Suvendu Adhikari takes oath as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister

BJP legislature party leader Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday, heading the first BJP government in the state after the party secured a majority in the Assembly elections.

Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari at a ceremony held at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and senior BJP leaders.

The BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule in West Bengal.

The swearing-in ceremony saw the attendance of all chief ministers from BJP-ruled states, underlining the significance of the Bengal victory for the party.

The BJP also chose May 9 for the ceremony as it is celebrated as Rabindra Jayanti, marking the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Suvendu Adhikari and members of the newly sworn-in BJP government in the state.

Modi attended the oath-taking ceremony at Brigade Parade Grounds, where Adhikari and his council of ministers took oath in the presence of senior NDA leaders.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik also took oath as a minister in the new West Bengal government on Saturday. Pramanik, considered a prominent face from North Bengal, was sworn in during the ceremony in Kolkata.

BJP leader Kshudiram Tudu took oath as a minister in the Adhikari-led government on Saturday. Tudu is the MLA from Ranibadh constituency.

Senior BJP leaders Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul and Ashok Kirtania were also sworn in as ministers in the new government during the ceremony at Brigade Parade Grounds.

Senior NDA leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister JP Nadda and BJP national president Nitin Nabeen, attended the swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata as the BJP formally formed its first government in West Bengal.