Guwahati, 05 June (HS): Bringing an end to weeks of speculation, the Assam Council of Ministers was expanded on Friday with 12 NDA legislators taking oath as Cabinet Ministers. With the latest expansion, 17 of the 19 ministerial positions in the state Cabinet have now been filled by the government led by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Of the 12 newly inducted ministers, 11 are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one represents the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a key ally in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The oath-taking ceremony was held at Jyoti-Bishnu International Auditorium in Guwahati at 12:45 pm. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed ministers.

The ministers sworn in on Friday are Dr. Ranoj Pegu, Ashwini Roy Sarkar, Biswajit Daimary, Pijush Hazarika, Ashok Singhal, Krishnendu Paul, Nilima Devi, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Kaushik Rai, Bimal Bora, Sushanta Borgohain and Keshab Mahanta. Among them, Keshab Mahanta is the lone AGP legislator, while the others belong to the BJP.

Notably, four of the newly inducted ministers have entered the Council of Ministers for the first time. Among the alliance partners, the AGP now has two representatives in the Cabinet—Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta. Similarly, the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), another NDA ally, continues to be represented by Charan Boro in the Assam ministry.----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash