Assam chief minister adds 12 ministers, cabinet reaches 17

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expanded his cabinet on Friday, June 5, 2026, with the induction of twelve new ministers at a ceremony in Guwahati. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Jyoti-Bishnu Antarjatik Kala Mandir. The expansion brings the total strength of the council of ministers to seventeen, including the chief minister.

The ceremony was attended by the chief minister, Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, Assam Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass, BJP state president Dilip Saikia, and numerous legislators from the ruling National Democratic Alliance coalition. Most of the new ministers took their oath in the Assamese language, with one minister, Kaushik Rai, using Hindi.

The newly sworn-in ministers include three first-time entrants: BJP legislators Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Nilima Devi, and Sushanta Borgohain. The list also includes Biswajit Daimary, the Speaker of the previous assembly, who is a senior Bodo leader now with the BJP. The remaining nine ministers—Ashok Singhal, Ranoj Pegu, Bimal Borah, Jayant Mallabaruah, Kaushik Rai, Krishnendu Paul, Pijush Hazarika, and Keshab Mahanta of the Asom...