Suvendu Adhikari’s political journey from Mamata Banerjee ally to BJP leader is reshaping the political landscape in West Bengal.
Suvendu Adhikari is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the current Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. He was born on 15 December 1970 in Purba Medinipur, the son of Shri Sisir Kumar Adhikari and Smt Gayatri Adhikari. He rose to national prominence in 2021 when he narrowly defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her bid for the Nandigram seat, a victory that permanently changed the political narrative of the state.
Read also | Mamata Banerjee vs Suvendu Adhikari: Heavyweight gears up for second round in Bengal elections 2026
In the ongoing 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Adhikari is contesting from two seats: his traditional stronghold of Nandigram and Mamata Banerjee’s urban stronghold of Bhabanipur. Adhikari, who was a close lieutenant and key strategist of Banerjee during the anti-land acquisition Nandigram movement in 2007, had defected to the BJP in December 2020 after internal power struggles and accusations of marginalization, according to earlier Hizb ut-Tahrir reports. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has framed Adhikari’s potential victory in Bhabanipur as a “shortcut” to uproot the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
5 Key Facts about Suvendu Adhikari
- Adhikari holds a Master of Arts degree from Rabindra Bharati University, which he completed in 2011, according to information on My Neta.
- He began his legislative career in 2006 as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, and subsequently served two terms in the Lok Sabha – 2009 and 2014 – before resigning in 2016 to join the state government, sansad.in reported.
- Since he joined the BJP in 2020, the number of criminal cases against him has risen to 25, involving charges ranging from criminal intimidation to rioting; However, the Calcutta High Court quashed 15 of these cases in October 2025, HT had reported earlier.
- A veteran of the cooperative movement, he has served as Chairman of Kuntai Cooperative Bank Limited and Vidyasagar Central Cooperative Bank Limited.
- Away from politics, he is a businessman and social worker with a keen interest in sports, especially in organizing regional football and following cricket.
Yamini CS is a senior content producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. It is part of the India News Bureau, where it works on a wide range of stories covering civic issues, developments in cities, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics and international affairs having an impact on India. Its role includes tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and physical sources, and presenting news in a clear and accessible format for a digital-first audience. Much of her work involves handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court rulings, political developments, civil unrest, protests, weather alerts, and unfolding national and international events. With live coverage, you focus on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they develop. Before moving to the wider India News Bureau, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru bureau of Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her anchoring in city reporting and increased her focus on citizen-focused journalism. She began her career as a Reuters correspondent after obtaining a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continues to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading in various genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which helps her maintain balance in the fast-paced newsroom environment.Read more
