SMILES ALL THE WAY AS THE NEW ORDER TAKES CHARGE

Guwahati, May 25: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal today allocated portfolios to his ministers, a painstaking job given that six of them are first-timers.

He, however, kept the significant home & political department for himself, carrying forward the legacy of his predecessors Tarun Gogoi, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Hiteswar Saikia. Barring the AGP's first tenure, the home department has always been with the chief minister.

The home portfolio is important for Sonowal as he has made the National Register of Citizens update and foreigner-free Assam the key priority areas of his government. The department also deals with police which looks after law and order, another priority area in a state where insurgency remains an issue. Sonowal will also hold charge of departments (see chart below) not been allocated to any minister.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is considered the architect of the BJP's historic victory in the Assembly polls, has been allocated key portfolios. He gets finance, education, planning & development and health & family welfare, among others. He had handled these portfolios in the past as well. Sarma, one of the performing ministers in the Tarun Gogoi government, returns to the ministry after July 21, 2014, the day he had resigned from the Gogoi ministry.

Reports were doing the rounds that Sarma could be formally anointed number two in the Sonowal cabinet with the post of deputy chief minister or the responsibility of home.

Sources said the portfolios would be reallocated once Sonowal appoints the remaining eight ministers. So far only 11 ministers, including the chief minister, have been appointed. The size of the ministry in Assam cannot exceed 19 in a House of 126.

Under the power-sharing formula of the coalition government led by Sonowal, the AGP and the BPF have got two berths. They may get one more each in future.

Sources said the remaining berths would be filled within three months.

The biggest challenge before Sonowal is that six of his 10 ministers - Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta, Parimal Suklabaidya, Pallab Lochan Das, Naba Kumar Doley and Ranjit Dutta - have no ministerial experience.

Chandramohan Patowari, Pramila Rani Brahma and Rihon Daimari are back in ministry.

Patowari, who was a minister in both the Mahanta-led governments, is back after a gap of 15 years. He had done well in the agriculture department. Brahma, the only woman minister in the Sonowal cabinet, had earlier handled the department of welfare of plains tribes and backward classes. Daimari, her BPF colleague, had handled the public health engineering (PHE) department.

Das, a minister of state (independent charge), though a new entrant, got the tea employment and tea tribes welfare portfolio. This was expected since he represents the tea community. This is a big break for the two-time MLA. "He should make an impression because he has a chance of becoming a leading voice of the tea community which has drifted way from the Congress," a BJP insider said.

Most ministers, like their chief minister, tried to get down to business as soon as possible.

Dutta met officials of the irrigation department soon after the first meeting of the council of ministers to "get a hang" of things. Though a three-term MLA from Behali in the North Bank and a former BJP state president, this is his first stint as a cabinet minister.

Suklabaidya, the new minister for PWD, fisheries and excise, this evening ordered immediate closure of the excise department's checkgates at Khanapara, Srirampur, Chagolia and Churaibari. The move was in consonance with the decision taken at the meeting of council of ministers this morning to close down checkgates which have become hubs of corruption and illegal activities. The issue had become a plank this Assembly election.

 

WHO GETS WHAT

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal: Home and political, personnel, general administration department, secretariat administration department, administrative reform and training, information and public relations, border area development, revenue and disaster management, social welfare, judicial legislative, law, power, social welfare, minorities development, hill areas development, printing and stationary, implementation of Assam Accord and any other department not allocated to any minister

Himanta Biswa Sarma: Finance, planning and development, health and family welfare, education (higher, secondary and elementary), tourism, handloom and textiles (only khadi and village industry), Guwahati development department, cooperation, pension and public grievances

Atul Bora: Agriculture, horticulture and food processing, animal husbandry and veterinary, urban development and town and country planning

Keshab Mahanta: Water resources, science and technology and information technology

Pramila Rani Brahma: Environment and forest, soil conservation, welfare of plan tribes and backward classes, mines and minerals

Rihon Daimari: Public health engineering, food and civil supply and consumer affairs

Parimal Suklabaidya: PWD, fisheries and excise

Ranjit Dutta: Irrigation, sericulture, handloom and textiles (excluding khadi and village industry)

Chandramohan Patowary: Commerce and industry, transport and parliamentary affairs