Fourth Varuna Sriraya ministry

Fourth Varuna Sriraya ministry चतुर्थ वरुण श्रीराय मंत्रिमंडल
8th Ministry of Republic of Children's Group
Date formed	30 December 2016 (2016-12-30)
Date dissolved	12 April 2017 (2017-04-12)
People and organisations
Head of state	Sarala Baishya Bishnu Chetry (acting)
Head of government	Varuna Sriraya
Deputy head of government	Tanishkaa Patranabish (until 17 Feb 2017) Abhiraj Kar (from 17 Feb 2017)
Member parties	Friends Society Secular Party   Friends Society Independent Party
Status in legislature	Supermajority
Opposition party	Friends Society Freedom Party
Opposition leader	Arnab Sil (until 2 Jan 2017) Saikat Seal (from 2 Jan 2017)
History
Election(s)	2016
Predecessor	Third Varuna Sriraya ministry
Successor	Third Sarala Baishya ministry

File:Varuna Sriraya taking oath as Prime Minister on 30 December 2016.jpg

Varuna Sriraya being sworn-in as the Prime Minister by Acting President Sarala Baishya.

The Fourth Varuna Sriraya ministry (Hindi: चतुर्थ वरुण श्रीराय मंत्रिमंडल) was the 8th union council of ministers of the Republic of Children's Group which was formed after the December 2016 general election. The ministry, the fourth-ever union ministry to be headed by Prime Minister Varuna Sriraya, was formed on 30 December 2016 after the outstanding victory of the Secular Party-led coalition in the general election. The ministry remained in office until its dissolution on 12 April 2017 when prime minister Varuna Sriraya resigned after being chosen to succeed Sarala Baishya as the President who had resigned on 11 April 2017. Varuna Sriraya was succeeded by Sarala Baishya as the prime minister.

History

The December 2016 general election resulted in the outstanding victory of the United Alliance which consisted of the Secular Party and the Independent Party as coalition partners which won more than 90% of the total seats in the parliament while the Freedom Party which broke out of the alliance to contest the election independently was only able to win two seats.

After the declaration of the results, the coalition parties elected Secular Party leader and outgoing prime minister Varuna Sriraya as its leader and subsequently as the Prime Minister. Varuna Sriraya along with his cabinet was sworn-in into office for a record fourth time by Acting President Sarala Baishya.

Composition

The council of ministers which was formed and sworn-in on 30 December 2016 except for two ministers, Abhiraj Kar and Bishakha Das who took oath on 11 January 2017. The ministry composed of Prime Minister Varuna Sriraya, Deputy Prime Minister Tanishkaa Patranabish, four cabinet ministers - Anoushkaa Patranabish, Abhiraj Kar, Arnab Deka and Asmi Patranabis, four ministers of state with independent charge - Anirban Phatowali, Bhargab Jyoti Medhi, Manoj Chetry and Bishakha Das, and five ministers of state - Rajdeep Deka, Himprakash Deka, Arpan Deka, Tusharjit Deka and Abhirup Patranabis.

Anoushkaa Patranabish, then Governor of Beltola and Administrator of Central Guwahati had resigned to be appointed a minister. Abhiraj Kar and Arnab Deka who were ministers of state in the previous ministry were promoted to cabinet rank. Anirban Phatowali, the former Governor of Beltola was re-inducted as minister of state with independent charge.

Reshuffle

The first cabinet reshuffle took place on 5 February 2017 when Asmi Patranabis and Bhargab Jyoti Medhi replaced their portfolios. On 17 February, Prime Minister Varuna Sriraya carried out yet another reshuffle in the union cabinet which witnessed Deputy Prime Minister Tanishkaa Patranabish being dropped from the ministry and being replaced by Abhiraj Kar. In the same event, Anirban Phatowali was promoted to cabinet rank while Rajdeep Deka was appointed as a Minister of State with independent charge.

Defections

Soon after the election, several MPs who were elected from the Secular Party joined the Independent Party and the opposition Freedom Party. In a series of events which unfolded by February 2017 saw big cabinet members join the Independent Party which eventually led to the Prime Minister joining the Independent Party on 19 February 2017. It was on the same day that the President recognized him as the leader of the single largest party in the parliament allowing him to remain in power until his resignation on 12 April 2017.

Ministers

Cabinet Ministers

Note:

• MoS (I/C) - Minister of State (Independent charge)

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office	Party		Notes
Prime Minister Minister of Finance Minister of Culture Minister of Welfare Minister of General Administration And also in-charge of all important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister.	Varuna Sriraya	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
Deputy Prime Minister	Tanishkaa Patranabish	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSSP
	Abhiraj Kar	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of Home Affairs	Tanishkaa Patranabish	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSSP
	Asmi Patranabis	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of All Party Affairs	Tanishkaa Patranabish	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSSP
	Anoushkaa Patranabish	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of Social Justice	Tanishkaa Patranabish	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSSP
	Arnab Deka	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of States Minister of Cabinet Affairs Minister of Regional Affairs	Anoushkaa Patranabish	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Group Members Development	Abhiraj Kar	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of Corporate Affairs	Asmi Patranabis	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSSP
	Anirban Phatowali	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of Information and Broadcasting	Bhargab Jyoti Medhi	30 December 2016	5 February 2017		FSSP	MoS (I/C) was responsible.
	Asmi Patranabis	5 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of External Affairs	Arnab Deka	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of Sanitation and Cleanliness Campaign	Arnab Deka	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSSP
	Anirban Phatowali	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of Planning and Group Development	Asmi Patranabis	30 December 2016	5 February 2017		FSSP

Ministers of State (Independent Charge)

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office	Party
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Law and Justice	Anirban Phatowali	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSIP
	Rajdeep Deka	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Prime Minister's Office	Bishakha Das	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Sports and Youth Affairs	Manoj Chetry	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Planning and Group Development	Bhargab Jyoti Medhi	5 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSIP

Ministers of State

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office	Party
Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Minister of State in the Ministry of Salaries	Anirban Phatowali	30 December 2016	17 February 2017		FSIP
	Bhargab Jyoti Medhi	17 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture	Bishakha Das	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSIP
	Arpan Deka				FSSP
Minister of State in the Ministry of General Administration	Bishakha Das	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of State in the Ministry of Sanitation and Cleanliness Campaign	Manoj Chetry	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
	Himprakash Deka
Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Minister of State in the Ministry of Regional Affairs	Bhargab Jyoti Medhi	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs	Rajdeep Deka	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSIP
Minister of State in the Ministry of States	Himprakash Deka	18 February 2017	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of State in the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs	Arpan Deka	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of State in the Ministry of Group Members Development	Tusharjit Deka	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP
Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Minister of State in the Ministry of Welfare	Abhirup Patranabis	30 December 2016	12 April 2017		FSSP