It’s Official: West Bengal Gets First BJP CM, Suvendu Adhikari To Take Oath Today

Kolkata: In a landmark political moment for West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari was on Friday officially elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party, paving the way for him to become the first Chief Minister from the BJP in the state’s history.

The announcement was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah after chairing a key BJP legislature party meeting in Kolkata.

“I announce the name of Suvendu Adhikari elected as Leader of West Bengal BJP Legislative Party,” Shah said while declaring Adhikari’s name as the BJP’s Chief Ministerial face.

Sources said Adhikari is scheduled to meet Governor RN Ravi at 6:30 PM on Friday to formally stake claim to form the government.

He is expected to take oath on Saturday, coinciding with Rabindra Jayanti celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, a symbolic moment the BJP is likely to project as the beginning of a new political era in Bengal.

Adhikari’s elevation also appears to have settled speculation around the proposed two-Deputy Chief Minister formula. While senior BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya had earlier hinted that the party may not go ahead with the arrangement, Adhikari’s formal selection as the undisputed leader has now made it clear that the BJP will not have two Deputy Chief Ministers in the state.

Earlier, sources had indicated that the BJP leadership was considering appointing two Deputy Chief Ministers, including at least one woman, to ensure broader regional and social representation in the cabinet.

Among the names being discussed for senior leadership roles were Agnimitra Paul and Nisith Pramanik, with the party also exploring tribal and North Bengal representation.

Pramanik had strongly backed Adhikari’s candidature ahead of the official announcement, describing him as Bengal’s strongest BJP face.

“The person who has defeated Mamata Banerjee twice, who has sacrificed his life for his party and the country, Bengal needs such a Chief Minister. There’s certainly no alternative to Suvendu Adhikari in Bengal yet,” Pramanik reportedly said.

Adhikari, often referred to within BJP circles as the “giant slayer” of Bengal politics, contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the Assembly elections and defeated Mamata Banerjee in her political bastion Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes.

A former Trinamool Congress heavyweight, Adhikari switched to the BJP ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections and rapidly emerged as the saffron party’s most aggressive face against Mamata Banerjee and the All India Trinamool Congress.

The BJP scripted history in the 2026 Assembly elections by winning 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state. The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC was reduced to 80 seats in one of the biggest electoral upsets in Bengal’s political history.

Sources said discussions are now underway over the composition of the new cabinet, portfolio allocation and the final contours of the swearing-in ceremony.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin and several NDA chief ministers are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony in Kolkata.