Gujarat CM joins NDA leaders in Kolkata ahead of Bengal CM swearing-in ceremony

Kolkata, May 9 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel arrived in Kolkata on Saturday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari, who is set to become West Bengal’s first chief minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Patel was accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu as senior BJP and NDA leaders gathered in Kolkata ahead of the oath-taking ceremony at Brigade Parade Ground.

Adhikari was formally elected leader of the BJP legislature party on Friday after the party secured a decisive majority in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, paving the way for the BJP’s first government in the state.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several Union ministers and chief ministers from BJP-ruled and NDA-governed states.

Shah announced his selection as chief minister following a legislature party meeting in Kolkata.

Adhikari’s rise to the chief minister’s post followed two high-profile electoral victories against Mamata Banerjee that reshaped West Bengal politics.

After narrowly defeating Banerjee in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election, the BJP leader again emerged victorious against her in Bhabanipur in the 2026 polls, winning the constituency by more than 15,000 votes.

The result was seen as a major setback for Banerjee in her traditional stronghold and cemented Adhikari’s position as the BJP’s principal face in the state.

Describing the BJP’s electoral performance in West Bengal as “a second independence”, Gujarat Agriculture and Spokesperson Minister Jitu Vaghani said on Friday that the outcome reflected public acceptance of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing a press conference held at Somnath Sagar Darshan in connection with the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to Gujarat on May 11, Minister Vaghani said, “The victory achieved in Bengal after India’s independence is equivalent to a second independence.”

–IANS

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