Suvendu Adhikari named West Bengal's first BJP chief minister
Suvendu Adhikari, once the right-hand man of Mamata Banerjee, has been sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal. The appointment caps Modi's election sweep that has redrawn the political map in eastern India.
Suvendu Adhikari, once one of Mamata Banerjee's most trusted lieutenants, has been sworn in as chief minister of West Bengal years after defecting to the BJP. After the party's historic election sweep in eastern India, he was the most strongly tipped candidate for the post.
Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is in opposition in the state for the first time in 14 years. Banerjee has said she will not resign, and the proceedings against her in the state legislature are likely to move into Bengal's courts. Adhikari's team has flagged investment attraction, border security and migration management as priorities.
The BJP's Bengal breakthrough hands the Modi coalition undisputed momentum heading into the next general election in two years' time. The coalition now governs in West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh — four of India's most populous states. The consolidation will shape the federal government's coming budget and reform calendar.
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