IF the first week in office meant brainstorming sessions and clearing files for the newly elected chief ministers of Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, for Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi it meant a lengthy stay in Delhi to finalise his team of ministers.
Gogoi was faced with a problem of plenty — he had to choose 18 out of the 77 newly elected MLAs (excluding Gogoi) to hand over ministries. Soon after assuming office, he rushed to New Delhi to hold parleys with the party high command and returned only on May 26 with the final list. A day later, 14 Cabinet Ministers and 4 Ministers of State were sworn in.
With the Congress party taking charge in Dispur for the third consecutive term, Assam does not expect to see much change in key policies. The ‘peace, stability and development’ mantra of the previous government is expected to continue this time too.
The chief minister has already announced that health, education and rural development will be the priority areas for the new government.
