Kolkata: Setting all speculation to rest, Union home minister Amit Shah announced the name of Suvendu Adhikari as the first chief minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal on Friday evening.
Shah made the announcement during a meeting of the party’s state legislative party held in Kolkata. This decision of Shah’s was announced by Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi after the meeting.
Adhikari is a giant killer, having defeated Trinamool Congress supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee at her stronghold in Bhabanipur, in the just concluded Assembly elections in the state. He also retained his seat in Nandigram, where he had defeated Mamata in 2021.
From a soft-spoken youth, who dared to challenge then CPM strongman Lakshman Seth in the Tamluk Parliamentary constituency in 2004, to a firebrand leader who led the party in winning a two-third majority in the state in 2026, it has been a long journey for the 55-year-old leader.
This journalist had interviewed Adhikari in 2004 when few knew about him. He had been candid when asked about contesting against someone like Seth, who practically ran a fiefdom in Tamluk.
“I know that I will lose this time. But, I will defeat him in 2009,” the 33-year-old determined youth had said.
He did defeat Seth in 2009 and went on to become an MP. Over the next couple of years, he helped Mamata in winning the 2011 Assembly elections in the state. Adhikari contested the Assembly elections later and served as a minister in the Mamata government. However, he was later returned to the state as an an MLA and served under Mamata. However, he was gradually sidelined and given hardly any role in the affairs of the party.
Adhikari finally quit the Trinamool in 2021 and joined the BJP.
After being declared the chief minister, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s central leadership as well as all party workers and leaders in the state. He also paid homage to Syama Prasad Mookerjee and other veteran leaders of the party.
Adhikari will take oath at the Brigade Parade Ground at 11 am on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders.
