It is a big day for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, as the party, which has been in power at the Center since 2014, installed its first chief minister in the state, a long-elusive goal.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of West Bengal after the BJP came to power with a landslide, winning 207 seats out of 294 in the recent Assembly elections. Adhikari himself won two seats, bagging Nandigram and defeating TMC supremo and his predecessor Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.
West Bengal Governor R N Ravi administered the oath of office to Adhikari and his cabinet at Brigade Parade in Kolkata on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, several NDA bloc leaders, among others, were also present at the event.
Below is the complete list of BJP ministers who were sworn in as the next government of West Bengal.
West Bengal: Complete list of ministers
Suvendu Adhikari – Prime Minister
Dilip Ghosh- Minister
Agnimitra Paul- Minister
Ashok Kirtania – Minister
Kshodiram Tudu- Minister
Nisith Pramanik- Minister
First BJP government in West Bengal
This is the first time that a BJP government has come to power in Kolkata after nearly 50 years of Left and TMC rule. But it was not without controversy: outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who ruled the state for 15 years, refused to resign despite the defeat, alleging rigging and other irregularities.
“There is no doubt that I will resign; we were defeated not by a general mandate but by a conspiracy.” she said on TuesdayHe also accused the Election Commission and the Central Powers of working in favor of the BJP.
It alleged that TMC workers were prevented from entering counting centers and faced violence during the electoral process. The European Commission rejected these allegations, stressing that the counting process was conducted under established procedures and strict monitoring. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which got a clear majority, also denied the allegations.
The West Bengal Parliament was dissolved on May 7, paving the way for the new government to be sworn in in the state.
