West Bengal cabinet expansion: 35 more ministers to take oath on June 1

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. File | Photo credit: ANI

On Monday (June 1, 2026), 35 ministers will be sworn in to the West Bengal cabinet as part of a cabinet expansion led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The Chief Minister confirmed the expansion of the cabinet with a post on the social network. “Tomorrow, based on the verdict of the people of West Bengal, a full-fledged Council of Ministers of the elected nationalist government will be formed. To expand the Council of Ministers, 35 ministers of the West Bengal government will take oath,” he said.

After a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls, Mr Adhikari and five other BJP MLAs – Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Nisith Pramanik and Kshudiram Tudu – were sworn in as ministers by Governor RN Ravi on May 9.

With 35 more ministers, the number of cabinet members (including the Chief Minister) will increase to 41. According to Article 164(1A) of the Constitution, the total number of ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the Council of Ministers in a given state shall not exceed 15%.

West Bengal has 294 seats in the State Legislature and 15% of that number is 44. Therefore, the Council of Ministers can have a maximum of 44 members. The BJP has 208 MLAs in the 294-member House.

Chief Minister Adhikari is likely to include senior party leaders like Tapas Roy, Sankar Ghosh and Swapan Dasgupta in his cabinet. Former Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh and senior BJP leader Ritesh Tewari are also among the other top contenders. Some women MLAs like Roopa Ganguly and Chandana Bauri may also be sworn in as ministers.

West Bengal Cabinet 2026: From Dilip Ghosh to Agnimitra Paul, ministers sworn in along with Suvendu Adhikari

Apart from seniority, the BJP is likely to consider regional and community representation. The party will have to ensure that all communities like Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and women are represented in the first BJP cabinet in the state. The Cabinet is likely to have to have representatives from North and South West Bengal, which was ignored by most of the previous governments in West Bengal.

Published – 31 May 2026 21:05 IST