The Hindu reports: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is set to take oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday (May 9, 2026). The newly elected MLAs have unanimously elected Mr. Adhikari as the leader of their legislative party.
Adhikari, 57, contested and won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the recently concluded Assembly election. He had defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by a margin of 15,115 votes. Also read: BJP’s victory in Bengal will plug a big hole in national security, says Amit Shah Since the election results were announced on Monday (May 4, 2026), instances of post-poll violence erupted across Bengal.
Background
On Wednesday (May 6, 2026), BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Madhyamgram area in the State’s North 24 Parganas district. The BJP registered a historic victory in the just-held Assembly elections, securing 207 of the 293 seats, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule and dealing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee one of the biggest setbacks of her political career. Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, on the stage, PM took blessings of Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the most senior workers of BJP in West Bengal.
Key facts
- BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is set to take oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday (May 9, 2026).
- The newly elected MLAs have unanimously elected Mr.
- Adhikari as the leader of their legislative party.
- Adhikari, 57, contested and won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the recently concluded Assembly election.
- He had defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by a margin of 15,115 votes.
What this means
“At the age of 98, Shri Makhanlal Sarkar remains one of the early grassroots figures associated with the nationalist movement in post-Independence India,” a press release said. “In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there. After the formation of the BJP in 1980, he became the organisational coordinator for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling districts.
Within just one year, he helped enroll nearly 10,000 members.” CM-designate Suvendu Adhikari, PM Modi, and other NDA bigwigs have taken the stage, as the swearing-in ceremony is currently under way at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground. The ceremony is being held on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore West Bengal’s Chief Minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari said the days of ‘Sonar Bangla’ have officially started with Saturday (May 9, 2026), marking the beginning of a new era of “peace and prosperity” under a “double-engine” administration as the State’s first BJP government is set to take charge.
Originally reported by The Hindu. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
