Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday chose Trinamool Congress legislator from Uluberia Dakshin constituency Pulak Roy as the state's Panchayat minister and the successor of veteran party leader and minister Subrata Mukherjee. Mukherjee, a politician for over six decades, had passed away following a cardiac ailment on the evening of November 4.
An influential leader from the Howrah district, Pulak Roy was earlier Trinamool Congress district president and had defeated BJP's actor-turned-politician candidate Papia Adhikary from Uluberia Dakshin seat in the Assembly elections held earlier this year. Roy has already been serving as the state Public Health and Engineering minister and today's decision has elevated his position in the cabinet, considerably.
Another ailing minister Amit Mitra, who had expressed his desire to remain away from active politics and had not contested the Assembly polls, has been made the chief economic advisor to the chief minister. Mamata Banerjee has kept the Finance portfolio with herself, while Chandrima Bhattacharya was been handed over the additional charge of the department as minister-of-state. Bhattacharya is the state's Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister.
Also Read: Ailing Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee dies
Manas Ranjan Bhuniya, the MLA from Sabang in Paschim Medinipur district and the state Water Resources Development minister, has been asked to shoulder the additional charge of the Consumer Protection department. Minister in charge of the Consumer Protection department Sadhan Pandey has been ailing for some time and has been replaced.
The state's Women and Child Development and Social Empowerment Minister Sashi Panja, who is a legislator from the Shyampukur Assembly seat in north Kolkata, has been given the additional charge of the Self-Help and Self-Employment department. Banerjee has entrusted the additional charge of Industrial Reconstruction on Partha Chatterjee, who is presently the state's Industry, Commerce and Enterprise, IT and Electronics and Parliamentary Affairs minister.
With the state Election Commission consenting to the government's proposal of holding the municipal elections to all wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and 50 wards of Howrah Municipal Corporation on December 19, political watchers feel that Banerjee was laying weight behind Trinamool Congress legislators Partha Chatterjee, Sashi Panja and Chandrima Bhattacharya, all residing within the limits of KMC and Pulak Roy from Howrah, keeping the upcoming polls in mind.
