Despite having suffered a loss in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in West Bengal, four erstwhile Ministers of the Trinamool Congress will be appointed in their erstwhile departments as Advisers to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The list includes former Minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya, former PWD minister Sankar Chakraborty, former backward class welfare minister Upendranath Biswas and former power minister Manish Gupta.
Ms. Banerjee has given clear hints that those who have lost will be accommodated. “Those who are capable, I will utilise them,” Ms Banerjee had said referring to the Ministers who had lost the elections.
Rank equivalent to Minister
According to senior officials, the position of Adviser to Chief Minister is equivalent to Minister in the State government. While Chandrima Bhattacharya will be appointed as chairperson of West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, Sankar Chakraborty would become chairman of three State PSUs — Mackintosh Burn, Westinghouse Saxby Farmer Ltd and Britannia Engineering.
Former Power Minister Manish Gupta was being appointed as an Advisor to the Chief Minister for power and non-conventional energy. Upendranath Biswas is likely to be appointed as chairperson of two new corporations under his erstwhile department.
