New Delhi: West Bengal’s new Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday took oath of office and secrecy in a grand ceremony at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, heading a tiny yet well-represented cabinet in terms of gender, region, and experience.
It will be the first Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state. It will also be the first time in 55 years that the government will be headed by someone from outside Kolkata.
Suvendu hails from Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal, and he has mostly worked in and around this region. It was his on-ground strategy and involvement in the Nandigram agitation against the then Left Front government’s land acquisition for industrialisation that helped catapult Mamata Banerjee to head the state government in 2011.
The last Chief Minister from outside Kolkata was Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, also from Purba Medinipur, whose term ended in June 1971. He led the United Front government.
Since then, Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and Mamata Banerjee have all been residents of the state capital.
For Dilip Ghosh, it was a recognition of the work he has done even under incriminating conditions and hostility.
As an organiser with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he helped build the Bharatiya Janata Party’s network across West Bengal, resulting in significant electoral gains for the party. He paved the way to his maiden Assembly victory in 2016 and led his party to a record 18-seat win in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.
He again won, this time from the Medinipur Parliamentary constituency.
The 61-year-old leader is known for his regular morning walks, and he launched a political campaign, “Chai Pe Charcha”, where he spoke to people while sipping tea.
For some time, it appeared he was drifting away from the current state party leadership. However, the current Bharatiya Janata Party President, Samik Bhattacharya, has successfully brought all leaders together.
If it was recognition of his successful leadership in challenging political conditions for Ghosh, inducting Agnimitra Paul into the first Bharatiya Janata Party cabinet was the party’s salute to women’s power, which has been instrumental in the win.
The 51-year-old is a fashion designer who went on to defend the Asansol Dakshin seat this time with a wider margin.
She had served as the President of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha and as the party’s General Secretary.
By including Nisith Pramanik and Ashok Kirtania, the Bharatiya Janata Party has recognized West Bengal’s two largest Scheduled Caste communities.
While the two groupings have been delivering fractured mandates of late, this time their choice has largely been consolidated.
Pramanik, representing the Rajbanshis, who comprise over 18 per cent, is West Bengal’s largest Scheduled Caste group.
The total population is estimated at around half a crore, spread across Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Malda, and Murshidabad districts, making them an important vote bank.
The 40-year-old was Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Youth Affairs between 2021 and 2024. He lost the subsequent Parliamentary election.
In 2021, he represented the Dinhata Assembly constituency. This time, he won from the Mathabhanga constituency in the Cooch Behar district.
Kirtania belongs to the socio-religious group, Matua, whose roots can be traced back to the Namasudra movement led by Harichand Thakur in the 19th century.
Originally formed to challenge caste-based discrimination and promote social equality, the Matuas became a significant voice for marginalised Hindus, particularly those who migrated from then East Pakistan, later Bangladesh, during Partition.
In West Bengal, they are concentrated in districts like North 24 Parganas and Nadia, where their numbers make them a decisive electoral bloc.
He retained the Bangaon Uttar seat in North 24 Parganas district in the crucial Matua belt bordering Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party also did well in the tribal areas, particularly in the western parts of the state, hoisting the saffron flag across large tracts of largely forested land bordering Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
Here, Kshudiram Tudu represented the Santhal tribal community. He defeated the sitting Trinamool Congress candidate in the Ranibandh Assembly seat of Bankura district.
Incidentally, Tudu chose to take the oath in his native language.
According to the rules, Suvendu can still induct 39 more ministers.
(IANS)
