Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 9: The first BJP ministry in West Bengal was installed in the office on Saturday with its legislature party leader Suvendu Adhikari taking oath as the chief minister along with five others sworn-in as the cabinet ministers.
The Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Adhikari at a grand ceremony held at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata in the presence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a large number of union ministers and almost all the chief ministers and several senior ministers of the NDA-ruled states.
Also present on the dais was an old man Makhanlal Sarkar, one of the oldest workers of the BJP who at a young age had served as an aide of Dr Syama Prasad Mukerjee, the founder of Jana Sangh, the precursor of the BJP, after the independence. Mr Modi followed by Mr Adhikari, specially greeted him and touched his feet to take his blessings.
The selection of the five ministers inducted in his cabinet reflected a careful consideration by the BJP towards the tribal, scheduled castes and ground-level metrics. The five ministers included Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Kshudiram Tudu and Ashok Kirtania.
After the swearing-in, Mr Modi congratulated Suvendu Adhikari on taking oath as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister, saying that he was deeply connected to the people and understood their aspirations. In his message for Suvendu Adhikari on X, PM Modi wished the first BJP chief minister of the state a “fruitful tenure.”
“Congratulations to Suvendu Adhikari Ji on taking oath as West Bengal’s chief minister. He has made a mark as a leader who remained deeply connected to the people and understood their aspirations from close quarters,” PM Modi wrote on X after attending the event. “My best wishes to him for a fruitful tenure ahead,” he wrote and posted with the message an image of Goddess Durga and another of him congratulating Adhikari on the stage.
Mr Modi also congratulated Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nisith Pramanik on taking oath as Ministers in the Government of West Bengal. Mr Modi said these leaders have worked tirelessly at the grassroots and served the people. He expressed confidence that they would further strengthen West Bengal’s development journey as Ministers and conveyed his best wishes to them.
“Congratulations to Dilip Ghosh Ji, Agnimitra Paul Ji, Ashok Kirtania Ji, Kshudiram Tudu Ji and Nisith Pramanik Ji on taking oath as Ministers in the Government of West Bengal. These leaders have worked tirelessly at the grassroots and served people. I am confident they will further strengthen West Bengal’s development journey as Ministers. My best wishes,” he said.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, PM Modi also met the families of slain BJP workers Debasish Mondal, Soumitra Ghoshal and Ananda Paul. Adhikari became the 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal after the BJP secured a historic victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 207 seats and ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state. The TMC secured 80 seats in the elections.
After taking the oath of office, Mr Adhikari held a meeting with Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta, and other police and civil officials to review the law and order situation in the State. Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand was also present at the meeting, sources said.
Mr Adhikari also enquired about the operations of various schemes introduced by the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and directed the chief secretary to ensure that the schemes continue to function smoothly without disruption, the sources added. He also enquired about the progress of the renovation work being carried out at the Writers’ Buildings, which will be the next State secretariat.
Among the five taking oath as the cabinet ministers, Dilip Ghosh is a veteran BJP leader and former state party president. Originally associated with the RSS as a full-time campaigner, Ghosh played a major role in expanding the BJP’s grassroots network in Bengal after 2014. He belongs to the Other Backwards Classes (OBC) community. He is a former Member of Parliament representing the Medinipur constituency in the Lok Sabha.
Agnimitra Paul is a fashion designer-turned-politician, and the only woman minister in the BJP’s Bengal cabinet so far. She joined the BJP in 2019. A year later, Paul became the state president of Mahila Morcha, succeeding Locket Chatterjee. In 2021, she was appointed the General Secretary of the BJP in Bengal. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Paul defeated Trinamool Congress’ Saayoni Ghosh from the Asansol Dakshin seat. Later in 2022, she contested the Lok Sabha by-elections from the Asansol constituency, but lost to actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha. She also lost from the Medinipur constituency to actor-politician June Malia in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Paul was appointed the vice-president of the BJP Bengal earlier this year.
Ashok Kirtania is a BJP MLA from Bongaon Uttar in North 24 Paraganas – a Matua-influenced political belt of Bengal. He comes from a background in business and local organisational politics, while Kshudiram Tudu is a tribal leader from the Bankura district – representing Ranibandh, a tribal-dominated constituency in Jungle Mahal. BJP has used leaders like him to strengthen its tribal outreach in West Bengal.
Nisith Pramanik is one of the BJP’s strongest young leaders from North Bengal. He was a member of the Trinamool Congress before joining the BJP in 2019. In July 2021, he was appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in the PM Modi cabinet becoming the youngest minister at the age of 35. Pramanik represents the Rajbanshi and North Bengal political base – known for strong youth appeal and organisational influence.
The maximum size of the council of ministers in the West Bengal cabinet is 44 – having the space for the induction of 39 more ministers.