Who are the new faces tapped for Hasina’s expanded cabinet?

The Awami League is set to expand its cabinet with fresh faces 50 days after the party formed a government for a fourth straight term under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The newly appointed members of the cabinet will be sworn in on Friday at 7:30 pm at the presidential palace, Bangabhaban.

Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, an MP from the Chattogram-14 constituency, told bdnews24.com that he will be handed a government portfolio.

“I am going to be a full minister. I got a call from the cabinet about it,” he said.

Having served as an MP from a reserved women’s seat, Awami League’s Education and Human Affairs Secretary Shamsunnahar Champa is also set to be inducted into the cabinet for the first time.

Waseka Ayesha Khan is also set to take on a role in the cabinet after being nominated for the reserved women’s seat for three consecutive terms.

She is the daughter of late Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser, a leading organiser of the Liberation War and a prominent leader of the Awami League.

Dr Rokeya Sultana, serving as the ruling party’s health and population affairs secretary, is also joining the cabinet following her election to a reserved women’s seat.

Meanwhile, Md Shahiduzzaman, the newly elected MP from Naogaon-2, will take his oath of office on Friday. The voting in the constituency did not take place during the general election on Jan 7 after it was postponed due to the death of an independent candidate. Shahiduzzaman swept to victory in the rescheduled election on Feb 12.

Following the Awami League’s landslide election win on Jan 7, Sheikh Hasina’s latest cabinet initially included 25 ministers and 11 state ministers.

The cabinet currently consists of 25 full ministers and 11 state ministers, with no positions for deputy ministers.

Earlier, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader had also hinted that the size of the cabinet could increase after the election of MPs from the reserved women’s seats.