On Monday, a major cabinet expansion took place in the West Bengal government, in which a total of 35 new ministers were sworn in. After this expansion, the total number of State Council of Ministers has increased to 41.
Kolkata: A major administrative change has been seen in the politics of West Bengal. In the first major cabinet expansion of the state government, 35 new ministers were sworn in, taking the total number of ministers to 41. In this extension, senior journalist, writer and former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta has also been given the responsibility of ministerial post. After the announcement of his name, a wide discussion has started in political and academic circles about his role.
Who is Swapan Dasgupta?
Swapan Dasgupta is a well-known Indian journalist, political analyst and writer. He was born on 3 October 1955 in a distinguished Bengali Vaidya family. He has been associated with the Indian journalism world for a long time and has held senior positions in many major national media organizations. Due to his contribution in the field of journalism and his deep understanding of political topics, he is counted among the leading public intellectuals of the country.
Swapan Dasgupta held various editorial positions after 2003 and wrote on national and international issues. He is known for his analytical articles on India’s political system, history and social issues. His writings and views established him as an influential political commentator.
Padma Bhushan Award
In 2015, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan in recognition of his contribution to journalism and public life. It is the country’s third highest civilian honour, reflecting his intellectual and professional achievements. In 2016, then President Pranab Mukherjee nominated Swapan Dasgupta to the Rajya Sabha. As a Rajya Sabha member, he actively participated in various social, cultural and national issues.
Although he was initially not formally associated with any political party, he later played a politically active role with the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
entry into electoral politics
He formally joined politics ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. BJP made him its candidate from Tarakeshwar assembly seat, however he faced defeat in that election. Despite this, he continued political activism and played an important role in the party organization.
In the 2026 assembly elections, he registered a big victory by contesting from Rash Behari assembly seat of Kolkata. This seat was earlier considered a stronghold of Trinamool Congress (TMC). In this election, he surprised political analysts by defeating TMC leader Debashish Kumar. This victory was also considered important because this seat falls in the urban and strategically important area of South Kolkata.
BJP had paid special attention to this seat during the election campaign. Senior leaders of the party, including the Union Home Minister and local organization leadership, took active part in the campaign here.
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