Guwahati: A day after Assam chief minister Himanta Bisdwa Sarma announced the expansion of his council of ministers, the state’s cabinet minister Sanjoy Kishan tendered his resignation on Thursday.
Mr Kishan held the portfolios of Tea Tribes Welfare and Labour Welfare departments in the government.
Mr Kishan, 54, is a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly, after being elected from the Tinsukia constituency. He had also served as a minister in the cabinet of former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
This came a day after Himanta Biswa Sarma’s cabinet meeting that was held virtually from New Delhi on Wednesday.
After the cabinet meeting Mr Sarma confirmed that the much-awaited cabinet expansion will take place on December 7. He assured that further details regarding the expansion would be disclosed soon.
With several ministers in the current cabinet shouldering multiple responsibilities, there have been calls for a cabinet expansion recently. Currently, the Assam cabinet has only 15 members, including the chief minister, although the maximum strength permitted is 18, which leaves three slots vacant.
It is significant that there has been no representation from Barak Valley in the cabinet since former minister Parimal Suklabaidya, who represented the Dholai constituency, resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
There has been speculation in the political circle about the inclusion of veteran BJP leader Prashant Phukan and some new faces who switched over to BJP from the Congress party.
While the specifics remain under wraps, the chief minister has indicated that the finalized list will be released after his high-level discussions, expected on December 5 or 6 with central party leaders.
