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Bengal gets its first BJP CM as Suvendu Adhikari takes oath at Brigade Parade Ground
Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister of West Bengal in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Minister of West Bengal in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an elaborate oath-taking ceremony at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Saturday.
This is the first time any Chief Minister of the state has taken oath at the Brigade Parade Ground. While previous chief ministers took their oath at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took her oath on Red Road in 2016 when she returned to power for the second time in a row.
Along with Adhikari, five other BJP leaders — Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Nisith Pramanik and Kshudiram Tudu — were sworn in as ministers by West Bengal Governor RN Ravi.
The BJP had swept the state assembly polls held in April this year, bagging 207 of the 294 assembly seats. The TMC won 80 seats. Adhikari defeated TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee from her home turf Bhabanipur by more than 15,000 votes. Banerjee, however, refused to resign as Chief Minister. The Governor dissolved the legislative assembly on May 7.
“Congratulations to Shri Suvendu Adhikari Ji on taking oath as West Bengal’s Chief Minister… Congratulations to Dilip Ghosh Ji, Agnimitra Paul Ji, Ashok Kirtania Ji, Nisith Pramanik Ji and Kshudiram Tudu Ji on taking oath as Ministers in the Government of West Bengal. These leaders have worked tirelessly at the grassroots and served the people. I am confident they will further strengthen West Bengal’s development journey as Ministers. My best wishes,” Modi wrote on X.
On Friday, Shah had declared Adhikari as the head of the BJP’s West Bengal parliamentary party at a meeting of all 207 elected MLAs in Kolkata.
The swearing-in date was chosen on May 9 as it coincides with the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. An elaborate and colourful ceremony was organised with the essence of Bengali culture in every corner. Several stalls selling Bengali sweets and jhalmuri (spicy puffed rice) were set up at the Brigade Parade Ground. Folk artists could be seen performing tribal dance and Chau dance.
At the ceremony, Modi touched the feet of nonagenarian BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar, who was arrested in 1952 while accompanying Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Kashmir.
BJP leaders had earlier said that the new government headed by Adhikari would function from the 246-year-old iconic Writers’ Buildings. While previous governments used to function from there, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shifted the secretariat to Nabanna in Howrah.
