Barak Valley Retains Cabinet Representation as Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul Set to Take Oath Again

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced through social media the names of 12 MLAs who will be sworn in as Cabinet Ministers on June 5 at 12:45 PM at Jyoti Bishnu Kala Mandir in Guwahati. Among those named are Barak Valley legislators Kaushik Rai, MLA from Lakhipur, and Krishnendu Paul, MLA from Patharkandi.

Both leaders had served as Cabinet ministers in the previous government and are now set to return to the Assam Cabinet. However, the departments they will be assigned after taking oath are yet to be announced.

Kaushik Rai was inducted into the Assam Cabinet during the latter part of the previous term in December 2024. During his tenure, he handled the departments of Food and Public Distribution, Mines and Minerals, and Barak Valley Development. He is set to take oath once again on Friday, although his new ministerial responsibilities remain unknown.

Krishnendu Paul was first sworn in as a Cabinet Minister on December 7, 2024, during a major Cabinet expansion led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The oath of office was administered by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium in Guwahati. During his tenure, Paul was entrusted with the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Fisheries, and Public Works Roads Department (PWRD/PMGSY) portfolios. It is not yet known whether he will retain any of these departments in the new Cabinet.

Apart from Rai and Paul, the MLAs listed for induction are Ashwini Ray Sarkar (Golakganj), Ashok Singhal (Dhekiajuli), Bimal Borah (Tingkhong), Biswajit Daimary (Panery), Jayanta Mallabaruah (Nalbari), Keshab Mahanta (Kaliabor), Nilima Devi (Mangaldai), Pijush Hazarika (Jagiroad), Ranoj Pegu (Dhemaji), and Susanta Borgohain (Thowra).

Of the 12 ministers set to take oath, 11 belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while one, Keshab Mahanta, represents the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an ally in the ruling NDA coalition.

The Cabinet expansion follows the swearing-in ceremony held on May 12, when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma began his second consecutive term. Alongside him, four ministers took oath. Ajanta Neog was assigned the Finance, Women and Child Development, and Tourism departments. Rameswar Teli received Labour Welfare, Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare, and Transformation and Development. AGP president Atul Bora was entrusted with Panchayat and Rural Development, Border Protection and Development, and Implementation of Assam Accord. BPF leader Charan Boro was given charge of the Transport and Bodoland Welfare departments.

With the induction of the 12 ministers on Friday, the Assam Cabinet will complete its major expansion for the new term. The allocation of portfolios is expected to be announced after the swearing-in ceremony, which will determine the responsibilities of both returning and newly inducted ministers.

The announcement is also significant for Barak Valley politics. In recent months, supporters of several other BJP MLAs from the region had expressed hopes that their leaders would be inducted into the Cabinet. However, the list announced by the Chief Minister indicates that the government has once again placed its confidence in Kaushik Rai and Krishnendu Paul to represent Barak Valley in the state Cabinet.