Suvendu Adhikari set to lead Bengal’s first BJP government; Kolkata prepares for grand oath ceremony
A major political shift unfolded in West Bengal on Friday as Suvendu Adhikari formally staked claim to form the state’s first BJP-led government after the party secured a sweeping mandate in the Assembly election.
Soon after BJP legislators elected him as their leader, Adhikari met Governor R. N. Ravi at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata and submitted his claim to form the government. The meeting came just hours after a high-profile legislature party gathering attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Now, all eyes remain on Brigade Parade Grounds, where Adhikari will take oath as chief minister on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Union ministers and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states.
Across Kolkata, preparations gathered pace through the evening. Workers installed giant stages, tightened security barricades and placed massive cut-outs of BJP leaders near the venue. Police teams increased deployment around central Kolkata as thousands of supporters began arriving from districts including Purba Medinipur, North Bengal and Jangalmahal.
Outside BJP offices in Kolkata, party workers celebrated the victory with drums, saffron flags and victory marches. Many supporters described the moment as historic because the BJP had spent years trying to expand its base in a state long dominated by regional forces.
Several names also emerged for key cabinet positions in the incoming government. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, senior leader Dilip Ghosh, former Union minister Nisith Pramanik and Siliguri MLA Sankar Ghosh are likely to join the new ministry.
On the ground, BJP supporters linked the victory to years of organisational expansion in Bengal. In tea stalls, railway stations and local markets across Kolkata, residents discussed the scale of the political change. Some voters expressed hope for industrial growth and infrastructure development under the new government, while others waited cautiously to see how the administration would handle unemployment, law and order and rural distress.
The BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly and crossed the majority mark comfortably. The result marked a dramatic turnaround in Bengal politics, where the party earlier struggled to convert its growing vote share into power.
Adhikari’s rise also carries strong political symbolism. Once a key face in the Trinamool Congress, he later switched to the BJP and became one of the party’s most aggressive campaigners in Bengal. During the election campaign, he targeted the ruling establishment over corruption allegations, political violence and governance issues.
Meanwhile, security agencies continued reviewing arrangements ahead of Saturday’s ceremony because the event will host several top national leaders. Officials expect a massive crowd at Brigade Parade Grounds, and authorities have already issued traffic diversions across large parts of central Kolkata.
For BJP workers in Bengal, the swearing-in ceremony now represents more than a change in government. They see it as the culmination of a long political battle that reshaped the state’s electoral map and altered the balance of power in eastern India.
