By IANS,
Kolkata: Facing a series of electoral setbacks, West Bengal’s ruling Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sunday tried to repair its image with a ministerial reshuffle that saw senior and ailing ministers shedding loads of key ministries.
CPI-M state secretariat member Surya Kanta Mishra, who was so far holding charge of two vital portfolios of health and panchayat, lost the panchayat ministry to Anisur Rehman. Narayan Biswas will take over the responsibility of the animal husbandry department, so far held by Rehman.
A CPI-M statement after the party’s two-day state committee meeting said Labour and Power Minister Mrinal Bandopadhyay would henceforth look after only power.
Minister of State for Labour Anadi Sahoo has been elevated as a cabinet minister of the same department.
Environment and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sailen Sarkar was relieved of the parliamentary affair ministry.
Law and Justice Minister Rabi Lal Moitra will now also be in charge of parliamentary affairs.
The functioning of the panchayat, health and power ministries had drawn flak from within the party and also in Left Front circles as the ruling combine suffered back-to-back losses in panchayat, Lok Sabha, municipal polls as also assembly by-polls over the last 14 months.
Bandopadhyay and Sarkar are ailing, while Mishra was seemingly overburdened with the load of the key panchayat and health departments.