Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took oath as the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal since independence, officially ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule in the state in a closely guarded ceremony held at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several senior BJP leaders attended the swearing-in ceremony, which attracted thousands of BJP supporters from across Bengal and neighboring states.
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Security was tightened at key locations in Kolkata ahead of the event, including outside Adhikari’s Chinar Park residence, and the Kalighat residence of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee. CRPF personnel and Kolkata Police maintained multi-layered security arrangements amid heightened political activity in the city.
Supporters carrying BJP flags and raising slogans gathered at various points before heading towards the venue. “It is a historic day. We have come to witness West Bengal gaining independence from the clutches of the TMC,” said a supporter from Jharkhand.
Adhikari’s elevation was formalized on Friday after Amit Shah was declared leader of the BJP legislative council at a meeting of 207 party members in Kolkata.
“A meeting of our legislative party was held in West Bengal. The BJP national president nominated me and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi as central observers. We received nearly eight proposals and all of them suggested the same name,” Shah said.
The BJP registered a historic victory in the two-phase assembly elections, winning 207 of the 294 seats in the assembly, while the TMC’s seats were reduced to 80 seats.
The rise of Suvendu Adhikari
Adhikari, who was once a senior Trinamool Congress leader from East Midnapore, resigned from the Mamata Banerjee-led government and joined the BJP in December 2020 at a rally attended by Amit Shah. He later emerged as a major political rival to Banerjee after defeating her in Nandigram in the 2021 Lok Sabha elections.
In these elections, Adhikari retained Nandigram and also defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur, marking a major setback for the TMC chief in her political stronghold.
After the results, Banerjee accused the BJP, the Election Commission and the Central Armed Forces of tampering with the polls and refused to resign from the post of chief minister. Governor RN Ravi then dissolved the assembly on Thursday and did not appoint Banerjee as interim chief minister, paving the way for the formation of a BJP government.
