Suvendu Adhikari has been formally elected leader of the BJP legislature party in West Bengal, clearing the way for him to become the state’s next chief minister after the party’s landmark victory in the Assembly elections.
The announcement came at a BJP legislature party meeting in Kolkata attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who served as the central observer, along with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi as co-observer.
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh proposed Adhikari’s name during the meeting, following which Shah officially declared him elected as leader of the BJP Legislative Party.
The development marks a dramatic political shift in West Bengal, ending 15 years of rule by the All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee.
The BJP’s emphatic victory in last month’s elections is being viewed as one of the biggest political upsets in recent Indian electoral history, especially in a state where the party had struggled for decades to establish itself as the principal challenger.
From Mamata’s Trusted Lieutenant to BJP’s Bengal Face
Adhikari’s rise to the chief minister’s post marks the culmination of one of the most dramatic political journeys in Bengal politics.
Once considered among Mamata Banerjee’s closest aides and key organisational strategists in rural Bengal, Adhikari played a crucial role in expanding the Trinamool Congress network during its rise against the Left Front.
His family wielded enormous influence in East Midnapore and surrounding districts, and Adhikari emerged as one of the most powerful grassroots leaders within the Trinamool setup.
However, growing tensions with Mamata Banerjee and internal power struggles eventually led to his dramatic exit from the Trinamool Congress in December 2020 and entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party.
His political transformation became nationally significant after he defeated Mamata Banerjee herself in the high-profile Nandigram contest during the 2021 Assembly elections — a symbolic battle that elevated him into the BJP’s principal face in Bengal.
More recently, Adhikari further consolidated his position by winning the Bhabanipur seat, considered Mamata Banerjee’s political stronghold, by over 15,000 votes.
Within the BJP, Adhikari came to be viewed as the party’s most aggressive and effective anti-Trinamool campaigner, frequently targeting the Mamata government over corruption, political violence, minority appeasement and governance issues.
BJP’s Long March in Bengal
The BJP’s rise in West Bengal has been gradual but dramatic.
For decades, Bengal politics was dominated first by the Left Front and later by the Trinamool Congress. The BJP remained electorally marginal until the late 2010s.
The party made its first major breakthrough in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and emerged as the principal opposition in the 2021 Assembly polls, though it fell short of power at the time.
This election, however, the BJP succeeded in converting years of organisational expansion, polarised political mobilisation and anti-incumbency sentiment into a clear legislative majority.
Party strategists believe issues such as corruption allegations, political violence, unemployment, factionalism within the Trinamool Congress and fatigue after 15 years of Mamata rule contributed significantly to the outcome.
Two Deputy Chief Ministers Likely
The BJP is also expected to appoint two deputy chief ministers in an attempt to balance regional, caste and political equations within the state.
One of the deputy chief minister positions is likely to go to a woman leader.
Among the frontrunners are Agnimitra Paul, who won from Asansol Dakshin, and Shankar Ghosh, the BJP’s winning candidate from Siliguri.
Amit Shah is understood to have held separate meetings with both leaders in Kolkata regarding the proposed power-sharing arrangement.
If finalised, Bengal would see deputy chief ministers again after nearly two decades. The last major deputy CM in the state was former Left leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee before he later became chief minister under veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu.
Mamata Refuses to Step Back
Despite the electoral defeat, Mamata Banerjee has signalled she is not retreating from politics.
The outgoing chief minister reportedly held meetings with senior Trinamool leaders after the results and indicated that the party would aggressively function as the opposition.
Political observers say the coming years could witness an intensely polarised Bengal political landscape, with Adhikari and Mamata Banerjee now emerging as the central rivals shaping the state’s next political chapter.
Massive Swearing-In Planned in Kolkata
The swearing-in ceremony for the new BJP government is scheduled for Saturday at the historic Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and chief ministers from several BJP-ruled states are expected to attend.
Meanwhile, Governor RN Ravi dissolved the existing Assembly on Thursday, formally clearing the constitutional path for formation of the new government.
With Suvendu Adhikari taking charge, the BJP will now face its biggest political test yet in eastern India: converting a historic electoral victory into stable governance in one of the country’s most politically volatile states.
Also Read: Bengal Crimes! BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari’s PA Shot Dead, Political Tension Rises In WB https://www.vibesofindia.com/bjp-leader-suvendu-adhikaris-pa-shot-dead-political-tension-rises-in-wb/
