Suvendu Adhikari on Friday took oath as the first Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, marking a major political turning point in the state’s history.
The oath taking ceremony was held at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata at 11.30 am, where Governor R N Ravi administered the oath of office. Adhikari took the oath in the name of God.
The ceremony was attended by Narendra Modi, senior NDA leaders and several top BJP officials.
Adhikari was formally elected leader of the BJP legislature party during a meeting held in Kolkata on Thursday. Amit Shah and Mohan Charan Majhi attended the meeting as observers.
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh proposed Adhikari’s name for the Chief Minister’s post, which was later officially announced by Amit Shah during the legislature party meeting.
The BJP secured power in the state after defeating the All India Trinamool Congress and ending its 15 year rule under Mamata Banerjee.
Adhikari began his political career with the Indian National Congress before joining the Trinamool Congress, where he became a close associate of Mamata Banerjee. He later switched to the BJP in December 2020 following political differences.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in the high profile Nandigram constituency and subsequently became the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
In the latest elections, he once again defeated Mamata Banerjee, this time in the Trinamool stronghold of Bhabanipur, paving the way for the BJP’s historic victory in the state.
The development marks one of the most significant political shifts in West Bengal in decades, ending the long dominance of the Trinamool Congress and bringing the BJP to power in the state for the first time.
