Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday, ushering in the BJP’s first government in the state since Independence. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in attendance.
Governor R. N. Ravi administered the oath to Adhikari at 11 am. Former Union minister Nisith Pramanik and senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh also took oath as ministers.
The BJP secured a landslide victory in the Assembly elections, winning 207 of 294 seats. The polls were held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with results declared on May 4. The Governor dissolved the Assembly on Thursday, ending Trinamool Congress rule under Mamata Banerjee.
Hours before the ceremony, Adhikari called it a “moment of profound pride and jubilation” to welcome PM Modi to the “City of Joy”. In a post on X, he said the swearing-in of West Bengal’s first BJP government “fulfils the dreams of our founding fathers”.
“Today marks the end of decades of misrule and the beginning of a ‘Double Engine’ era of development, peace, and prosperity. The era of ‘Sonar Bangla’ officially begins,” Adhikari wrote. He pledged to run the government through “collective leadership” with focus on corruption-free governance, justice and public service.
The grand Swearing-in ceremony, hosted at Kolkata’s iconic Brigrade Parade Ground, was attended by Chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, Union ministers, and senior BJP leaders. Among those present were Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. Large crowds gathered at Brigade Parade Ground hours before the ceremony, with 20 jhalmuri stalls set up for supporters.
The ceremony coincided with the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Earlier in the day, PM Modi paid tribute to a portrait of Tagore in Kolkata.
Adhikari, 55, was once a close aide of Mamata Banerjee and served as a minister in her cabinet. He joined the BJP in December 2020 and defeated Banerjee in the high-profile Nandigram contest during the 2021 Assembly polls. He was elected Leader of the Opposition and later chosen as the BJP legislature party leader on Friday.
The BJP’s victory marks a major political transition in West Bengal. Adhikari said his government would focus on rural reconstruction, reviving industries, and restoring law and order. “We will ensure Bengal’s pride is restored,” he said after taking oath.
