Suvendu Adhikari Stakes Claim To Form Bengal’s First BJP Government

The newly elected legislative delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, headed by Leader of the House and Chief Minister-designate Suvendu Adhikari, visited Lok Bhavan in Kolkata on Friday evening to formally stake a claim for forming the next government in the state.

State BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya accompanied the delegation along with senior party leaders and several BJP parliamentarians from West Bengal.

Adhikari and Bhattacharya jointly submitted the official proposal carrying signatures of all 207 BJP legislators elected to the Assembly.

The oath-taking ceremony will take place on Saturday at 10 AM. The occasion coincides with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary according to the Bengali calendar.

Governor RN Ravi will administer the oath in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states, senior Union Ministers and top BJP leadership.

On Thursday evening, the Governor dissolved the previous Assembly, resulting in the automatic dissolution of the Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet.

Despite convention, Mamata Banerjee did not formally submit her resignation to the Governor.

Suvendu Adhikari will become West Bengal’s ninth Chief Minister and the first BJP Chief Minister in the state since Independence. His appointment marks the conclusion of Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year tenure that began in 2011 after ending the Left Front’s long rule.

After his unanimous election as the BJP Legislature Party leader earlier on Friday, Adhikari stated that he would govern the administration through collective leadership and shared Cabinet responsibility.

Also Read: From Nandigram To Nabanna: Suvendu Adhikari’s Rise To Bengal CM