Suvendu Adhikari sworn in as first BJP chief minister of West Bengal

New Delhi: Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday, marking a historic breakthrough for the saffron party in the state. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior NDA leaders.Adhikari was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP Legislature on Friday after a meeting of the newly elected MLAs and party leaders. Union Home Minister Amit Shah officially announced the name of the post. Soon after his election, Adhikari met Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhavan and proposed forming the government.Thousands of PPP supporters gathered at the venue since early morning to witness the swearing-in ceremony.Prime Minister Modi arrived in Kolkata around 10 am and later arrived at the venue amid chants of “Jay Shri Ram”. The Prime Minister, accompanied by BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and Adhikari, waved to supporters from an open car.The event was attended by several NDA leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.The Bharatiya Janata Party scored a decisive victory in the 294-member Assembly, winning 207 seats, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state.Adhikari’s elevation marks a major political shift in Bengal. The 55-year-old leader was once considered one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest aides and key organizational strategists, but his joining the BJP has dramatically changed the state’s political landscape in the past few years.West Bengal has now become the second state to appoint a BJP chief minister in recent months after Samrat Chaudhry was sworn in as chief minister of Bihar last month.The swearing-in ceremony also coincides with the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, who is celebrated across Bengal as Rabindra Jayanti or ‘Pochishe Boishakh’.