A New Political Chapter Begins in Bengal

A new chapter has been written in the political history of West Bengal. From the waves of Hooghly to the hills of Darjeeling, chants of “Jai Shri Ram” echoed across the state, signaling a dramatic shift in Bengal’s political landscape.

For the first time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a government in West Bengal, fulfilling what party supporters describe as the long-cherished dream of BJP ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal during a grand oath-taking ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several top party leaders.

The Governor administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly elected Chief Minister.

Senior BJP Leaders Take Oath as Ministers

Following Suvendu Adhikari’s swearing-in, senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh also took oath as a minister in the new cabinet. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, a well-known political face in Bengal and former fashion designer turned politician, was also sworn in as minister. She recently won the Asansol South Assembly constituency.

Khudiram Tudu, Nisith Pramanik, and Ashok Kirtania were among the other BJP leaders who took oath as ministers in the newly formed government.

The ceremony witnessed the presence of several senior BJP leaders and supporters celebrating the party’s historic rise to power in the state.

BJP Forms Government in Bengal for the First Time

The BJP secured a historic mandate in the West Bengal Assembly elections, paving the way for the party’s first-ever government in the state. After the landslide victory, Suvendu Adhikari emerged as the central face of the BJP in Bengal politics.

Adhikari had earlier become one of the BJP’s strongest leaders in the state after defeating Mamata Banerjee in the high-profile Nandigram Assembly contest during the 2021 elections. Since then, he had served as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

As opposition leader, Suvendu Adhikari aggressively targeted the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government over several controversial issues, including the Sandeshkhali controversy, incidents of violence during Durga Puja in the Howrah-Uluberia region, and the RG Kar Hospital incident.

His political rise and continued attacks on the ruling TMC helped consolidate the BJP’s position across Bengal.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s Dream Realised

The BJP traces its ideological roots to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who is often regarded as one of the ideological architects of the party. Born in Kolkata in 1901 into a Bengali Brahmin family, Mookerjee was a prominent nationalist leader and educationist.

He served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet after Independence. However, he later resigned and founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 — the political organisation that eventually evolved into the BJP.

Political observers often point out the irony that although the ideological foundations of the BJP emerged from Bengal through Jana Sangh, the party had never managed to capture power in the state for decades.

With this electoral victory, the BJP has now formed its first government in West Bengal, marking a major turning point in the state’s political history.

The post BJP Scripts History in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari Takes Oath as Chief Minister appeared first on Odisha Connect.