Kolkata, May 9 (TNT): Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took oath as the first Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Minister of West Bengal, ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress in the state.
Adhikari was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor R. N. Ravi at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
He took the oath in Bengali on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti, marking the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Following Adhikari, BJP MLAs Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtaniya, Khudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik took oath as ministers in the new cabinet.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Uttar Pradesh Chief Yogi Adityanath, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, among other leaders from BJP-ruled states.
The 55-year-old Adhikari became one of the few chief ministers from West Bengal’s southern agrarian belt, breaking the long-standing dominance of Kolkata-centric leadership in the state’s politics.
After taking oath, Adhikari sought blessings from Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and other senior leaders present on the stage.
In a symbolic gesture, Yogi Adityanath handed over his saffron scarf to Adhikari, drawing loud cheers from party workers.
Prime Minister Modi began the ceremony by paying tribute to Rabindranath Tagore. Portraits of cultural icons including Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar adorned the stage, giving the event a distinctly Bengali cultural tone.
The Brigade Parade Ground witnessed massive participation from BJP supporters from across the state, with saffron-clad seers and tribal representatives from the Jangalmahal region also attending the event.
TNT KM
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