Guwahati, May 14: Four ministers who took oath alongside Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier this week have been formally assigned their portfolios, officials confirmed on Thursday. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya approved the list of departments forwarded by the Chief Minister, marking the first allocation of responsibilities in the newly formed cabinet.

Rameshwar Teli of the BJP, a former Union minister, will oversee Labour Welfare, Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare, as well as the Transformation and Development department. Ajanta Neog, who previously served as Finance Minister, has been entrusted with Women and Child Development and Tourism. Atul Bora of the Asom Gana Parishad, Agriculture Minister in the last government, now holds charge of Panchayat and Rural Development, Implementation of the Assam Accord, Border Protection and Development, and Excise. Charan Boro of the Bodoland People’s Front continues with Transport and Welfare of Bodoland.

All remaining departments will remain under the Chief Minister until the ministry is expanded after the first assembly session concludes on May 26. Sarma, sworn in for a second consecutive term on May 12, had earlier indicated that the cabinet expansion would follow the session. The four ministers represent diverse constituencies: tea tribes through Teli, women via Neog, the regional Assamese community through Bora, and the indigenous Bodo tribal community via Boro.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance secured a record 102 seats in the 126-member assembly, ensuring a third successive term in Assam.