haratiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday was elected as the legislative party leader of the saffron party, paving the way for him to become the next chief minister of West Bengal. The announcement was made following a key meeting of BJP's newly elected MLAs in Kolkata, which was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the party's Bengal unit chief Samik Bhattacharya.
Adhikari's swearing-in ceremony will now take place at the Parade Ground in Kolkata on Saturday (May 9) at 11 am, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, various union ministers and chief ministers of several states ruled by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Who is Suvendu Adhikari?
Adhikari's rise in Bengal politics has been significant. He was once a trusted lieutenant of Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, but had switched to the BJP before the 2021 assembly elections in the state.
Since then, Adhikari has been at the forefront of BJP's campaign against Banerjee. In the 2021 polls, Adhikari was challenged by Banerjee from his stronghold of Nandigram; however, the TMC supremo narrowly lost to her aide-turned-rival back then.
Adhikari defeats Mamata Banerjee at Bhabanipur
For the 2026 elections, the BJP leadership fielded Adhikari from two seats: Nandigram and Bhabanipur. The latter is considered to be a bastion of Banerjee, but Adhikari was able to defeat her for a second consecutive time by a margin of more than 15,000 votes. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Adhikari received 73,917 votes, while Banerjee secured 58,812 votes.
Notably, Adhikari has been a five-time MLA. Adhikari had first contested a West Bengal elections in 2001 from Mugberia, but lost by nearly 15,000 votes. He first got elected to the West Bengal assembly from Kanthi Dakshin in 2006. In 2016, he changed his seat to Nandigram, though; which he was able to retain in 2021. In 2026, he contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, and won both.
Other than this, Adhikari has also been a two-time Lok Sabha member. He first got elected to the lower House from Tamluk in 2009. He was also able to retain this seat in the 2014 parliamentary elections.
BJP storms to power in Bengal
Coming to the 2026 West Bengal elections, the BJP ousted the TMC after 15 years in power. The saffron party received a two-third majority, with 207 seats out of the 294 assembly constituencies. The TMC's tally reduced to 80. On the other hand, the Congress and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) won two seats each. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the All India Secular Front (AISF) bagged one seat each.
