KOLKATA: Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, 55, was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal on Friday, a day after the party secured a decisive victory in the Assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony and thanked voters from the stage.
Elections were held in two phases for the 294-member Assembly. While votes for 293 constituencies were counted on May 4, repolling has been scheduled for May 21 in the Balta constituency of South 24 Parganas district following allegations of irregularities.
The BJP won 207 of the 293 declared seats, ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule. The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, won 80 seats, and Banerjee’s defeat in her own Bhabanipur constituency reportedly shocked party functionaries.
Ahead of the swearing-in, newly elected BJP MLAs met at the party’s Kolkata office and chose Adhikari as the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Adhikari later met Governor Ravi at Lok Bhavan to stake claim to form the government, after which the Governor invited him to take charge.
At the historic Brigade Parade Ground, Governor Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari, the state’s ninth Chief Minister. Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh and MLAs Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Sudhiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik were sworn in as ministers, forming a six-member cabinet. Reports said the cabinet would be expanded on Saturday, with portfolios yet to be announced.
