Suvendu Adhikari is set to become the next Chief Minister of West Bengal after being unanimously elected leader of the BJP legislature party during a high-level meeting in Kolkata on Friday.
The announcement was made in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who attended the meeting as the party’s central observer following the BJP’s sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Addressing party legislators and the media after the meeting, Shah officially confirmed Adhikari’s selection as the BJP’s legislative leader, effectively clearing the path for him to head Bengal’s first BJP government.
Adhikari’s rise marks a major political moment in the state’s history. Once a key figure in the All India Trinamool Congress, he became one of the BJP’s strongest faces in Bengal after switching camps. Over the last two elections, he earned national attention by defeating Mamata Banerjee in two of the state’s most closely watched battles — first in Nandigram in 2021 and later in Bhabanipur during the 2026 elections.
Before the crucial leadership meeting, Amit Shah visited the famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple to offer prayers. The BJP legislature party gathering later took place at a hotel in Kolkata, where newly elected MLAs formally endorsed Adhikari’s name.
The political transition comes days after Governor R. N. Ravi dissolved the West Bengal Assembly, formally ending the 15-year tenure of Mamata Banerjee’s government after the BJP secured a commanding mandate of 207 seats.
Despite the election outcome, Banerjee had questioned the legitimacy of the polls and alleged intimidation and violence in the post-result atmosphere. She also claimed that several party offices belonging to the TMC had been taken over after the BJP’s victory.
The swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti, celebrating the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin, senior Union ministers and chief ministers from NDA-ruled states are expected to attend the event, which is being projected by the BJP as the beginning of a new political era in West Bengal.
