Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced Suvendu Adhikari as the Leader of the BJP Legislative Party in West Bengal during a meeting in Kolkata today. Suvendu Adhikari, BJP’s most prominent face in Bengal and the leader who has defeated Mamata Banerjee in her home seat, is to become the first ever BJP CM of West Bengal.
#WATCH | Kolkata | "In a way, due to your faith, the central figure of today's celebrations and the future Chief Minister of Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, "says Union Home Minister Amit Shah as he begins his address after announcing Suvendu Adhikari's name as the Leader of the West… pic.twitter.com/7EGnailx6i
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2026
Adhikari is expected to take oath as the state’s 9th Chief Minister tomorrow on May 9 at Brigade Parade Ground.
On May 4, the BJP secured a decisive majority with 207 seats out of 294 in the April 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, ending TMC’s 15-year rule under Mamata Banerjee.
HM Amit Shah, who is in Kolkata to lead the CM selection committee, announced that Suvendu was the unanimous choice for the CM post. Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee in the Nandigram seat in 2021. In the recent elections, he defeated her again in her home bastion, Bhabanipur.
