Reshuffle in WB ministry; two ministers divested of portfolios

In a major reshuffle in the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal after Lok Sabha polls, two ministers were today divested of their portfolios while another was shifted from the important tourism department.
Bratya Basu, who held the education portfolio, will now look after the important tourism department, state government sources here said.
Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury from Malda district, who held tourism portfolio, has been shifted to food processing and horticulture department.
Another minister from Malda, Sabitri Mitra, who held Social Welfare department, has been divested of her portfolio. She now remains a minister without portfolio.
Social Welfare has been given to Women and Child Development Minister Sashi Panja as an additional charge.

Trinamool Congress candidates were defeated from Malda Dakshin and Malda Uttar in the Lok Sabha elections.

Both Chowdhury and Mitra were understood to have been reprimanded by TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee for the party's poor showing in the district.
Partha Chatterjee, who held Parliamentary Affairs and IT portfolios, will be the new Education Minister in place of Bratya Basu. He will continue to look after Parliamentary Affairs.
Finance Minister Amit Mitra, a key minister in the Mamata government who also held the Industry portfolio, will have the additional charge of Information Technology.
Subrata Saha from Murshidabad, where also the party could not put up good performance, has been divested of his portfolio and he now remains a minister without portfolio.

Saha was the minister for Food Processing and Horticulture.