Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that his cabinet will be expanded on June 5.
“Happy to inform you that the Assam Government Cabinet will be expanded on June 5, 2026,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
The announcement comes after Sarma met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday where he discussed matters related to the new government among others.
“I briefed him on the start we made at NDA [National Democratic Alliance] 3.0 Government of Assam and thanked him for his unlimited support and sought his continued blessings and guidance in the coming years,” the Prime Minister posted after the meeting on Saturday.
The BJP returned to power last month for the third time in a row, winning 82 of the 126 seats in the state assembly, while its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front, bagged 10 seats each.
Sarma was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second consecutive term on May 12 along with four ministers: Rameswar Teli and Ajanta Neog (both from the BJP), Charan Boro and Atul Bora from the BPF and AGP respectively. Nyog, Bora and Buru were ministers in the previous government, while Tilley is a new face.
Sarma’s first government had 19 ministers, two of them from the AGP, one each from the BPF and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the rest from the BJP. UPPL, which did not get any seat in the Assembly poll, is not part of the coalition this time.
Read also:Assam becomes third state to pass UCC Bill; The opposition describes it as a “political ploy.”
On May 12, Sarma recruited a woman MLA (Neog), one ST (Boro) and one from the tea tribe community (Teli). However, BJP insiders say it may not follow any previous formula during expansion.
“Normally, an attempt is made to maintain regional and communal balance in the cabinet by appointing representatives from certain regions, tribes or communities. But this may be ignored,” said a senior BJP official, requesting anonymity.
He said that many old faces are likely to be excluded while new faces, including young people, will be given seats in the government. He said that since this is the first time that the BJP has got an absolute majority on its own, the allies may have less representation.
The office holder also added that Sarma is unlikely to fill all the available seats in the ministry. There is the possibility of retaining three to four spaces for future expansion and modification, if necessary.
