West Bengal CM Announcement Live Updates: Suvendu Adhikari arrives at Kolkata Lok Bhavan, set to stake claim to form govt

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.