The big dropouts

Some old timers are back but a few big names of Sheikh Hasina's last Cabinet are not there.

Home Minister M K Alamgir, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Telecommunication Minister Sahara Khatun who was initially Home Minister, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and Civil Aviation minister Faruk Khan do not find a place in the new cabinet.

AMA Muhith is destined to be retained as Finance Minister though he had made it clear before the polls he was not keen on a ministerial berth anymore.

But some of the top figures of the 1996-2001 Awami League cabinet -- Amir Hussain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Mohammed Nasim and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya are back. They may get important portfolios.

Some notable omissions as ministers of state are Jehangir Kabir Nanak and Shamsul Hoque Tuku.

Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen is also not there -- neither is minister without portfolio Suranjit Sengupta.

In fact, there is no full minister from the Hindu community.

But two new Hindu MPs find a place as ministers of state -- Narayan Chandra Chanda and Biren Sikder.

Other outgoing faces include Food Minister Abdur Razzaq, Labour Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju, Minister of Industries Dilip Barua, Health Minister AFM Ruhul Haque, Minister for Primary and Mass Education Afsarul Amin, Social Welfare Minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shahid, Planning Minister AK Khandaker, Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Abdul Latif Biswas.

The list of those dropped continues with State Minister for Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan, State minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Motahar Hossain, land minister Rezaul Karim Hira, Youth & Sports Minister Ahad Ali Sarkar, State Minister for Labour and employment Monnujan Sufian, State Minister For

Liberation War Affairs Captain (Rtd) ABM Tajul Islam, State Minister forReligious Affairs Shahjahan Miah, State Minister for Water Resources Mahbubur Rahman, State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Dipankar Talukder, State Minister for Power Mohammad Enamul Haque, State Minister Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government Mozibur Rahman Fakir, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Information and Communication Technology Minister Mostafa Faruq Mohammad.