In a major political shift in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday officially announced Suvendu Adhikari as the next Chief Minister of the state. The decision was taken during the BJP legislature party meeting in Kolkata in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior party leaders.
The announcement comes after the BJP registered a historic victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, ending the long rule of the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee. According to reports, the BJP crossed the 200-seat mark in the 294-member Assembly, giving the party its first opportunity to form a government in Bengal.
Suvendu Adhikari, who emerged as one of the strongest faces of the BJP in Bengal over the last few years, was widely considered the frontrunner for the top post. His political journey has been one of the most dramatic in recent Bengal politics. Once a key leader of the Trinamool Congress, Adhikari switched to the BJP in 2020 and became one of the party’s most aggressive campaigners against Mamata Banerjee.
He gained national attention after defeating Mamata Banerjee in the high-voltage Nandigram battle in 2021. In the 2026 elections, he once again played a central role in the BJP’s campaign and reportedly defeated Banerjee again, strengthening his position inside the party.
After being elected as the BJP legislature party leader, Adhikari thanked the party leadership and said the new government would focus on development, law and order, employment, and industrial growth in Bengal. Several senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for May 9 at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground.
The political atmosphere in Bengal, however, remains tense after reports of post-election violence in different districts. Security has been tightened across the state ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.
