- Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked West Bengal voters for BJP's historic assembly win
- PM Modi bowed to the crowd after waving from a red-carpeted podium in Kolkata
- Suvendu Adhikari and five cabinet members stood beside PM Modi during the ceremony
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a gesture of thanks to the people of West Bengal for propelling the BJP to power for the first time in the state's assembly, bowed to them today for their support.
The prime minister began his long gesture of thanks by waving at the cheering crowds from a podium with red carpeting. A line of leaders including Suvendu Adhikari, who took oath as Bengal's first chief minister from the BJP, and five others who formed the state's initial cabinet, flanked the prime minister to his right.
Then, seconds later, PM Modi knelt down slowly and bowed before the crowds, his hands extended to the front and firmly planted on the ground.
The prime minister had spent considerable time campaigning in Bengal ahead of the election. Shah also put in long, hard hours to ensure a BJP win with numerous roadshows and rallies.
Today is more than just Adikari's day. Today is also more than just a dream-comes-true day for the BJP. The attendance of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the new chief minister's oath-taking tells how significant is this turn in Bengal's political destiny, irrespective of ideologies, winners and losers.
Governor RN Ravi - the former Intelligence Bureau officer with a vast experience in fighting insurgencies - administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari and the others at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata, days after the BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year run in the state.
The BJP appears to have worked hard to ensure representation in Adhikari's initial new team. Dilip Ghosh belongs to Other Backward Classes (OBC), Agnimitra Paul is Kayast, Ashok Kirtania is Mathua, Kshudiram Tudu belongs to a tribe, and Nishit Pramanik is Rajbonshi.
Individually, these five leaders have been visible in the Bengal BJP for quite some time with their contributions to the party's overall health and the final push that propelled it to power.
