Suvendu Adhikari on Friday emerged as the next Chief Minister of West Bengal after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formally elected him as the leader of its legislature party. Soon after the announcement, Adhikari promised collective leadership and said the new administration would function as a team.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders described the party’s historic rise to power in Bengal as the state’s “second freedom” after Independence.
Shah names Suvendu Adhikari New Bengal CM
Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced Adhikari’s name during a meeting with newly elected BJP MLAs following the Assembly election results declared on May 4. The oath-taking ceremony of the new government will take place on Saturday.
The BJP’s victory marks a historic political shift in Bengal. For the first time since Independence, the party is set to form the government in the state. As a result, celebrations erupted among BJP workers across several districts.
During the legislature party meeting, Shah said the leadership selection process remained unanimous from the beginning. According to him, eight proposals were submitted and all supported only Adhikari’s name. No alternative proposal came forward.
Therefore, Shah officially proposed Adhikari as the next Chief Minister. The legislators later endorsed the decision unanimously.
Suvendu Adhikari Stresses Teamwork
Soon after his election as legislature party leader, Adhikari underlined the importance of collective governance. He said the government would not run under an individual-centric model. Instead, the entire team would work together for Bengal’s development.
“It will not be I who will run the government. We will run the government together,” Adhikari said in his first address after the announcement.
Later in the evening, Adhikari is expected to meet Governor R. N. Ravi at the Raj Bhavan and formally stake claim to form the government. The swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
BJP Leaders Call It Bengal’s ‘Second Freedom’
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, several BJP leaders called the political change in Bengal a “second freedom” for the state. They also expressed confidence that Bengal would now move towards rapid growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP MP Raju Bista said people in Bengal now want to progress alongside the rest of the country. He added that voters had chosen development and stability.
At the same time, BJP MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato termed the upcoming oath-taking ceremony a “historic moment” for the state.
Adhikari’s Double Victory Strengthens Position
This election further strengthened Adhikari’s political standing in Bengal. He won both the Nandigram Assembly constituency and the Bhabanipur seat.
In Bhabanipur, Adhikari defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by more than 15,000 votes. Earlier, he had defeated Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections and earned the reputation of a “giant killer”.
With his latest victory, Adhikari has now become the face of BJP’s first government in Bengal.
BJP Leaders Promise ‘Sonar Bangla’.
Reacting to the development, Diya Kumari said the BJP’s landslide victory reflected the hard work of party workers. She also claimed that the era of “goonda raj” and appeasement politics in Bengal would now end.
BJP MLA-elect Agnimitra Paul said the party’s goal is to build a “Sonar Bangla”. She added that the BJP now carries greater responsibility towards voters, especially women.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak alleged that opposition parties within the INDIA bloc appeared frustrated after BJP’s victory in Bengal. (Edited)