The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday announced Suvendu Adhikari as the next chief minister of West Bengal.
Adhikari was elected the leader of the BJP’s legislature party in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier in the day.
Later in the day, Adhikari met West Bengal Governor RN Ravi and staked claim to form the government.
He will be the first chief minister from the Hindutva party in the state.
The new BJP government in West Bengal will take oath at 11 am in Kolkata, India Today reported.
The BJP defeated the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the Assembly polls on Monday, ending its 15-year rule in the state. The Hindutva party won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly.
Adhikari defeated Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency by more than 15,000 votes.
The BJP leader had also contested and won from the Nandigram seat.
Adhikari, who hails from the Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal, served as a Cabinet minister in the TMC government in the state between 2011 and 2020. He defected to the BJP in December 2020.
He was the leader of Opposition in the Assembly between 2021 and 2026.
VIDEO | Kolkata: “I announce Suvendu Adhikari as the leader of BJP legislature party in West Bengal”, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah (@AmitShah).
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/DSU8xrlcxy
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 8, 2026 After the election results were declared on Monday, widespread political violence, and instances of alleged communal intimidation and vandalism have been reported in West Bengal.
Amid the post-poll violence, Adhikari’s aide Chandranath Rath was shot dead in the North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday. Adhikari, who was not with Rath at the time of the attack, alleged that it was a “pre-planned murder”.
He added that the BJP will “clean up all ‘goons’” once the party forms the government.
Written by Leah Thomas. Edited by Sneha
|
