83% of ministers are graduates, average age 57 in West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's cabinet

KOLKATA: The newly sworn-in West Bengal cabinet under chief minister Suvendu Adhikari reflects a blend of experienced politicians, emerging leaders, social diversity and professionals from various fields.A total of 35 ministers took oath on Monday at Lok Bhawan in Kolkata, where Governor R. N. Ravi administered the oath of office. With the latest inductions, the strength of the Council of Ministers has risen to 41, according to news agency ANI.The cabinet has an average age of 57 years, with four ministers below the age of 50. Mathabhanga MLA Nishith Pramanick is the youngest member of the council.The ministry also boasts strong educational credentials. Fifteen ministers, accounting for 83 per cent of the cabinet, are graduates or hold higher qualifications, while 12 ministers possess postgraduate degrees or above. Three members of the cabinet hold PhD degrees.The composition of the ministry reflects representation from 13 caste groups, including eight of the state's 10 largest caste communities. Among the three Scheduled Caste ministers, Nishith Pramanick and Deepak Burman represent the Rajbongshi community, while Ashok Kirtania belongs to the Namasudra community.Scheduled Tribe representation includes Manoj Kumar Oraon from the Oraon community and North Bengal's tea garden belt, and Kshudiram Tudu from the Santhal community in the Junglemahal region.The cabinet also draws members from different regions of the state, with ministers representing Uttar Banga, Nabadwip, Kolkata, HHM and Rarh Banga.A notable feature of the ministry is the inclusion of individuals from diverse professional backgrounds. Among them are medical practitioners, academicians, teachers, journalists and public intellectuals.Doctors Ajay Kumar Poddar and Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay are among the medical professionals inducted into the cabinet. Academicians in the ministry include Kalyan Chakraborty and Shankar Ghosh.The cabinet also includes journalists and public intellectuals such as Swapan Dasgupta and Jagannath Chattopadhyay. Five ministers — Nishith Pramanick, Manoj Kumar Oraon, Deepak Burman, Arup Kumar Das and Kshudiram Tudu — have teaching experience.Several ministers have held key organisational roles within the BJP. They include former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, state vice-presidents Deepak Burman, Agnimitra Paul and Jagannath Chattopadhyay, and BJP ST Morcha national secretary Kshudiram Tudu.The ministry also features leaders with significant legislative and administrative experience. It includes a former Union minister, a former state cabinet minister, four former MPs and nine legislators who have served multiple terms in the Assembly.Nishith Pramanick has previously served as a Union minister, while Tapash Roy is a former state cabinet minister. Former MPs in the cabinet include Dilip Ghosh, Arjun Singh and Swapan Dasgupta.Among the senior legislators in the ministry are six-term MLA Tapash Roy and five-term MLA Arjun Singh. Manoj Kumar Oraon is a three-term MLA, while Deepak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Gauri Sankar Ghosh, Ashok Kirtania, Arup Kumar Das, Agnimitra Paul and Ajay Kumar Poddar have each been elected twice to the Assembly.