Desk Correspondent , Kolkata - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday bowed deeply to a massive crowd at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground during the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari as West Bengal's ninth chief minister, marking the Bharatiya Janata Party's historic first government in the state. Governor RN Ravi administered the oath to Adhikari and five other ministers at the grand event, attended by top BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, and several BJP chief ministers. Modi described the moment as paying respect to "West Bengal’s Jana Shakti," stating on X that "the people’s blessings are the truest strength of democracy." Amit Shah echoed the sentiment, declaring, "The BJP government has arrived - a government for every person of Bengal."

The ceremony followed the BJP's landslide victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, where the party won 207 seats, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule. TMC secured only 80 seats. Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by over 15,000 votes and retained Nandigram with a massive margin, emerged as a key face of the BJP campaign. Alongside him, ministers including senior leader Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu, and Nisith Pramanik took oath. Modi also interacted with 98-year-old BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar and paid tributes to Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary.

Adhikari pledged a government based on "collective leadership" with cabinet involvement in decision-making. Once a prominent TMC leader and figure in the 2011 Nandigram movement, he joined the BJP after growing differences with Banerjee. The event signifies a major political shift in the eastern state, with celebrations reflecting the saffron party's breakthrough after years of opposition. Senior leaders hailed it as a new era for Bengal's development and governance.