Third Tarun Gogoi ministry



The Third Tarun Gogoi ministry is the third consecutive council of ministers of the Government of Assam headed by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi between 2011 and 2016. The ministry was constituted on 30 May 2011 after Tarun Gogoi was sworn-in as the chief minister of the state for the third consecutive term after leading the Indian National Congress into victory in the assembly election. The ministry remained into force until 24 May 2016.

Background
The 2011 Assam Legislative Assembly election which took place in two phases on 4 and 11 April 2011 resulted in the ruling Indian National Congress under the leadership of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi winning the majority of seats by increasing its seat tally from 53 (in the outgoing assembly) to 78, while its coalition partner, the Bodoland People's Front won 12 seats. The All India United Democratic Front emerged as the single largest party after the Congress winning 18 seats in the assembly. The principal opposition party, the Asom Gana Parishad won only 10 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party won 5 seats. One seat was won by the All India Trinamool Congress while two independent candidates were also victorious.

After leading his party to an overwhelming victory, Gogoi was elected as the chief minister of the state for the third term by the Congress leadership and was sworn-in into office on 18 May 2021 by Governor Janaki Ballabh Patnaik. The cabinet was expanded on 30 May 2021 when 18 ministers were inducted.

Swearing-in ceremony
Tarun Gogoi was sworn-in as the chief minister of the state on 18 May 2011 by Governor Janaki Ballabh Patnaik at the Raj Bhavan complex. The ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries including Union DoNER and Mines Minister Bijoy Krishna Handique, Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court Madan Bhimarao Lokur, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhubaneswar Kalita, Bodoland People's Front President and BTC Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary, the newly-elected members of the legislative assembly, among prominent.

Composition
Gogoi dropped 8 ministers from his previous ministry including former chief minister Bhumidhar Barman. Gogoi retained Prithibi Majhi, Gautam Roy, Ajanta Neog, Akon Bora, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Khorsing Engti, Nazrul Islam, Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain along with BPF representative Chandan Brahma. On 27 May 2011, the ministers of the council of ministers were inducted in a solemn ceremony. 18 ministers were appointed among whom 13 were of cabinet rank, namely Prithibi Majhi and Tanka Bahadur Rai (former Speakers), Nazrul Islam, Gautam Roy, Ajanta Neog, Ardhendu Kumar Dey, Akon Bora, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Khorsing Engti, Rakibul Hussain, Nilamani Sen Deka, Pradyut Bordoloi, Pranati Phukan and Chandan Brahma, while four appointees were ministers of state with independent charge which included Ajit Singh, Basanta Das, Rajib Lochan Pegu and Siddique Ahmed. All the ministers except for Chandan Brahma were Congress legislators while Brahma belong to the Bodoland People's Front. The portfolios were assigned among the ministers on 30 May 2011 He allocated the portfolios to his ministers on 30 May 2011.

Transport minister Chandan Brahma resigned from the cabinet after the Bodoland People's Front withdrew from the Congress alliance on 27 June 2014. This was followed by resignation of disgruntled Congress minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in July 2014 who later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and became chief minister in 2021. Senior cabinet minister Ardhendu Kumar Dey and minister of state Siddique Ahmed were dropped from the cabinet on 23 July 2014 for accompanying Sarma to submit this resignation to the cabinet.

On 22 January 2015, all the ministers of the government submitted their resignation to the chief minister to pave way for a reshuffle which took place on 26 January 2015. Among those ministers who were re-appointed were Ajanta Neog, Nazrul Islam, Khorsing Engti and Rakibul Islam, while the newly appointed ministers included former caretaker chief minister Bhumidhar Barman, Sarat Barkotoky, Sukur Ali Ahmed, Chandan Kumar Sarkar and Atuwa Munda. Ajit Singh and Basanta Das were promoted to cabinet rank while Sumitra Patir, Girindra Mallik and Bismita Gogoi were inducted as ministers of state with independent charge.

On 22 September 2015, former ministers Gautam Roy and Siddique Ahmed were appointed as cabinet ministers in the government.