Assam’s Cabinet to See Fresh Faces as Expansion Takes Place on Dec 7

On Thursday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that several colleagues will be sworn in as ministers in the state cabinet on December 7 at 12 PM.

The new ministers include:

Prasanta Phukan, MLA - Prasanta Phukan (born July 23, 1954) is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician from Assam. He was elected in the Assam Legislative Assembly elections in 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021 from Dibrugarh. He is the incumbent MLA of Dibrugarh. In 2021, Prasanta Phukan won the Assam Legislative Assembly Election with a margin of 38,005 votes. Before he resigned, he was the Chairperson of the Managing Committee of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh.

Kaushik Rai, MLA - Kaushik Rai is an Indian politician and a Member of the Assam Legislative Assembly, representing the BJP. He won his seat in the 2021 elections from the Lahkipur constituency. He holds a B.Com degree from Gurucharan College and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Assam University.

Krishnendu Paul, MLA - Krishnendu Paul (born May 17, 1973) is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician from Assam. He was elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly from 2016 to 2021 and was re-elected in 2021 to represent the Patharkandi Constituency of Karimganj District.

Rupesh Gowala, MLA - Rupesh Gowala is an Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from Assam. He was elected as an MLA from the Doom Dooma constituency in the 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election.

Happy to share that the following colleagues will be sworn in as ministers in our cabinet on 7th December at 12 PM:
1.Shri Prasanta Phookan, MLA
2.Shri Kaushik Rai, MLA
3.Shri Krishnendu Paul, MLA
4.Shri Rupesh Goala, MLA

My best wishes to each of them!

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 5, 2024

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, following a virtual Cabinet meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, confirmed that the much-awaited cabinet expansion would take place on December 7 at 12 noon. He assured that further details regarding the expansion would be disclosed soon.

The move comes after growing demands for an expansion, as several ministers in the current cabinet have been shouldering multiple responsibilities due to a limited number of members. Currently, the Assam cabinet has only 15 members, including the Chief Minister, although the maximum strength permitted is 18, which leaves three slots vacant.

Notably, there has been no representation from Barak Valley in the cabinet since former minister Parimal Suklabaidya, who represented the Dholai constituency, resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.