip Ghosh: BJP’s Organisational Face in Bengal
Dilip Ghosh is regarded as one of the architects of the BJP’s rise in West Bengal. A former state BJP president and longtime RSS pracharak, Ghosh played a key role in expanding the party’s grassroots presence after 2014.
Belonging to the OBC community, Ghosh earlier served as the Lok Sabha MP from Medinipur constituency and remains one of the BJP’s most recognisable faces in Bengal politics.
Agnimitra Paul: Fashion Designer Turned Politician
Agnimitra Paul, the only woman minister in the cabinet so far, joined the BJP in 2019 after a successful career in fashion designing.
She later became the state president of BJP Mahila Morcha and was elevated as BJP Bengal General Secretary in 2021. Paul won the Asansol Dakshin Assembly seat in the latest elections.
Though she unsuccessfully contested the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll in 2022 and later lost from Medinipur in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, she was recently appointed vice-president of BJP Bengal.
Ashok Kirtania and Kshudiram Tudu Strengthen Social Outreach
Ashok Kirtania represents Bangaon Uttar in North 24 Parganas, a politically influential Matua-dominated region of Bengal. He has been active in local organisational politics and business.
Kshudiram Tudu is a tribal leader from Bankura district and represents the Ranibandh constituency in Jungle Mahal. BJP has relied on leaders like Tudu to expand its tribal support base in the state.
Nisith Pramanik: BJP’s Young Face from North Bengal
Nisith Pramanik is considered one of BJP’s strongest young leaders from North Bengal and enjoys considerable support among Rajbanshi voters and youth.
Originally with the All India Trinamool Congress, he joined the BJP in 2019. In 2021, he became the youngest minister in the Modi government at the age of 35 after being appointed Minister of State for Home Affairs and Youth Affairs and Sports.
The West Bengal cabinet can have a maximum of 44 ministers, leaving room for 39 more inductions in the coming days.
