Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Suvendu Adhikari’s swearing-in ceremony as the BJP formally took power in West Bengal after a massive electoral victory over the Trinamool Congress.
By TRH Political Desk
Kolkata, May 9, 2026 — Unveiling a new era in West Bengal politics, Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took oath as Chief Minister of the state in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. West Bengal Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of the office to Adhikari along with other ministers.
With Adhikari as the CM in West Bengal, the 15-yeaar rule of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the state also ended. Earlier, Banerjee had ended the 34-year rule of the Left parties in West Bengal.
The oath taking ceremony was projected as an emotional occasion for the BJP. The party put out a board where it mentioned names of the BJP workers who had allegedly been killed in the political violence in the state. Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi feted 98-year-old Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the BJP’s oldest workers in West Bengal.
“At 98 years of age, Makhanlal Sarkar remains deeply connected to the roots of the nationalist movement in post-Independence India. In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there,” the BJP stated in a post on X.
Along with Adhikari, former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh also took oath as a minister in West Bengal. Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu, and Nisshit Pramanik also took oaths as ministers in the new government. The BJP has struck a caste balance in the formation of an Adhikari-led government in West Bengal.
The oath-taking ceremony came in the backdrop of a spell of post-poll violence in West Bengal. Also, Banerjee refused to submit her resignation as the Chief Minister as per the norms after the elections.
In the recently held Assembly elections, the BJP won a massive mandate in West Bengal. The elections were held in the state amid the controversy surrounding the Special Electoral Roll (SIR) under which over nine million people were removed from the voters’ list.
Adhikari had begun his political career from the Congress, while switching over to the TMC later. In 2020, he had joined the BJP.
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