The BJP government led by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari inducted nine more legislators from north Bengal as ministers on Monday, much to the elation of north Bengal residents.
The jubilation, however, was highest in Alipurduar, the northern district that got two cabinet ministers and a minister of state.
Altogether, there are five MLAs in the district, among whom three were sworn in as ministers on Monday.
Those included in the cabinet from Alipurduar are veteran party leader Deepak Barman of Falakata, Bishal Lama of Kalchini and Manoj Oraon of Kumargram Assembly seats.
Barman and Oraon are cabinet ministers. Lama is a minister of state (MoS).
Three more districts have two MLAs each who became ministers.
From Darjeeling district, Shankar Ghosh of Siliguri and Anandamay Barman of Matigara-Naxalbari became cabinet minister and an MoS respectively. From North Dinajpur, Biraj Biswas of Karandighi and Kaushik Chowdhury of Raiganj became MoS. From Cooch Behar, Nisith Pramanik of Mathabhanga became a cabinet minister and Malati Rava Roy of Tufanganj became an MoS with independent charge.
From Malda, the party has chosen Joyel Murmu, a tribal MLA from Habibpur, as an MoS.
Siliguri MLA Ghosh, who has earlier served as the BJP’s chief whip in the Assembly, said: “It (ministerial berth) is a new responsibility and I will work for development, for Bengal and to uphold the confidence people have expressed in my party and myself.”
A political observer pointed out that none of the BJP MLAs from three northern districts of Jalpaiguri, South Dinajpur and Kalimpong became ministers.
“It seems the BJP has some other plans with these lawmakers,” he said.
In north Bengal, the BJP won 40 of 54 Assembly seats, of which 12 are in these three districts.
Residents of Jalpaiguri articulated discontent. “We had huge expectations that one or two MLAs from Jalpaiguri would have become ministers as the BJP won all seven seats of the district. We still hope that the party’s leaders and the chief minister will consider our aspirations,” said a senior citizen of Jalpaiguri town.