New Delhi, Jul 16, 2023, IANS

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that there is no need to reshuffle the cabinet till the next Lok Sabha election is over.

“We are not going to do any reshuffle or expansion in the cabinet of ministers till the next year’s general election. However, once the polls are over, there may be a major overhaul in the council of ministers in the state,” Sarma told reporters in the national capital on Saturday.

Assam has three vacant ministers’ berth, however, even after more than two years of government formation, the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has indicate that there is no urgency to fill those unfilled positions.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP’s prospect in Assam is very good. People are happy how the government is functioning, he said.

Assam has 126 MLAs and as per rule, there can be a total 19 ministers including the CM in the government. However, at present, the state has only 16 ministers counting a few from the BJP’s allies Asom Gana Parishad and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL).

The Chief Minister also claimed that there is no displeasure among the people regarding the ongoing delimitation exercise in the state.

“Only a few people have urged for some minor alterations in the draft proposal published by the Election Commission of India (ECI). We have forwarded it. But there is no overall resistance against the delimitation in Assam,” he said.

Meanwhile, there were speculations that the Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita may be relieved from the post and a new face may be introduced before the Lok Sabha election. However, Sarma said that the party has no plan to change Kalita before the general elections.