The announcement was made on Friday in Kolkata by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who attended the meeting as the party’s central observer. The decision came after a closed-door meeting of newly elected BJP legislators and senior leaders.
Declaring Adhikari’s name before party workers and legislators, Shah said the BJP legislature party had unanimously chosen him to lead the new government in Bengal. The development marks a historic breakthrough for the BJP in a state where it had remained out of power for decades.
Soon after his election, Adhikari met Governor R N Ravi at Lok Bhavan and formally staked claim to form the government. Several senior BJP leaders, including Dilip Ghosh, Locket Chatterjee and Tapas Roy, accompanied him during the meeting with the Governor.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds, one of the city’s most iconic venues. The BJP is preparing for a large-scale event, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Union ministers and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states expected to attend.
Party leaders described the occasion as a “historic mandate” and said the new government would focus on governance, industrial growth and law and order in the state.
Speaking after his election, Adhikari thanked the party’s central leadership, including BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, for placing their trust in him. He also expressed gratitude to party workers and voters across the state.
The BJP’s victory in the 2026 Assembly elections is being seen as one of the party’s biggest political achievements in eastern India, significantly reshaping West Bengal’s political landscape.
