Who will become the Chief Minister of West Bengal? BJP government on May 9; Suvendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh are the strongest contenders

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a sweeping symbolic mandate in West Bengal on Monday, winning 206 seats for a more than two-thirds majority, ending the Trinamool Congress party’s 15-year rule.Chief minister marks scale of victory Mamata BanerjeeAfter losing the Babanipur election to the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the party has a firm grip on forming the government and the focus now turns to who will be chosen as the next chief minister of the state.

The decisive verdict marks not just a change in leadership but a structural political shift as the BJP breezes past the halfway mark in the 294-member Assembly and consolidates its first path to power in the state, with the party expected to announce its chief ministerial face soon.Sources in the BJP said the choice of the chief minister will be finalized at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Nitin Nabin and the party’s top leadership is also expected to take into account the views of central observers and state leaders. The party may also consider appointing a deputy first minister after the final decision is made.Samik Bhattacharya said that the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister will be held on May 9.

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Suwendu official

Suvendu Adhikari retained the Nandigram seat and defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur, becoming a key figure in the BJP campaign. Replying to a question on whether he would be the party’s chief ministerial candidate, Adhikari said: “I have not changed… I am not power hungry.”

Adhikari started his political career in Congress and became Kanthi Municipal Councilor in 1995. He joined the Trinamool Congress in 1998 and was elected from Contai South in 2006.He played a role in the 2007 land agitation in Nandigram against the chemical hub proposed by the Left Front government. The movement helped the Trinamool Congress come to power in the state. He entered parliament from Tamluk in 2009 and retained his seat in 2014.In 2016, he returned to state politics, winning a Trinamool Congress seat from Nandigram and joining the state cabinet. He quit the party in December 2020 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.He became the leader of the opposition in West Bengal after defeating Banerjee from Nandigram in the 2021 assembly elections.

Dilip Ghosh

Dilip Ghosh won the Kharagpur Sadar Assembly constituency after the BJP won the West Bengal Assembly elections.ANI quoted Ghosh as saying: “The public in the Kharagpur Sadar parliamentary constituency has reposed trust in me… The public has great expectations from the party as they voted overwhelmingly for us.”

He defeated Trinamool Congress candidate Pradip Sarkar by a margin of 30,506 votes, polling a total of 89,885 votes.Ghosh is a former state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party and has links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was elected from Kharagpur Sadar in the 2016 assembly elections and led the party’s campaign in the state during the 2019 general elections, when the BJP secured 40.7 per cent votes in West Bengal.

Samik Bhattacharya

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya is also a leading contender. He is considered to have organizational experience, focusing on booth management, electoral strategy and cadre mobilization. His approach reflects a focus on strengthening the party structure and is in line with the BJP’s long-term plans in the state.

Rupa Ganguly

Former Lok Sabha MP and actor Rupa Ganguly won Sonapur South Assembly constituency by polling 1,28,970 votes, defeating TMC candidate Arundhuti Maitra by 35,782 votes.Ganguly was also discussed in the context of leadership. Her electoral victory and public profile helped the party’s promotion, including among urban voters.

Agnimitra Paul

Agnimitra Paul retained the Asansol Dakshin parliamentary constituency in West Bengal, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Tapas Banerjee by 40,839 votes.Paul is also the vice-president of the West Bengal unit of the BJP and is one of the party’s key leaders in the state. Her margin of victory is indicative of her standing in the constituency.As a provincial councilor and party spokesperson, she has been active in public advocacy and media engagement, including on issues related to women. Her role is part of the party’s efforts to build a new leadership base in the state.

Swapan Dasgupta

Swapan Dasgupta won the Rush Behari parliamentary constituency with 74,123 votes, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Debasish Kumar with 20,865 votes.Dasgupta holds a PhD in philosophy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and is a former member of the House of Commons.In the previous Assembly elections, he had contested from Tarakeswar but lost to TMC candidate Ramendu Sinharay by 7,484 votes.