Four new faces among 12 ministers to take oath on June 5: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, June 5, announced the induction of 12 ministers into the state cabinet, including four new faces, in a move that will raise the strength of the Council of Ministers to 17. Two positions in the 19-member cabinet will continue to remain vacant.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 5 at 12:45 pm. The announcement was made by the Chief Minister through a post on X.

The legislators set to be inducted as Cabinet Ministers are Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Biswajit Daimary, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Kaushik Rai, Keshab Mahanta, Krishnendu Paul, Nilima Devi, Pijush Hazarika, Ranoj Pegu and Susanta Borgohain.

Among them, Ashwini Ray Sarkar, former Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Susanta Borgohain and Nilima Devi will be entering the cabinet for the first time. The expansion comes less than a month after Sarma took oath as Chief Minister on May 12 along with four ministers, marking the beginning of the third consecutive Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state.

The cabinet line-up reflects a mix of experienced leaders and new entrants. Biswajit Daimary’s inclusion had been widely anticipated, although his name had drawn attention in recent days following allegations relating to appointments and contract allocations during his tenure as Speaker between 2021 and 2026.

The induction of Nilima Devi, a first-time MLA from Mangaldai and a senior BJP women’s leader, is being viewed as a notable addition. With her inclusion, the Assam cabinet will have two women ministers, the other being Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, who was sworn in on May 12.

The cabinet expansion also maintains representation for alliance partners. Keshab Mahanta of the Asom Gana Parishad will become the second minister from the party in the state cabinet after AGP president Atul Bora. The Bodoland People’s Front continues to be represented by Charan Bodo, who remains the party’s sole minister in the government.

The announcement also clarified speculation surrounding the possible induction of senior leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Kumar Borah, both of whom had joined the BJP shortly before the Assembly elections. Neither leader was included in the list of ministers announced by the Chief Minister.

Several senior BJP leaders who served in previous governments were also left out of the new cabinet. Notable among them are former minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and senior party leader Prasanta Phukan.

Portfolio allocations for the newly inducted ministers are expected to be announced following the swearing-in ceremony.