Suvendu Adhikari Sworn In as West Bengal’s Ninth Chief Minister in Historic Ceremony

The high-profile ceremony took place at 12:00 PM local time at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office to Adhikari in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several top BJP leaders and Chief Ministers from various states. Alongside Adhikari, five other ministers also took their oaths, including Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Nisith Pramanik, and Kshudiram Tudu. This swearing-in marks the establishment of the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, ending a decade and a half of Trinamool Congress rule.

The formation of the new government follows the BJP’s landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly Elections, where the party secured an absolute majority with 206 seats as declared on May 4. Suvendu Adhikari, a 57-year-old leader from Purba Medinipur, emerged as a central figure after defeating former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her own bastion of Bhabanipur by a margin of 15,105 votes while also retaining his Nandigram seat. Following a unanimous decision by the 207-strong legislature party on Friday, Adhikari was elected as the leader to head the administration. During the ceremony, the new Chief Minister emphasized the beginning of a "double-engine" era aimed at ensuring regional security and fulfilling the developmental guarantees promised during the campaign. Adhikari, who previously served as the Leader of the Opposition, pledged to run the administration through collective leadership as he looks to usher in a period of peace and prosperity for the state.