- Suvendu Adhikari will be sworn in as BJP's first West Bengal chief minister today
- The oath venue features traditional Bengali cultural symbols in chalchitra style
- Rabindra Sangeet plays during the ceremony, coinciding with Tagore’s birth anniversary
The stage is set. Suvendu Adhikari will take oath as the BJP's first ever chief minister of West Bengal. Behind him will be a backdrop evoking the rich culture of the state.
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.
Blaring from the speakers is Rabindra Sangeet, or songs written by Rabindranath Tagore, whose birth anniversary was chosen for today's oath ceremony.
Optics has been central to the BJP's West Bengal campaign, as it fought successfully the "outsider" branding by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool to sweep the assembly elections.
Read: Soldier To General: Suvendu Adhikari's Oath As Bengal Chief Minister Soon
While campaigning for the election, a BJP leader had even carried in his hand a fish - a staple diet for a majority of Bengalis.
The oath ceremony today will have Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance. Besides, in a massive show of strength, the chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and other senior leaders will also be part of it.
The BJP swept the Bengal elections with 207 out of the total 294 seats. The Trinamool was reduced to two digits (80). The Congress won two seats and CPM one.
The remaining were won by smaller parties.
