A new look "Team Buddha" in seventh LF Ministry in Bengal

Kolkata, May 17 (UNI) In a sweeping change for a new look 'Team Buddha', the ruling Left Front today brought in 17 new faces in a 44-member Council of Ministers for its seventh successive Government in West Bengal.

Headed by Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Ministers, 33 of them of Cabinet rank, will be sworn in tomorrow.

A meeting of the Left Front Committee, held at the CPI(M) State headquarters, finalised the new Ministry comprising more than one third new faces and dropped as many as 14 members of the previous Ministry.

The Ministry will have three women - one of Cabinet rank and two Ministers of State.

Later all the Legislators of the Left Front at a separate meeting unanimously elected Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as the Legislature Party leader clearing the decks for his coronation as the Chief Minister.

Briefing reporters, Front Committee Chairman Biman Basu said the meeting had selected Mr Hashim Abdul Halim as Speaker for the fifth time and Mr Bhakti Bhushan Ghosh as his Deputy, while Mr Syed Mohammad Mohsin had been named the Chief Whip of the Left Front.

Enjoying the lion's share, the CPI(M) has 32 Ministers, while smaller partners Forward Bloc and RSP have four each, the CPI two and the Forward Bloc(Marxist) and WBSP have one each.

With a major thrust on Information Technology as well as agriculture, development, employment and education, a number of portfolios were either given to new hands or shuffled among the old timers.

For the first time in the country, a separate Ministry for Self -Help and Employment was created in keeping with the Front's promise in the election manifesto to create one million self-help groups in the state in the next five years for generation of employment.

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