GUWAHATI: Twelve MLAs were sworn in as ministers in the Assam Cabinet on Thursday, June 5, at a ceremony held at the Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir in Guwahati. The oath-taking ceremony was administered in the presence of Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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The ministers who took oath include Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Biswajit Daimary, Jayanta Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Keshab Mahanta, Krishnendu Paul, Nilima Devi, Pijush Hazarika, Ranoj Pegu and Susanta Borgohain.
Among them, Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Nilima Devi and Susanta Borgohain were inducted into the Cabinet for the first time, marking their debut as ministers. Several senior BJP leaders, including Ashok Singhal, Bimal Borah, Biswajit Daimary, Jayanta Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Pijush Hazarika, Ranoj Pegu and Krishnendu Paul, retained their positions in the expanded ministry.
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a key ally in the NDA government in Assam, continues to be represented in the Cabinet through Keshab Mahanta.
The portfolios of the newly sworn-in ministers have not yet been announced and are expected to be allocated shortly.
The ceremony was attended by several prominent leaders, including Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita and Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia, among others.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier taken oath on May 12 along with four ministers, Ajanta Neog, Rameswar Teli, Atul Bora of the AGP and Charan Boro of the BPF, following the formation of the new government.