Kolkata

West Bengal chief minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari on Friday met Governor R. N. Ravi and formally staked claim to form the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.

Senior BJP leaders, including Dilip Ghosh, Locket Chatterjee and Tapas Roy, accompanied Adhikari during the meeting at Lok Bhavan.

The development came shortly after Adhikari was unanimously elected leader of the BJP legislature party at a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata.

Speaking to reporters after his election, Adhikari thanked BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Amit Shah, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for placing their trust in him.

He said the BJP would fulfil all promises made during the Assembly election campaign and asserted that the party remained committed to both organisational growth and public welfare.

Adhikari stated that he had received the support of all BJP MLAs and highlighted what he described as the party’s internal democratic process. His election as legislature party leader has paved the way for him to become the first BJP Chief Minister in West Bengal’s history.

The formal announcement of his selection was made by Amit Shah, who served as the central observer for the election of the legislative party leader.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Nisith Pramanik strongly backed Adhikari’s leadership, calling him the most suitable face for the Chief Minister’s post in the state. Pramanik said the BJP’s victory reflected the people’s desire for political change in West Bengal.

He also stated that issues such as infiltration and complete fencing of the international border would be key priorities for the new government. Praising Adhikari’s political record, Pramanik said Bengal required a leader of his stature and claimed there was currently “no alternative” to him in the state.

Adhikari is scheduled to take oath on Saturday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Following his election, he also held meetings with newly elected BJP MLAs and senior party leaders as part of preparations for government formation.

Adhikari contested the Assembly elections from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, defeating outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by more than 15,000 votes.

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In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the BJP secured 207 seats, while the All India Trinamool Congress won 80 seats after governing the state for 15 years.