We have fought an extremely difficult election where nearly 30 lakh genuine voters were allegedly disenfranchised from the electoral rolls. Throughout this entire process, we witnessed what we believe was deeply partisan conduct by several government agencies as well as the…

— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) May 9, 2026

बंगाल की माटी का, जनता का कोटि-कोटि नमन व धन्यवाद...🙏
यह दृश्य उस भरोसे को नमन है, जो बंगाल ने भाजपा और पीएम मोदी के नेतृत्व पर जताया है। 🪷 pic.twitter.com/9eedsWGnLE

— BJP (@BJP4India) May 9, 2026

The first BJP-ruled state government in West Bengal led by the state's first BJP Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, will begin its journey with a gift from the Union Jal Shakti ministry which had cleared an amount of Rs 2,700 crore under the central 'Jal Jeevan Mission' project.

A communication from the Union Ministry on this count reached the current state secretariat of Nabanna, where it was said that the amount of Rs 2,700 crore will land in the state exchequer immediately after signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the central and the state governments on this count, an insider from the state secretariat told IANS.

He explained that the said amount of Rs 2,700 crore was pending for the last two years because of the reluctance of the previous Trinamool Congress-ruled and Mamata Banerjee-led state government to accept the terms and conditions of the MoU.

Sisir Adhikari, former Union Minister and Suvendu Adhikari's father, was emotional over his son's success.

He said, "This is a very proud day for us. The state has been freed from long-standing misrule. I am hopeful that Suvendu will work at all levels for the development of Bengal in the coming days."

* One of BJP's strongest young leaders from North Bengal.

* Former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Sports in the Modi government.

* Earlier associated with TMC before joining BJP in 2019.

* Represents the Rajbanshi and North Bengal political base; known for strong youth appeal and organisational influence.

VIDEO | Traffic congestion in Kolkata amid swearing-in ceremony at Brigade Parade ground.
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/0RDPtV6u6m

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2026

* Tribal (ST) leader from Bankura district.

* Represents Ranibandh, a tribal-dominated constituency in Junglemahal.

* BJP has used leaders like him to strengthen its tribal outreach in western Bengal.

* BJP MLA from Bangaon Uttar in North 24 Parganas.

* Comes from the Matua-influenced political belt of Bengal.

* Background in business and local organisational politics.

* Seen as a representative of the refugee/Matua voter base important to BJP in south Bengal.

* Fashion designer turned politician.

* Entered BJP in 2019 after a successful career in the fashion industry.

* Former president of BJP Mahila Morcha in West Bengal.

* MLA from Asansol Dakshin since 2021 and one of BJP's prominent female faces in Bengal politics.

VIDEO | Kolkata: Governor RN Ravi administers the oath of office to Agnimitra Paul as Cabinet Minister of West Bengal.
Source: Third Party
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/WcvFcWglMo

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2026

* Veteran BJP organiser and former state BJP president.

* Originally associated with the RSS as a full-time pracharak.

* Played a major role in expanding BJP's grassroots network in Bengal after 2014.

* Former MP from Medinipur and known for his aggressive Hindutva-style politics and strong organisational control.

VIDEO | Kolkata: Governor RN Ravi administers the oath of office to Dilip Ghosh as Cabinet Minister of West Bengal.
Source: Third Party
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/YAzKaTP4vW

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2026

For Suvendu Adhikari, the moment of taking oath as chief minister marks the culmination of a turbulent political journey that traversed the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and finally the BJP, transforming him from Mamata Banerjee's trusted lieutenant into her fiercest political challenger and eventually the face of Bengal's first saffron government.

The son of former Union minister Sisir Adhikari, the 55-year-old leader began his political career in the Congress's student wing Chhatra Parishad during the peak of Left dominance in Bengal politics.

Two anti-land acquisition movements that turned out to be principal architects of the fall of 34-year Left Front regime in West Bengal in 2011 were the one against the Tata Motor's small car project at Singur in Hooghly district and the one at Nandigram against the proposed chemical hub project by Indonesia-based Salim Group.

Adhikari kept the Nandigram movement alive by successfully uniting the villagers to cut away all the approach-ways to the epicentre of the movement and preventing the police forces and CPI(M) from entering Nandigram.

Then came the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, where Congress and Trinamool Congress contested in alliance against the Left Front. As A TMC candidate from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, Adhikari defeated CPI(M)'s Lakshman Chandra Seth by a massive margin of more than 1.70 lakh votes. He got re-elected from Tamluk Lok Sabha in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

In 2016, he successfully contested from Nandigram Assembly constituency and thereafter became the state Transport Minister.

Differences started surfacing since 2019,when Mamata Banerjee allowed her nephew and party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee to take important party decisions.

Before the 2021 Assembly election, Adhikari joined the BJP. He contested as the BJP candidate in 2021 from his native constituency of Nandigram and emerged as the giant killer by defeating the Mamata Banerjee, who contested as a Trinamool Congress candidate from Nandigram.

When the results of the Assembly elections were declared on May 4, BJP ended the tally winning from 207 constituencies, reducing the Trinamool Congress to just 80. Adhikari got elected from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, and Mamata Banerjee had to again face defeat by a margin of more than 15,000 votes from Bhabanipur.

The following elected MLAs have taken oath as ministers in Suvendu Adhikari's cabinet:

BJP's Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the ninth chief minister of West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister-designate Suvendu Adhikari felicitated and sought the blessings of Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the senior most BJP workers in West Bengal.

97-year-old Sarkar, a resident of Siliguri, was the aide of Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. He was arrested by the Delhi Police for singing a nationalist song and refused to apologise for the same in court. Instead, he sang the same song in the Court. The judge asked to get him a first class ticket back home and gave him Rs 100 for his journey.

Kolkata, West Bengal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took blessings and felicitated Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the most senior BJP workers in West Bengal, as he attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new government pic.twitter.com/Yc1FDdlG09

— IANS (@ians_india) May 9, 2026

At Kolkata's Parade Ground, PM Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome from thousands of supporters as he drove into the venue with Suvendu Adhikari by his side.

On the stage, Union Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers of several states and party allies were present.

#WATCH | Kolkata | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade, where the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in West Bengal is taking place.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari to take oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal pic.twitter.com/e6P5ldkxg0

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

#WATCH | Kolkata | Senior NDA leaders, including Union HM Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister JP Nadda, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, and others at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Grounds, where the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in West… pic.twitter.com/3QrvUVGvyF

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

First visuals this morning from the historic Brigade Parade Ground in the heart of Kolkata, the venue of Adhikari's oath event, show a backdrop cut out in the traditional chalchitra style.

It features everything that is quintessentially Bengali: An idol of Goddess Durga, central to Bengal's religious identity, the Kalighat temple, one of the 51 Shaktipeetha dedicated to Goddess Kali, dhaak - a traditional drum, and the dhunuchi nach, a devotional dance performed with burning coconut husk in an earthen pot.

Read full story here

Massive crowds of supporters descended upon Kolkata's Parade Ground ahead of Suvendu Adhikari's swearing-in as the chief minister.

Outside the ground, vendors sold jhal muri, a popular snack that became synonymous with the BJP's electoral campaign.

#WATCH | West Bengal | People in large numbers arrive at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Grounds to attend the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari as the Chief Minister of West Bengal pic.twitter.com/imDPd63pcU

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

VIDEO | Kolkata: People devour 'jhalmuri' at a stall set up inside the Brigade Parade Ground, ahead of the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected BJP government in West Bengal.
West Bengal BJP Legislative Party Leader Suvendu Adhikari will take oath as the first BJP Chief… pic.twitter.com/GJqodURNWu

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2026

Suvendu Adhikari had already made it clear that he will not operate like his predecessor Mamata Banerjee by dumping all his decisions on the members of his Cabinet and instead run the show on the basis of "collective leadership".

"It will not be 'I' who will govern the state. It will be 'we' who will be governing the state. At the same time, the state will be governed through smooth Centre-state relationship and coordination," Adhikari said.

Long before television studios began decoding electoral optics and social media turned politics into a perpetual spectacle, Bengal measured political strength through human tides surging into the Brigade Parade Ground.

Since 1950s, the sprawling field in the heart of Kolkata has witnessed international political luminaries like Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez attending functions.

It appears that the once military parade ground of the British is ready to witness an ideological transition in Bengal's turbulent political history.

Read the full story here

Union Home minister Amit Shah will soon reach Kolkata Brigade Parade Ground, where Suvendu Adhikari will take oath as the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Among others who arrived in Kolkata for the ceremony were Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister), Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), Conrad Sangma (Meghalaya), N Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh), Bhupendra Patel (Gujarat) and Samrat Choudhary (Bihar).

Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu, Dharmendra Pradhan and Jayant Chaudhary will also attend the ceremony.

#WATCH | Kolkata | Artists sing Bengali folk songs at the Brigade Parade Ground; BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is to take oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal pic.twitter.com/v93iB8N5qp

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

VIDEO | Kolkata: Brigade Parade Ground showcases Bengali culture and saffron themed sweets ahead of the oath taking ceremony of the BJP government in West Bengal.
West Bengal BJP Legislative Party Leader Suvendu Adhikari will take oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West… pic.twitter.com/68bvVbvE5f

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2026

#WATCH | Kolkata | Folk artists from different parts of the state have arrived at the Brigade Parade Ground to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari as the Chief Minister of West Bengal
A folk artist from Cooch Behar says, "I am feeling great." pic.twitter.com/Bwe9PyTpoY

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

Security was tightened across key locations in Kolkata ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in West Bengal, including at the residence of chief minister-designate Suvendu Adhikari in Chinar Park, Brigade Parade Grounds and outside former CM Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence.

Security arrangements were also intensified at the RCTC Ground, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to land before attending the ceremony.

A multi-layered security apparatus, including central forces and Kolkata Police personnel, was put in place at Brigade Parade Grounds, the venue of the swearing-in ceremony.

After the oath ceremony, the new Cabinet members, led by Suvendu Adhikari will take charge of the administration at the old state secretariat of Writers' Buildings in central Kolkata, instead of Nabanna at Mandirtala in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district, which became the new state secretariat during the previous Trinamool Congress-ruled and Mamata Banerjee-led state government.

Nabanna was originally designed and projected during the Left Front regime as a garments' hub. However, just two years after coming to power in 2011, Mamata Banerjee, in 2013 decided to shift the state secretariat to Nabanna, reportedly following the advice of her personal astrologer.

Accordingly, the new state secretariat started functioning from Nabanna from October 5, 2013. However, with the BJP now in power in the state, it had decided to bring back the state secretariat to historical Writers' Building where from all the Chief Ministers of West Bengal prior to Mamata Banerjee, starting from late Prafulla Chandra Ghosh to late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had operated from.

West Bengal chief minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari paid tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary, describing the Nobel laureate as an "eternal star" in the sky of Bengali literature and culture.

In a post on X, he said Tagore's "immortal creations, humanitarian philosophy, and patriotism" have guided people through the ages.

"May human civilisation advance, inspired by the great message, 'Where the mind is without fear, and the head held high'. On the poet-sage's birth anniversary, I pay my humble tribute to him," Adhikari said.

VIDEO | Kolkata: Brigade Parade Ground reverberates with culture as artists from Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, and Purulia showcase West Bengal's folk spirit, ahead of the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected BJP government in West Bengal.
West Bengal BJP Legislative Party… pic.twitter.com/aW2grs3fo0

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2026

A historic dawn for West Bengal indeed.
It is a moment of profound pride and jubilation to welcome Visionary Leader Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji to the City of Joy.
Today, as we witness the Swearing-in-Ceremony of the first-ever BJP Government in West Bengal since… pic.twitter.com/XCuJxwPBw3

— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) May 9, 2026

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls emerged as one of the most politically contentious issues in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Post-election data released by the Election Commission paints a far more complex picture. The numbers suggest that while there were indeed large-scale deletions of "ineligible" electors during the SIR process, there were also equally significant additions of eligible voters before nominations closed.

More importantly, many of the constituencies that saw the highest deletions eventually voted in favour of the very parties that had opposed the SIR process most aggressively.

Read the full story here

#WATCH | Kolkata | West Bengal BJP Legislative Party Leader Suvendu Adhikari to take oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal since Independence, today.
(Visuals from outside his residence) pic.twitter.com/zFqq8muJA6

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

#WATCH | Kolkata | West Bengal BJP Legislative Party Leader Suvendu Adhikari to take oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal since Independence, today.
(Visuals from outside his residence) pic.twitter.com/owKJP6H4fB

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

The year was 1993. On July 21, in the heart of Kolkata, police opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators. Thirteen people were killed. The march had been led by Mamata Banerjee, then a Young Congress leader, towards the Writers' Building as part of the "Writers' Chalo" movement. The incident shook Bengal politics to its core and would go on to become one of the most enduring emotional symbols of Mamata Banerjee's political movement.

Since then, every year, Mamata has observed July 21 as Shahid Dibas - Martyrs' Day. Even after the formation of the Trinamool Congress, the event continued to grow in scale and significance. Over the years, it became one of the biggest annual political gatherings in Bengal.

The story of Suvendu Adhikari - one of Bengal's most consequential political figures of recent times - begins 18 years later, in 2011.

Read the blog here

Suvendu Adhikari got elected simultaneously from his native Nandigram assembly constituency in East Midnapore district and Bhabanipur assembly constituency in South Kolkata. At Bhabanipur, he defeated his predecessor and the former chief minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of over 15,000 votes.

Adhikari first earned the 'giant-killer' tag in the 2021 Assembly elections after defeating Banerjee from Nandigram.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah officially announced Suvendu Adhikari as the next Chief Minister of West Bengal on Fridau, marking the beginning of the state's first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government since Independence.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Shah with newly elected BJP legislators following the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, whose results were declared on May 4.

In the meeting, Adhikari's name was officially endorsed as the leader of the BJP's legislature party in the West Bengal Assembly, which means that he will be the next Chief Minister of the state.

"The process of selecting the leader of the party's legislative party in the state assembly has been completed. A total of eight proposals were received. In all the proposals, there was just one name. Enough time was given for any proposal for a second name. But no second name was proposed. So, I proposed the name of Suvendu Adhikari as the next Chief Minister of West Bengal," HM Shah said in the meeting.

West Bengal will get its first BJP chief minister as Governor RN Ravi administers the oath to Suvendu Adhikari at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground.

Adhikari will become the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal succeeding Mamata Banerjee, who had occupied the Chair for the last 15 years since 2011.

The oath ceremony will be conducted on Saturday, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore as per the Bengali calendar.