Suvendu Adhikari Takes Oath as West Bengal's First BJP Chief Minister

Kolkata: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari takes oath as West Bengal’s first chief minister after being elected as the BJP legislature party leader on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami, attended the swearing-in ceremony. Suvendu, dressed in a simple saffron kurta that echoed the simplicity of Mamata’s trademark white saree and rubber slippers, took oath alongside Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Dilip Ghosh and Sankar Ghosh. The decision was taken at a key meeting of newly elected BJP MLAs in Kolkata in the presence of senior party leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP has won 207 seats in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) secured 80 seats after ruling the state for 15 years. West Bengal recorded the highest-ever voter turnout since independence with an impressive 91.66% polling in Phase-ll of the Assembly elections. In phase I, the poll participation was 93.19%, taking the combined poll percentage to 92.47%.