Amidst the political turmoil of West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reshuffled the portfolios of her ministers. He has taken over the law department. Till now, Moloy Ghatak, a minister in the West Bengal government, was handling the Law Ministry as well as the Labor Department. However, on Monday, Mamata Banerjee suddenly snatched the Law Ministry from him.
The State Secretariat shared information about reshuffle in departments in Mamata Banerjee’s Mamata government. The Law Department has been taken away from Minister Moloy Ghatak and now he will be solely responsible for the Labor Department. TMC leader Babul Supriyo has been elected to the Rajya Sabha and will no longer be a part of the cabinet. Mamata Banerjee’s decision to take over the Department of Information Technology and Public Enterprises, which was earlier held by Babul Supriyo, is understandable. However, the question is why did he take the Law Ministry from Minister Moloy Ghatak? There are many important reasons for this.
When Mamata Banerjee formed her third government in West Bengal in 2021, the Law Ministry was given to Minister Moloy Ghatak. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not happy with the working style of Moloy Ghatak, who was holding the Law Ministry for nearly five years. Sources reveal that there was resentment within TMC for some time regarding his way of working. By taking charge of the Law Ministry just before the assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee has tried to give a political message.
Tough decisions before assembly elections
In view of the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is playing a front-foot role. She wants to strengthen the party organization and government. Having the experienced Molloy Ghatak handle the job himself, instead, shows his intention to dispose of legal matters expeditiously. This time, Mamata Banerjee has directly taken charge of the law department (she is now the Law and Justice Minister), which was earlier held by Ghatak.
Direct interference in legal battles
Moloy Ghatak is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate and CBI in connection with the alleged coal smuggling scam. He repeatedly delayed appearing before the agency, leading to controversy. Recently, in cases like ED raid and SIR, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself was seen involved in legal maneuvers, from the streets to the Supreme Court. His personal defense in the Supreme Court shows his desire to control important legal matters. That is why Mamata Banerjee took over the Law Ministry just before the assembly elections.
Conflict with central agencies
The Mamata Banerjee government has been vocal about the role of the Central Investigation Agencies (ED/CBI) sent by the Centre. By retaining the Law Ministry, his aim is to strengthen his legal strategy against these agencies. As Governor of West Bengal, R.N. Ravi’s appointment and the strict stance of the Election Commission has created many challenges for the state government. With the Chief Minister being responsible for the Law Department, he will have direct control over the bureaucracy and legal advisors, which is very important during elections.
Preparation for 2026 assembly elections
As West Bengal Assembly elections are approaching, Mamata Banerjee is making changes in her cabinet and organization so that the departments of senior leaders facing corruption charges can be improved. This reshuffle is being considered as Mamata Banerjee’s move to strengthen her hold on the legal front before the 2026 assembly elections and make the government more aggressive. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to take over the law department or keep tight control over it is mainly due to the increasing activities of legal and investigative agencies (like ED/CBI) against the state government and TMC ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
