Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtanya, Kshudiram Tudu, Nisith Pramanik take oath as Bengal Cabinet ministers.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took oath as the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal. In doing so, he became the first from the party to assume the top post in the state. He also became the first Chief Minister to take oath at the Brigade Parade ground. Along with Adhikari, 5 MLAs took oath in his council of ministers. The Bengal Cabinet will be expanded later. With a limit of 44 ministers, 39 more MLAs can join the Bengal government under CM Suvendu Adhikari.
Suvendu Adhikari with PM Modi at the oath ceremony in Kolkata on Saturday (Express Photo by Partha Paul).
The high-security event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers of states ruled by the BJP and its allies: Rekha Gupta (Delhi), Madan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), and others.
Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office to all the ministers.
Among those who took oath with CM Adhikari were Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtanya, Kshudiram Tudu, and Nisith Pramanik.
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Here’s a look at the five ministers:
Dilip Ghosh
A senior BJP leader and former West Bengal BJP president, Dilip Ghosh began his political journey as a full-time RSS pracharak. Among the most prominent faces of the Bengal BJP, Ghosh played a key role in strengthening the BJP’s grassroots presence in Bengal after 2014.
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He earlier served as the Member of Parliament from the Medinipur Lok Sabha constituency.
Agnimitra Paul
Fashion designer-turned-politician Agnimitra Paul is currently the only woman minister in the BJP-led Bengal Cabinet. She is among the most vocal leaders of the BJP in Bengal.
She joined the BJP in 2019 and was appointed president of the party’s Mahila Morcha in the state the following year, succeeding Locket Chatterjee. In 2021, she was elevated as BJP Bengal’s general secretary.
Paul won the 2021 Assembly election from Asansol Dakshin, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Saayoni Ghosh. She later contested the 2022 Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll but lost to actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she was defeated by actor-politician June Malia from Medinipur.
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Earlier this year, she was named Bengal BJP vice-president. In the latest elections, she retained the Asansol Dakshin Assembly seat.
BJP supporters at the Brigade Parade ground during Suvendu Adhikari’s oath taking ceremony (Express Photos by Partha Paul)
Ashok Kirtania
Ashok Kirtania is the BJP MLA from Bangaon Uttar in North 24 Parganas, a region with significant Matua influence. He is a businessman and has been actively involved in local organisational politics. The BJP describes him as a “popular leader who works for Hinduism and upliftment of Matua dharma people”.
Kshudiram Tudu
Kshudiram Tudu is a tribal leader from Bankura district and represents the Ranibandh Assembly constituency in Jungle Mahal, a tribal-dominated region. The BJP has projected leaders like him as part of its strategy to deepen outreach among tribal communities in West Bengal.
Nisith Pramanik
Nisith Pramanik is considered one of the BJP’s prominent young faces in North Bengal. He was previously with the Trinamool Congress before joining the BJP in 2019. He has a huge influence in the Cooch Behar region of Bengal and won the Mathabhanga Assembly seat in the district this year.
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In July 2021, he was appointed Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Modi government, becoming the youngest minister at 35.
Pramanik is seen as a key representative of the Rajbangshi community and holds sway among youth in North Bengal.
