West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejigged her Cabinet on Tuesday, within six months of forming her government for the third time in Bengal, in May 2021.
According to the West Bengal government, the new Finance Minister will be Mamata Banerjee. This makes Banerjee holding three important portfolios in the Bengal government—Home and Hill affairs, Finance and Health.
The Junior Finance Minister portfolio has been handed over to Chandrima Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya additionally holds three other Minister of State portfolios in the Bengal government, which includes that of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Land Reforms, Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation and Health.
The Finance ministry portfolio was held by Dr Amit Mitra for the last 10 years, but according to sources in the Bengal government, Dr Mitra hesitated to contest the elections this time due to health reasons and therefore the department was moved to the Chief Minister.
However, Dr Mitra would continue to serve in the Bengal government in the capacity of Principal Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister and Finance department, which was notified by the Mamata government on Tuesday. This post has been made as a full-fledged Cabinet post.
Among the other changes, TMC MLA Pulak Roy has been appointed as the new minister in the Panchayat and Rural Development Ministry. Roy also holds the portfolio of the Public Health Engineering Ministry.
This change was necessitated by the demise of long time TMC MLA and Panchayat Minister, Subrata Mukherjee on November 4 this year. Long time Minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, Sadhan Pande was removed on Friday and his ministry The Consumer Affairs department was handed over to Water Resource Development Minister Manas Bhuyian as an additional charge.
Sources from the Bengal government said that Pande was removed because he was not being able to look after his department as he is being treated in a hospital for a prolonged illness. Women and Child Development minister Sashi Panja was also given an additional charge of the Self-Help Group department while Becharam Manna was given additional charge as Minister of State of the Panchayat department.
Sources in the TMC told The Daily Guardian that these changes in the Cabinet were temporary and that a major reshuffle is likely in the coming months. The source also said that the upcoming municipal polls in the state also necessitated the cabinet reshuffle in a short notice. Municipal polls in Bengal are likely to take place at the end of December this year.