May 08, 2026 06:56 pm (IST)
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Suvendu Adhikari
Suvendu Adhikari named BJP's first Bengal CM, to take oath tomorrow
Kolkata/IBNS: Suvendu Adhikari is set to take oath as the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) first West Bengal Chief Minister on Saturday (May 9).
The decision was finalised during the BJP legislature party meeting held in Kolkata in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speaking after the meeting, Shah said all proposals submitted by BJP legislators supported Adhikari’s name for the chief ministerial post.
The BJP secured a historic victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections, ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress and handing one of the biggest political defeats to former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
On May 5, Banerjee stated that she would not resign from the post of Chief Minister, alleging that the election outcome was the result of a “conspiracy” rather than a reflection of the public mandate.
From Mamata's lieutenant to BJP CM: Rise of Suvendu Adhikari
Once regarded as one of the closest associates of Mamata Banerjee and a prominent face of the Trinamool Congress’s anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari has emerged as one of the most influential leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal politics.
The 2026 Assembly elections marked another major milestone in Adhikari’s political rise.
He not only retained Nandigram against the Trinamool Congress with a significantly larger margin than before, but also played a crucial role in delivering a major setback to Banerjee in her traditional bastion of Bhabanipur, where she lost by 15,105 votes.
Adhikari secured victory in Nandigram by 9,665 votes, sharply improving on his previous winning margin of 1,956 votes.
Suvendu Adhikari. Photo: BJP West Bengal
The result formed part of a broader BJP surge in the state and reinforced his standing as one of the party’s strongest organisational faces in Bengal.
In his home turf of Purba Medinipur, Adhikari further consolidated his influence by steering the BJP to victories across all 16 Assembly constituencies in the district.
The clean sweep significantly enhanced his stature within the party at both the state and national levels.
With the BJP yet to officially announce a chief ministerial candidate for Bengal, Adhikari’s growing influence has fuelled speculation over his future role.
Senior party leaders have repeatedly indicated that the eventual face of leadership would be someone deeply connected to Bengal’s cultural and linguistic identity — a profile many within the organisation believe Adhikari represents.
His political career reflects a striking ideological and organisational transition.
Once a senior Trinamool Congress leader and a trusted aide of Banerjee, Adhikari parted ways with the party in 2020 amid increasing internal tensions and joined the BJP shortly afterwards.
Following his switch, he rapidly emerged as one of the BJP’s most aggressive and visible leaders in Bengal.
His strong positions on governance, border security, illegal immigration and law-and-order issues helped him carve out a distinct political identity, making him both a polarising and central figure in the state’s evolving political landscape.
Adhikari’s rise in politics began in the late 1990s through local administrative and grassroots politics in Purba Medinipur, where his family had longstanding political influence.
His prominence grew substantially during the 2007 Nandigram movement, a turning point in Bengal politics that elevated him into the core leadership circle of Mamata Banerjee.
He later served as a Member of Parliament after winning the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014.
In 2021, he emerged as one of Bengal’s most prominent opposition leaders after defeating Banerjee herself in the high-profile Nandigram Assembly contest.
Over time, differences within the Trinamool Congress, including tensions surrounding the growing influence of Abhishek Banerjee, widened the divide between Adhikari and the party leadership, eventually leading to his departure.
Since entering the BJP, Adhikari has repositioned himself politically by aligning closely with the party’s ideological framework and presenting himself as one of the sharpest critics of the Trinamool Congress government.
His evolution from a regional organiser within the TMC to a leading opposition figure and key BJP strategist has significantly altered Bengal’s political equation, placing him at the centre of the state’s current power dynamics.
#Suvendu Adhikari
# Bengal BJP CM
# West Bengal Chief Minister
# BJP Bengal victory
# Amit Shah Kolkata meeting
# Mamata Banerjee defeat
# Bengal assembly election 2026
# BJP government Bengal
# Suvendu oath ceremony
# post-poll violence Bengal
# North 24 Parganas shooting
# TMC defeat Bengal
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