West Bengal Governor RN Ravi administers the oath to BJP MLAs Tapas Roy, Arjun Singh, Gauri Shankar Ghosh, Deepak Barman, Shankar Ghosh, and Manoj Kumar Oraon as Cabinet Ministers in the West Bengal government, during the cabinet expansion ceremony, at Lok Bhavan, in Kolkata on Monday. (ANI Photo)In a Cabinet expansion just three weeks after taking charge, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday expanded the Bengal Council of Ministers to 41, by inducting 35 new members. This is said to be part of the BJP’s effort to balance regional, caste, and gender representation in its first government in the state.Of the 35 new ministers sworn in by the Governor R N Ravi at the Lok Bhavan, 13 were inducted as Cabinet Ministers, three as Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 19 as Ministers of State.The 294-member West Bengal Assembly can have three more members in its Cabinet.Also Read | West Bengal cabinet expansion: Full list of ministers inducted into the BJP governmentOn Monday, thirteen leaders were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers, including Tapash Roy, Dipak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Arjun Singh, Manoj Oraon, Gouri Shankar Ghosh, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, Swapan Dasgupta, Kalyan Chakraborty, Anup Kumar Das, Ajay Kumar Poddar, Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay, and Dudh Kumar Mondol.Nineteen legislators were inducted as Ministers of State, including Ashok Dinda, Umesh Roy, Koushik Chowdhury, Kalita Maji, Moumita Biswas Misra, Gargi Ghosh Das, Dipankar Jana, Purnima Chakraborty, Bishal Lama, Harikrishna Bera, Anandamoy Burman, Shantanu Pramanik, Biraj Biswas, Amiya Kisku, Juyel Murmu, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Dibakar Gharami, Sumana Sarkar and Nadiar Chand Bouri.Malati Rava Roy, Indranil Khan, and Rajesh Mahato took oath as Ministers of State (Independent Charge).Earlier on May 9, apart from the CM, five other Cabinet Ministers were sworn-in, including Union Minister-turned-state leader Nisith Pramanik, Agnimitra Paul, Dilip Ghosh, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudiram Tudu. The election of Rathindra Ghosh as Speaker further strengthened North Bengal’s representation in the new government.Story continues below this adWith this, of the BJP’s 41 Council of Ministers in West Bengal, six are women, as opposed to nine women ministers in the previous TMC Cabinet. As for the representation from various castes, the BJP Cabinet now has four tribal ministers and eight Scheduled Castes ministers. Additionally, nine ministers hail from north Bengal, increasing the representation of the region in the BJP government.Also Read | Domestic help to MLA and now Bengal minister: Meet Kalita MajhiThe inductees also represented the cross-section of Bengal’s society — with doctors, academics, journalists, and even those who worked in blue-collar jobs, such as house helps, before getting into politics, being offered berths in Suvendu’s council.The BJP inducted Sharadwat Mukherjee, an oncologist who won the Bidhhannagar seat, and Kalyan Chakraborty, a professor from Khardaha, as cabinet ministers.Another oncologist from Behala Paschim, Indranil Khan, was sworn in as Minister of State (Independent Charge), while Kalita Majhi, who worked as a house help before foraying into politics, has been inducted as Minister of State.Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain. Experience Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express. Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news. Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions. Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal. Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla. Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent. Education Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting. Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read MoreTanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage. Experience Current Role: Reports for the prestigious national daily, The Indian Express, providing her content with a high level of Trustworthiness. Geographical Expertise: Provides focused, in-depth coverage of West Bengal, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the state's news and political nuances. Core Authority: Her reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial, often sensitive, beats, including: State Politics and Governance: Covering the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), opposition strategies (BJP), and internal political controversies. Judicial and Administrative Affairs: Closely monitoring key developments in the Calcutta High Court, particularly major rulings related to employment, education, and social issues. Education Sector: Extensive reporting on significant controversies, such as teacher recruitment irregularities and administrative actions by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE). Social & Electoral Issues: Covering public events, community tensions (e.g., religious/political gatherings), and election-related processes like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Tanusree Bose's consistent output and focus on high-stakes regional issues for a trusted media outlet underscore her status as a reliable and authoritative source for news from West Bengal. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:Suvendu AdhikariWest Bengal