West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday (June 1) carried out a major expansion of his cabinet, inducting 35 BJP MLAs into the ministry, in one of the biggest political reshuffles since the party formed its first government in the state earlier this month.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at Lok Bhavan in Kolkata, where Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers.
With the latest expansion, the strength of the West Bengal cabinet has now risen to 41, including the Chief Minister, moving close to the constitutional cap of 44 ministers allowed for the state’s 294-member Assembly under Article 164(1A) of the Constitution.
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Key BJP leaders inducted
Several prominent BJP leaders were among those inducted into the ministry, including Arjun Singh, Tapas Roy, Sharadwat Mukherjee, Jagannath Chattopadhyay and Shankar Ghosh. BJP leaders Swapan Dasgupta, Dudh Kumar Mondal, Deepak Barman, Manoj Oraon and Gouri Shankar Ghosh also took oath as cabinet ministers.
Apart from cabinet ministers, BJP MLAs Rajesh Mahata, Indranil Khan and Malati Rava Roy were sworn in as Ministers of State with independent charge.
BJP’s first Bengal government expands footprint
The cabinet expansion comes weeks after the BJP secured a sweeping victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, ending the Trinamool Congress’s nearly 15-year rule in the state. Since assuming office on May 9, Adhikari has announced a series of welfare schemes and administrative measures, including the Annapurna Yojana, low-cost meal programmes, recruitment reforms and a crackdown on illegal immigration.
The expansion is being viewed as a key step in consolidating the BJP government’s administrative structure as it prepares to roll out its political and governance agenda across the state.
Big winners from across Bengal
Among those inducted into the cabinet were Dipak Barman from Falakata, who defeated TMC candidate Subhash Chandra Roy by nearly 46,000 votes, and Shankar Ghosh from Siliguri, who secured a massive victory margin of more than 73,000 votes.
Manoj Kumar Oraon from Kumargram and Swapan Dasgupta from Rashbehari also entered the cabinet after registering significant wins in the Assembly elections.
Other prominent names inducted include Kalyan Chakraborti, Arup Kumar Das, Koushik Chowdhury, Gargi Das Ghosh, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Ashoke Dinda, Anandamoy Barman, Hare Krishna Bera, Shantanu Pramanik and Umesh Rai.
Focus on regional and social balance
The new ministry also shows the BJP’s attempt to balance regional, caste and community representation across Bengal. MLAs from north Bengal, tribal-dominated constituencies, urban Kolkata seats and rural districts were all accommodated in the expanded cabinet.
Women legislators including Purnima Chakraborty, Moumita Biswas Misra, Sumana Sarkar and Gargi Das Ghosh also found a place in the expanded ministry.
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BJP leadership calls it ‘new beginning’
Ahead of the cabinet expansion, West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said the new government under Suvendu Adhikari was committed to delivering on its electoral promises.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Bhattacharya wrote, “1 June, 2026 – A new beginning of hope in the lives of the state’s people.”
Full list of BJP MLAs who were sworn in as ministers
| Serial No | Names | | 1. | Dipak Barman | | 2. | Tapas Roy | | 3. | Shankar Ghosh | | 4. | Manoj Kumar Oraon | | 5. | Gouri Shankar Ghosh | | 6. | Swapan Dasgupta | | 7. | Kalyan Chakraborti | | 8. | Arup Kumar Das | | 9. | Dudh Kumar Mondal | | 10. | Sharadwat Mukherjee | | 11. | Jagannath Chattopadhyay | | 12. | Arjun Singh | | 13. | Malati Rava Roy | | 14. | Rajesh Mahata | | 15. | Indranil Khan | | 16. | Koushik Chowdhury | | 17. | Gargi Das Ghosh | | 18. | Bhaskar Bhattacharya | | 19. | Dibakar Gharami | | 20. | Sumana Sarkar | | 21. | Joyel Murmu | | 22. | Ashoke Dinda | | 23. | Anandamoy Barman | | 24. | Hare Krishna Bera | | 25. | Shantanu Pramanik | | 26. | Umesh Rai | | 27. | Purnima Chakraborty | | 28. | Moumita Biswas Misra | | 29. | Kalita Maji | | 30. | Bishal Lama | | 31. | Ajay Kumar Poddar | | 32. | Biraj Biswas | | 33. | Dipankar Jana | | 34. | Amiya Kisku | | 35. | Nadiar Chand Bouri |
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