Cabinet expansion to take place in first week of June: Himanta

Guwahati: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the expansion of his five-member cabinet to a full-fledged one will take place only in the first week of June, citing the upcoming assembly session and his scheduled visit to New Delhi for consultations with the party’s central leadership.

He said that portfolio allocations to the current ministers will be done soon.

Sarma said the assembly session would run from May 21 to May 26, after which he would travel to the national capital for organisational discussions. “Therefore, I think cabinet expansion will be possible only in the first week of June,” he said.

The chief minister dismissed speculation of lobbying within the BJP for ministerial berths, asserting that legislators were not exerting pressure for inclusion.

“I don’t think any MLA is aspiring to become a minister at this moment. At least nobody has approached me regarding this,” he said, adding that BJP does not encourage individual aspirations.

Sarma emphasised that the govt had already begun implementing promises made in the BJP’s election manifesto.

“The cabinet has adopted the BJP manifesto as the guiding principle of governance. To fulfil the aspirations of the people, we have already started working on our commitments,” he said.