- Suvendu Adhikari is likely to become West Bengal's next chief minister
- BJP will hold a legislative party meeting in Kolkata on May 8
- Adhikari is expected to be elected leader of BJP's West Bengal legislative party
The BJP's giant-slayer Suvendu Adhikari is likely to be the next chief minister of West Bengal, sources have indicated, succeeding his former mentor Mamata Banerjee.
A meeting of the BJP's legislative party will be held in Kolkata on Friday (May 8) to discuss the formation of the government after the party swept the recent state elections. Sources suggest that the BJP is scouting for a venue for the meeting since the party's state headquarters may not be able to host the 207 winning candidates.
At this meeting, the sources said, Adhikari will be elected the leader of the BJP's legislative party. The election will be held by a simple raise of hands. The BJP's state president Samik Bhattacharya will propose Adhikari's name; Home Minister Amit Shah will announce his name as the leader of the legislative party, they added.
Read: Suvendu Adhikari Is BJP's Indisputable Hero In Mamata Banerjee's Bengal
Suvendu Adhikari, Bhattacharya, and the BJP's national general secretary Sunil Bansal will then head to the Raj Bhavan and stake claim to form the government, sources said.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held a day later, on Saturday (May 9), Bhattacharya has confirmed. It would coincide with Rabindra Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the event that would mark a new beginning for a state that would have a BJP government for the first time. Other senior leaders of the BJP and ally parties, including chief ministers of other states, are also expected to mark their presence at the grand ceremony.
Read: Suvendu Adhikari, The Student Who One-Upped The Master, And Is Trying Again
Union Minister Amit Shah had earlier said that Bengal's next chief minister would essentially be a Bengali, one who was born in Bengal, educated in the Bengali medium, and speaks the Bengali language. Adhikari fits the criteria.
Suvendu Adhikari - The Big Choice
A grassroots leader known for his on-ground connect in the state and administrative experience, Adhikari was the BJP's strongest candidate this election and the most prominent frontrunner for the chief minister's post.
In 2021, he had defeated Trinamool chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, the centrepoint of a massive protest that had helped her crush the Left regime and gain power. He emerged as the party's indisputable hero in the 2026 Bengal elections, as he repeated the feat, taking away Banerjee's Bhabanipur stronghold by a much bigger margin.
Read: Mamata Banerjee Loses Bhabanipur Stronghold To Suvendu Adhikari
Adhikari joined the BJP in 2020 after differences with Abhishek Banerjee and Prashant Kishor, turning down all attempts by the Trinamool to placate him. Since, he had been vocal against Mamata Banerjee and his leaders, raising issues like Hindus facing alleged atrocities, infiltration, and corruption in the government.
Back in the Trinamool, he had been an MLA, an MP, and then a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet. His most prominent role, however, was in the party's struggling days. In 2007, he led the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (Committee Against Land Evictions), which was at the forefront of the Nandigram protests.
