Who Is Suvendu Adhikari, The BJP's First & Next West Bengal CM?

Union Home Minister Amit Shah officially declared Suvendu Adhikari as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Legislative Party Leader in West Bengal, marking his ascent as the state’s first BJP Chief Minister. The announcement ended weeks of speculation following the party’s gains in the recent assembly elections. Adhikari’s political journey began with the 2007 Nandigram movement, where he led protests against land acquisition for a chemical hub, challenging the then-ruling Left Front government. His role in mobilizing local opposition contributed to the eventual collapse of the Left Front’s decades-long rule and helped propel Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress to power in 2011. A former Trinamool Congress member, Adhikari joined the BJP in 2020 after ideological differences with the party leadership. His defection strengthened the BJP’s organizational base in West Bengal. In the 2021 assembly elections, Adhikari defeated Banerjee in the Nandigram constituency, a symbolic victory that reshaped the state’s political landscape. He later lost in Bhabanipur by 15,105 votes in 2026 but remained a key opposition figure. Born on December 15, 1970, in Contai, East Midnapore, Adhikari comes from a politically active family. His father, Sisir Adhikari, served as an MP and held ministerial roles, while his brother Dibyendu Adhikari is also involved in public life. Adhikari’s experience in rural politics and district-level organization has been pivotal in the BJP’s campaign strategy in West Bengal. As Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Adhikari has been a vocal critic of the Trinamool Congress government. His appointment as Legislative Party Leader now positions him to lead the state government, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in West Bengal.