Suvendu Adhikari elected Bengal BJP leader, set to become CM

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was on Friday elected the leader of the BJP legislature party in West Bengal, paving the way for him to become the first BJP chief minister of the state. BJP sources said Adhikari's name was proposed at the legislature party meeting here and formally announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of newly elected BJP MLAs and senior party leaders.Dilip Ghosh, a senior BJP leader and former state president, proposed Adhikari's name at the legislature party meeting held in Kolkata earlier in the day.  Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was appointed the central observer for the meeting, and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the co-observer, were present.

#WATCH | Kolkata | "...I announce the name of Suvendu Adhikari elected as Leader of West Bengal BJP Legislative Party," says Union Home Minister Amit Shah, appointed as the Central Observer for the election of the legislative party leader in West Bengal. https://t.co/GOQaeWB0RD pic.twitter.com/w4gmyJ7mNH

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2026

Adhikari’s elevation comes days after the BJP secured a sweeping victory in the assembly elections, winning 207 of the 293 seats it contested in the 294-member House. 

#WATCH | Kolkata | Suvendu Adhikari elected as the Leader of West Bengal BJP Legislative Party, set to be the new CM of the state. pic.twitter.com/DCm6zezL4U

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2026

Adhikari, who joined the BJP in December 2020 after leaving the Trinamool Congress where he had once been a close associate of Banerjee, emerged as the clear choice. He defeated Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021 and more recently won the Bhabanipur seat, her traditional stronghold, by a margin of over 15,000 votes. The swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government will be held at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Saturday, May 9.