Guwahati: The Sarbananda Sonowal ministry in Assam saw its first expansion with the induction of seven new ministers on Thursday. It also saw a major rejig of portfolios to ease the load of "overburdened" ministers.

Among the four new cabinet ministers, BJP's Siddhartha Bhattacharya (East Guwahati) got education, Guwahati development department, law and justice. BJP's Sum Ronghang got hills area development, mines and minerals. AGP's Phani Bhusan Choudhury got food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, pension and public grievances while BPF's Chandan Brahma got tourism, welfare of plain tribes and backward classes.

Among the three new ministers of state, Bhabesh Kalita got irrigation (independent), revenue and disaster management (MoS), Topon Kumar Gogoi got power (independent) and PWD (MoS) while Pijush Hazarika got urban development (excluding town and country planning) and health & family welfare (MoS).

Cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had the most portfolios after chief minister Sonowal, was relieved of education, tourism, GDD, handloom and textile (except khadi and village industry), cooperation, pension and public grievances.

Sarma got PWD from cabinet minister Parimal Suklabaidya who got forest from Pramila Rani Brahma who was also divested of welfare of plain tribes and backward class, mines and minerals but got social welfare which was with the chief minister.

AGP cabinet minister Keshab Mahanta, who held water resources, science & technology and information technology, got additional responsibility of culture (library and archaeology) but his party president Atul Bora was divested of the urban development department. Minister of state Naba Doley lost sports but got environment and forests. Cabinet minister Ranjit Dutta lost irrigation to new entrant Bhabesh Kalita but got welfare of minorities.

The portfolios of Chandramohan Patowary, seen as number three in the cabinet, were not touched. BJP insiders said this was necessary to give a push to government programmes ahead of the panchayat and Lok Sabha polls.

Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath of office to the new ministers in the morning, taking the number of ministers to 18 against a maximum of 19. The vacant berth will go to an experienced hand, Sarma said. The BJP-led alliance had assumed charge on May 24, 2016, and this was its first ministry expansion.

Sarma said Sonowal considered several factors like experience, youth, representation of different parts of the state while finalising the new set of ministers.

State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass said the new ministers were capable and appealed to them to fulfil the expectations of the people. After the swearing-in, he said the state unit will see organisational changes keeping in mind the panchayat and Lok Sabha elections.

Chaygaon MLA Rakibuddin Ahmed was the only Congress MLA who attended the programme.