KOLKATA, May 6: The first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in West Bengal will be sworn in at the Brigade Parade Ground here on May 9, heralding a saffron era in the eastern state that had long eluded the pan-Indian powerhouse.
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Although who the next Chief Minister will be is still a mystery, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is being seen as the frontrunner while the names of state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar and former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta are also in the mix, party insiders said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin, several Union Ministers and chief ministers of BJP- and NDA-ruled States are expected to attend the oath ceremony, with indications emerging that the central leadership is inclined towards picking a “bhumiputra” face rooted in Bengal’s linguistic and cultural ethos to head the government.
“The new BJP Government will take oath on May 9 at 10 am at Brigade Parade Ground,” the party’s state president Bhattacharya announced on Wednesday.
Adhikari offered prayers at a Hanuman statue in Nandigram and paid his respects to the BJP workers who died in political violence during the party’s long struggle to come to power in the state.
“We will work in such a way that the BJP Government in Bengal stays for 100 years,” Adhikari said, expressing hope that the BJP’s vote share would rise from the current 46 per cent to 60 per cent in future elections.
Elected from two constituencies, Adhikari said the central leadership would guide him on which seat to retain.
“I will vacate one seat within 10 days. The party will decide which one I retain. I will not forget my responsibility towards the people of Bhabanipur and Nandigram,” he said.
Adhikari on Monday defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur by over 15,000 votes, capturing what was long seen as her safest political refuge, and also won from Nandigram as the BJP bagged 207 of the 293 seats contested in the 294-strong assembly. (PTI)
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