New Delhi: The federal indirect tax body, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, will have four new representatives in the next session, reflecting the political changes in the states after the recent assembly elections.
According to two people familiar with the development, the three new representatives will be from Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, which saw a regime change after parliamentary elections in April. They will be followed by KN Balagopal of Kerala, Chandrima Bhattacharya of West Bengal and Thangam Thennarasu of Tamil Nadu.
The fourth new face will be from Bihar, where there was a change in leadership last month after Samrat Chaudhary was declared Chief Minister. The list of members of the GST Council available on the Council’s website lists Deputy Chief Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav as the new member representing the state.
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Chaudhary played a key role in the Council’s ministerial panels when he was the Deputy Chief Minister of the state and a member of the GST Council. After his elevation, Yadav looks after financial and commercial taxes, making him the state’s representative in the Council.
On Thursday, the state expanded its cabinet to include Yadav, who retained the finance and commercial tax portfolios, news agency ANI reported on social media platform X.
The GST Council last met on September 3 when it cut tax rates to stimulate demand for goods and services. Four new members will be part of the Council for the first time at its next meeting. The date of the next meeting has not yet been set.
Members from Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Bihar are part of various ministerial groups set up by the GST Council to deal with specific issues such as revenue mobilization in case of natural disasters or calamities, GST revenue analysis, real estate and system reforms, according to the orders issued by the Council.
These ministerial committees will now be adjusted to include new members, the two people cited above said on condition of anonymity.
Experts pointed out that the introduction of new representatives of the state is a routine matter and should not disturb this institutional balance.
“The strength of the Council lies in its continuity, new members can bring fresh perspectives to the state, but the broader approach remains collaborative and ensures that GST policy continues to evolve without being affected by political shifts,” said Ikesh Nagpal, Head of Indirect Tax, AKM Global, a tax and advisory firm.
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Queries sent to the Union Finance Ministry, the GST Council Secretariat and the Bihar government on Thursday remained unanswered at the time of publication.
Whether Puducherry and Assam will send new candidates to the Council remains to be seen. The All India NR Congress-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retained power in Puducherry, while the BJP returned to power for a third term in Assam.
The GST Council operates as a model of cooperative federalism where decisions are largely shaped by consensus rather than formal voting. “This reflects a collective recognition that GST as a unified tax framework depends on consistency and predictability to work effectively. As a result, representatives across political lines tend to converge on pragmatic tax policy priorities that focus on stability, uniformity and ease of compliance over partisan considerations,” Nagpal said.
The vote was a rare event in the GST Council. The Center has one-third weighted votes in the Council, while the rest remains with the states. The Council can take decisions with 75% weighted votes.
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Ministerial groups that examine specific tax matters help to reach consensus on difficult issues. The decision-making process is widely seen as a joint exercise between the Center and the states, with economic rationale taking precedence over political differences.
