Bengal turns a new page: Suvendu Adhikari takes oath as CM amid massive NDA show of strength

With his swearing-in, Adhikari—hailed as the “giant killer” for defeating former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in two successive high-voltage electoral battles—became the first Chief Minister from the BJP to assume office in West Bengal.

West Bengal Governor R. N. Ravi administered the oath of office amid thunderous cheers from a sea of supporters gathered at the venue. The moment marked the BJP’s historic rise in a state long dominated by the All India Trinamool Congress, which had ruled for 15 years since ending the 34-year Left Front regime in 2011.

Several ministers were also sworn in, including Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Khudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik, as the BJP formally assumed power in West Bengal for the first time. 

Modi, NDA heavyweights attend grand event

The swearing-in ceremony turned Kolkata into the political hotspot of the country, with Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, several Union ministers, and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states in attendance.

Among those present were actor-politician Mithun Chakraborty, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and NDA ally Chirag Paswan, projecting a massive show of strength by the ruling alliance.

Security was heightened across the city, especially around the Race Course, Raj Bhavan, and key arterial roads, with thousands of police personnel deployed for the high-profile event.

PM Modi on social media said: "Today, as the first ever BJP Government takes oath in West Bengal, it is natural for all of us to remember Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and his everlasting contribution to the nation and West Bengal in particular. No stone will be left unturned to fulfil his vision."

Oath ceremony coincides with Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary

The BJP strategically chose a significant date in Bengal’s cultural calendar for the ceremony, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Jhalmuri, sweets and Bengali cultural flavour

Adding a distinctly Bengali touch to the grand political event, 20 specially arranged jhalmuri stalls were set up around Brigade Parade Ground, symbolically recalling Prime Minister Modi enjoying the iconic snack during his Bengal campaign trail.

Counters serving beloved Bengali sweets such as rasgulla, sandesh and mishti doi were also installed, while folk artistes performed traditional lok nritya and cultural programmes to lend the occasion a vibrant local flavour.

Who is Suvendu Adhikari?

Born into one of Bengal’s most influential political families, Adhikari is the son of veteran politician Sisir Adhikari, who served both in the Lok Sabha and the West Bengal Assembly.

Once a senior Trinamool Congress leader and one of Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenants, Adhikari severed ties with the party in 2020 amid growing internal differences and joined the BJP soon after.

Following his switch, he rapidly emerged as one of the BJP’s most aggressive and visible faces in Bengal politics.

His hardline positions on governance, border security, illegal immigration and law-and-order issues helped him carve out a distinct identity, making him one of the most polarising yet central figures in the state’s political landscape.

Adhikari’s rise began in the late 1990s through grassroots politics in Purba Medinipur, where his family has wielded considerable influence for decades.

His stature grew significantly during the 2007 Nandigram movement—a watershed moment that propelled him into Banerjee’s inner circle. He later won Lok Sabha elections in both 2009 and 2014.

In 2021, Adhikari cemented his place as Bengal’s most prominent opposition face by defeating Banerjee in the high-stakes Nandigram contest.

Over time, internal differences within the Trinamool Congress, particularly over the growing influence of Abhishek Banerjee, widened the rift between Adhikari and the party leadership, eventually leading to his dramatic exit.

Since joining the BJP, Adhikari has aligned himself closely with the party’s ideological framework, emerging as one of the fiercest critics of the Trinamool Congress government.

His transformation from a regional Trinamool organiser to the BJP’s principal Bengal strategist has dramatically reshaped the state’s political landscape, placing him firmly at the centre of West Bengal’s new power equation.