43 ministers make Mamata?s cabinet

West Bengal?s first woman chief minister Mamata Banerjee will take her oath on Friday, along with 43 ministers, as last minute preparations were in full swing for the elaborate ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Kolkata.

See department allocation : Mamata Banerjee allocates portfolios

The number of ministers however comes in contrast to Mamata?s earlier assertions of having a small cabinet. Reports said that the final figure swelled thanks to her promise of representations from all regions and communities of the state and also commitments to her allies.

The Congress will have seven ministers in Mamata?s cabinet, who herself resigned from the post of the Union Minister for Railways on Thursday, while the remaining 36 reportedly belong to her own party Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The list of ministers from the TMC includes Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee, Manish Gupta, Subrata Mukherjee, Abdul Karim Chowdhury, Sadhan Pandey, Upen Biswas, Sabitri Mitra, Bratya Basu, Madan Mitra and Noore Alam Chowdhury.

The eleventh Chief Minister of the state Banerjee will be sworn in by Governor M K Narayanan on the southwest lawn of the 208-year-old the governor?s residence, the Raj Bhavan, at 1:01 pm in front of about 3,200 guests.

Top names in politics, business, art and culture, including Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram and A K Antony will attend the function, that will even see former chief minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee and Left leader Biman Bose.

Bhattacharjee was invited along with wife Meera by Deputy leader of the TMC Legislature Party Partha Chatterjee, who personally went to their Palm Avenue residence in reportedly the first visit by any Trinamool leader since the party?s inception in 1998.

It was an over three-fourth majority against the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front that had sealed Banerjee?s long held claim over the hot seat of Bengal, a state ruled by the reds for 34 straight years.

When state election results were declared last Friday, the Congress-TMC alliance, led by Banerjee, won a thumping 227 seats in the 294-seat Assembly, while the Left were reduced to a mere 62 seats.

Unprecedented security arrangements have been made for the much-hyped function. Kolkata Police is said to be leaving no stone unturned to ensure the security and order.

Giant screens have been put up at the Shahid Minar grounds and also at Metro Channel, near Esplanade, for the live telecast of the swearing-in ceremony, while long barricades have been put on certain roads as the Chief Minister is expected to take to the streets to meet the people.

After the swearing-in ceremony Banerjee will have tea with the Governor and the dignitaries before leaving for the refurbished state secretariat Writers? Buildings in nearby BBD Bagh, to formally take charge of her new office.