West Bengal New CM Announcement Live Updates: West Bengal is set to get its first BJP government after senior party leader Suvendu Adhikari was on Friday elected leader of the BJP legislature party, paving the way for him to take oath as chief minister.The BJP legislature party met in Kolkata under the supervision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who formally announced Adhikari’s name after it received the backing of newly elected MLAs and senior leaders. “I announce the name of Suvendu Adhikari elected as Leader of West Bengal BJP Legislative Party,” Shah said at the meeting.The BJP scripted a historic victory in the assembly elections by winning 208 seats and ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee. The verdict marked the BJP’s biggest-ever breakthrough in Bengal politics and completed a rapid rise that began after the 2021 elections.Adhikari’s elevation comes after a long political rivalry with Banerjee that reshaped Bengal politics. After defeating her in Nandigram in 2021, Adhikari again emerged as the BJP’s central figure in 2026 by defeating Banerjee in Bhabanipur, widely considered her safest political seat. The BJP viewed the Bhabanipur victory as both symbolic and strategic, cementing Adhikari’s stature as the party’s strongest leader in Bengal.A former Trinamool Congress heavyweight and one-time close aide of Banerjee, Adhikari joined the BJP in December 2020 after differences with the TMC leadership. His switch significantly strengthened the BJP’s grassroots network, particularly in coastal Bengal and East Midnapore.The swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government will be held at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on May 9, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior NDA leaders expected to attend.

Amid the ongoing political tussle over government formation in Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has sought an appointment with Governor RN Ravi on Friday evening.At the same time, TVK leader CTR Nirmal Kumar arrived at the Communist Party of India headquarters, Balan Illam, where the CPI is holding an executive committee meeting to decide its stand on extending support to the Vijay-led party.Following the fractured verdict in the April 23 Assembly elections, Vijay has been trying to rally support from other parties to stake claim to form the government.The TVK emerged as the single largest party but remained short of the majority mark of 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly.The party has since intensified talks with potential allies, including the Congress, which has already extended conditional support after breaking ties with the DMK.With the backing of five Congress MLAs, the TVK-led camp’s tally has risen to 112, still six seats short of the halfway mark needed to form the government.Governor Arlekar had on Thursday invited Vijay to Lok Bhavan and informed him that the requisite majority support required to form the government had not yet been established.According to sources, the Governor sought clarity on the “magic number” needed for government formation and asked Vijay to provide details of legislators backing TVK’s claim.The Governor’s refusal to immediately invite Vijay to form the government has triggered sharp criticism from TVK leaders and supporters, many of whom accused Arlekar of acting at the behest of the BJP to delay constitutional procedure.Amid the political deadlock, TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar, along with party leaders, met leaders of the Communist Party of India at the CPI office in Chennai on Thursday to seek support for government formation.Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nirmal Kumar said both the CPI and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi would hold internal discussions on extending support to TVK and announce their decisions later.Both CPI and VCK secured two seats each in the Assembly elections.

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Suvendu Adhikari comes from one of the state’s most influential political families. His father, Sisir Adhikari, served both in the West Bengal Assembly and the Lok Sabha, while his brother Dibyendu Adhikari was earlier a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP before joining the BJP in 2024. Suvendu began his political journey with the Congress during the 1995 municipal polls before moving to the newly formed TMC alongside his father in 1998. He rose rapidly within Mamata Banerjee’s party and became one of its strongest organisational faces in coastal Bengal.