Kolkata: Senior BJP leader and Nandigram strongman Suvendu Adhikari is likely to be the next chief minister of West Bengal, according to party sources quoted in reports, marking a historic shift in the state’s political landscape after the BJP’s sweeping victory in the Assembly elections.
The BJP legislative party is scheduled to meet in Kolkata on Friday to formally discuss government formation and elect its leader. According to reports, the party is looking for a larger venue for the meeting as its state headquarters may not be able to accommodate all 207 newly elected MLAs.
During the meeting, Adhikari is expected to be unanimously chosen as the BJP legislative party leader through a show of hands. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya is likely to propose his name, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to formally announce the decision.
Following the meeting, Adhikari, Bhattacharya and BJP national general secretary Sunil Bansal are expected to visit Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form the next government.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Saturday and will coincide with Rabindra Jayanti, commemorating the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the ceremony along with senior BJP leaders and chief ministers from NDA-ruled states. The event is being seen as a landmark moment, as it would mark the BJP’s first government in West Bengal.
Earlier, Shah had indicated that Bengal’s next chief minister would be “a son of the soil” — someone born and educated in Bengal and fluent in Bengali. Party insiders believe Adhikari fits that profile perfectly.
A former Trinamool Congress heavyweight, Adhikari emerged as the BJP’s most prominent face in Bengal after crossing over to the saffron party in 2020 following differences with Trinamool leadership, including Abhishek Banerjee and political strategist Prashant Kishor.
Since joining the BJP, Adhikari has consistently targeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over issues such as alleged corruption, infiltration and attacks on Hindus.
Adhikari first rose to prominence during the 2007 Nandigram land acquisition protests, where he led the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee, a movement that played a pivotal role in weakening the Left Front government and eventually helped Mamata Banerjee come to power.
In 2021, he stunned Bengal politics by defeating Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. In the 2026 Assembly polls, he further cemented his stature by wresting Bhabanipur, Banerjee’s political stronghold, with a significantly bigger margin, becoming the BJP’s biggest giant-slayer in the state.
Before joining the BJP, Adhikari had served as an MLA, MP and minister in the Mamata Banerjee-led government, earning a reputation as a strong grassroots organiser with deep influence across several districts in Bengal.
