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Who is Makhanlal Sarkar, 98-year old BJP worker whose feet PM Modi touched at Bengal oath ceremony
The gesture came as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister since Independence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday felicitated and sought blessings from 98-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Makhanlal Sarkar during the swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground.
The gesture came before Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s first ever BJP chief minister, in the presence of senior BJP leaders, CMs of other states and hundreds of party workers as well as supporters.
Who is Makhan Lal Sarkar?
Makhan Lal Sarkar is regarded as one of the BJP’s earliest grassroots organisers in West Bengal and has remained associated with the nationalist movement since the post-Independence years.
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In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there.
Following the formation of the BJP in 1980, Sarkar became the organisational coordinator for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. Within a year, he helped enrol nearly 10,000 members, contributing significantly to the party’s organisational expansion in north Bengal.
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From 1981 onward, he served continuously for seven years as district president, an uncommon tenure during a period when BJP leaders generally did not remain in the same organisational role for more than two years.
BJP forms first government in Bengal
The swearing-in ceremony marked a major political development in West Bengal, where the BJP formed its first government since Independence after winning 207 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections. The Trinamool Congress secured 80 seats after ruling the state for 15 years.
Adhikari, who contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, defeated outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes.
Union ministers Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan attended the ceremony, along with Manik Saha and Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Ahead of the ceremony, Adhikari described the occasion as the beginning of the “Sonar Bangla” era.
In a post on X, he wrote, “A historic dawn for West Bengal indeed. It is a moment of profound pride and jubilation to welcome Visionary Leader Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji to the City of Joy. Today, as we witness the Swearing-in-Ceremony of the first-ever BJP Government in West Bengal since Independence, we fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers.”
“Today marks the end of decades of misrule and the beginning of a 'Double Engine' era of development, peace, and prosperity. The era of 'Sonar Bangla' officially begins. Welcome, Pradhan Mantri Ji,” the post added.
