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Four new members are set to join the cabinet led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, with some of them already receiving calls to attend the swearing-in ceremony, according to government and BNP sources.
Three of them—Abdul Moyeen Khan, Andalib Rahman Partha and Saching Prue Jerry—are expected to take oath as ministers, while Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln is likely to join as a state minister.
The new cabinet members are expected to take oath after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is sworn in as president on Friday evening. The president will administer the oath to the three ministers and one state minister.
Sources said the Cabinet Division has contacted some of the potential appointees and asked them to be present at Bangabhaban in the evening.
Saching Prue Jerry confirmed that he had received a call asking him to be at Bangabhaban around 7:30pm, but declined to provide further details.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a BNP standing committee member, is a lawmaker from Narsingdi-2. Andalib Rahman Partha, chairman of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), represents Bhola-1. Saching Prue Jerry is the lawmaker from Bandarban and convener of the BNP’s district unit.
Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln, who is being considered for state minister, represents Gaibandha-4 (Gobindaganj).
When the government was formed under Tarique Rahman in February, the cabinet had 50 members, including the prime minister—25 ministers and 24 state ministers. The prime minister also has 10 advisers, five holding ministerial rank and five state ministerial rank, though they are not cabinet members.
If the four new members take oath, the cabinet will have 54 members, including the prime minister—28 ministers and 25 state ministers besides the prime minister.