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Suvendu Adhikari will be sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata, following the BJP's landslide victory in the state elections, where it secured 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states will attend the ceremony, marking the party's first government in the eastern state.
Adhikari defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency by 15,105 votes, repeating his 2021 victory over her in Nandigram. The Trinamool Congress was reduced to 80 seats, and Banerjee refused to resign immediately after the results, alleging election irregularities.
West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya confirmed that Mamata Banerjee has been invited to the swearing-in 'as per protocol,' though she has not indicated whether she will attend. Adhikari, once a top aide to Banerjee, will become the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal and the first in 55 years from a non-Kolkata background.
The new council of ministers is expected to reflect regional, caste, and community representation, with leaders from north Bengal, Junglemahal, Matua, and tribal regions likely included, though the official list has not yet been released. The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., with heightened security across Kolkata.