Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata to attend the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is set to become the first Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Minister of West Bengal since independence.
PM Modi’s helicopter landed at the RCTC Ground in Kolkata before he proceeded to the venue amid tight security arrangements and elaborate preparations for the high-profile event. Thousands of BJP workers and supporters gathered across the city as the party prepared to formally assume power in the state after its sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Adhikari, elected leader of the BJP Legislative Party in West Bengal, is scheduled to take oath as chief minister later in the day, marking a major political shift in the state that had been governed by the Trinamool Congress for the past 15 years.
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, while the Trinamool Congress was reduced to 80 seats, ending its decade-and-a-half-long rule in the state. Adhikari emerged as one of the central figures of the election after defeating outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency by more than 15,000 votes. He had contested from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur.
The swearing-in ceremony has drawn several senior leaders from the BJP and the NDA. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan arrived in Kolkata on Friday to attend the event.
Among the chief ministers present were Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Manik Saha and Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also arrived for the ceremony, said the people of Bengal had waited long for political change and development. She said the state would now move towards growth and stability under the new government.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also reached Kolkata to participate in the ceremony, which is being seen by the BJP as one of its most significant political milestones in eastern India.