Suvendu Adhikari Takes Oath as West Bengal’s First BJP Chief Minister

West Bengal witnessed a historic political shift on Saturday as senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the first Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Minister of the State. Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy at a grand ceremony held at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior NDA leaders.

Along with Mr. Adhikari, five BJP MLAs — Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik — were sworn in as Ministers in the new Council of Ministers. The event marked the BJP’s first-ever formation of government in West Bengal, a State where regional parties had dominated politics for decades.

The oath-taking ceremony drew a massive crowd and was attended by Union Ministers, Chief Ministers from NDA-ruled States and party workers from across Bengal. Security arrangements were tightened across Kolkata for the high-profile event.

Suvendu Adhikari, aged 57, emerged as one of the key faces of the BJP’s campaign in the recently concluded Assembly elections. He won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur constituencies and notably defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes.

The BJP leadership described the victory as a turning point in West Bengal politics. Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the BJP’s rise in Bengal would strengthen governance and national security in the eastern region.