Listen To This Post

New Delhi: In a dramatic political shift in West Bengal, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari — once considered one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest political confidants — is now set to occupy the very office long dominated by the Trinamool Congress supremo.

Adhikari was elected leader of the BJP legislature party in Kolkata on Friday in the presence of Amit Shah, who attended the meeting as the party’s central observer. The announcement formally cleared the way for Adhikari to become the first Chief Minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal’s history.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground. It is expected to witness the presence of Narendra Modi, along with several senior NDA and BJP leaders from across the country.

From Mamata’s trusted lieutenant to BJP’s Bengal face

Suvendu Adhikari’s political rise marks one of the most remarkable transformations in Bengal politics over the last decade. Once a key strategist and organisational pillar of the All India Trinamool Congress, Adhikari played a crucial role in strengthening Mamata Banerjee’s mass movement against the Left Front, especially during the high-profile Nandigram agitation.

However, after parting ways with the Trinamool Congress and joining the BJP, Adhikari rapidly emerged as the saffron party’s strongest face in Bengal politics. His stature grew further after he defeated Mamata Banerjee in the fiercely contested Nandigram Assembly seat in 2021 — a symbolic battle that significantly altered Bengal’s political narrative.

This time too, Adhikari consolidated his claim to the top post after defeating Banerjee once again, this time from the politically crucial Bhabanipur constituency, effectively establishing himself as the BJP’s undisputed leader in the state.

Amit Shah promises ‘Sonar Bangla’

Addressing party legislators and workers after Adhikari’s election, Amit Shah described the BJP’s victory in West Bengal as “very significant”. He said the people of Bengal had entrusted the party with enormous responsibility.

“On behalf of the party, I also want to say that the expectations the people of Bengal have placed on us, and the mandate they have given with hope and trust, we will make every effort to ensure that their faith is not broken in any way,” Shah said.

He further stressed that every BJP worker must work towards building a “Sonar Bangla” — a prosperous and developed Bengal — and fulfil the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state’s people.

“There should be no shortcomings in our work. It is the responsibility of every BJP worker to move forward to build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ and to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bengal,” Shah added.

Historic moment in Bengal politics

The BJP’s rise to power in West Bengal marks a historic political turning point in a state that has traditionally remained outside the saffron party’s influence. For decades, Bengal politics revolved around the Left Front and later the Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee.

Political observers view the transition as one of the most consequential developments in recent Indian politics, particularly given Mamata Banerjee’s dominance over Bengal’s political landscape for more than a decade.

The change also signals the BJP’s successful expansion into eastern India, where it had long struggled to gain durable political ground.

Focus now shifts to governance

With celebrations over the victory beginning across the BJP ranks, attention is now expected to shift to the governance challenges awaiting the incoming administration. Employment generation, industrial revival, law and order, political violence, and rural development are likely to dominate the new government’s agenda.

Adhikari, who built his political image as a grassroots organiser with strong regional influence, will now face the larger challenge of translating electoral success into administrative delivery.

The oath-taking ceremony at Brigade Parade Ground is expected to be projected not merely as a change of government, but as the beginning of what the BJP describes as a “new political era” in Bengal