The change came on the same day her former aide-turned-political rival Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the chief minister, marking the BJP’s first-ever government in West Bengal
Mamata Banerjee
Days after refusing to step down as chief minister despite the Trinamool Congress’s shock defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the West Bengal assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee on Friday updated her X (formerly Twitter) bio, appearing to acknowledge the end of her uninterrupted tenure at the helm of the state government.
Her revised bio now reads: “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Chief Minister of West Bengal (15th, 16th and 17th Vidhan Sabha)”, replacing the earlier description that called her the “Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal”.
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The change came on the same day her former aide-turned-political rival Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the chief minister, marking the BJP’s first-ever government in West Bengal and ending the Trinamool Congress’s long dominance in the state.
Banerjee, who stormed to power in 2011 by ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule, had led the TMC to three straight assembly victories and emerged as one of the BJP’s fiercest national opponents. But the 2026 verdict marked her biggest political setback yet, with the BJP making deep inroads across regions that had long been considered Trinamool strongholds.
Even after the results, Banerjee had refused to immediately resign, maintaining that constitutional procedures surrounding government formation needed to be completed first. Her stance had triggered sharp attacks from the BJP, which accused the outgoing chief minister of delaying the transition of power despite the clear mandate against her government.
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The subtle but significant change in her social media bio is now being viewed as the clearest public signal yet that Banerjee has reconciled with the electoral outcome and is preparing for a new role in opposition politics.
The transition also carries a strong personal and political undertone. Adhikari, once among Banerjee’s closest lieutenants and a key architect of the TMC’s rise in rural Bengal, defected to the BJP ahead of the 2021 assembly polls and steadily emerged as the face of the saffron party’s expansion in the state. His swearing-in as chief minister marks a dramatic reversal in Bengal’s political landscape — and perhaps the most symbolic defeat of Banerjee’s long political career.
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