On Saturday (May 9), Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the inaugural BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal, marking the end of Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year tenure in office since 2011.
Governor R. N. Ravi administered the oath to Adhikari along with five other newly appointed MLAs in the Council of Ministers — Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu, and Nisith Pramanik.
The oath-taking ceremony coincided with the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore according to the Bengali calendar, attended by Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, various Union Cabinet ministers, chief ministers from BJP-ruled states, and senior leaders from the NDA.
Adhikari, aged 57, successfully contested and won seats in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur during the recent Assembly elections, defeating Banerjee in Bhabanipur by a margin of 15,115 votes.
Also read: Bhabanipur Election Result 2026 West Bengal: Major setback for TMC as Suvendu triumphs over Mamata in her stronghold by 15,105 votes
The BJP leader is now the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal. Once seen as a close ally of Banerjee, Adhikari was instrumental in the Trinamool Congress-led Nandigram movement, which played a critical role in ending the 24-year Left Front rule in the state and ushering in the TMC government.
Tensions arose between the two leaders in 2019, leading Adhikari to resign from the TMC in 2021 and spearhead the BJP’s campaign against Banerjee’s government.
After taking the oath, Adhikari stated that the new government would operate on the principle of “collective leadership” rather than centralizing decision-making authority.
However, reports of post-poll violence have continued to emerge throughout the state since the election results were announced on May 4. On May 6, Adhikari’s personal assistant was tragically shot dead by unidentified assailants in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas district.
Even after stepping down, Banerjee’s accounts on Facebook and X still refer to her as “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal.”
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