Suvendu Adhikari's rise: From Nandigram giant killer to Bengal Chief Minister

Once Mamata Banerjee's trusted lieutenant, Suvendu Adhikari is now the West Bengal Chief Minister after he took oath on Saturday after scripting the BJP's biggest breakthrough and defeating his former mentor once again.

In Short

• Suvendu Adhikari sworn in as West Bengal Chief Minister
• Defeated Mamata Banerjee twice, including in Bhabanipur in 2026
• Joined BJP in 2020 after leaving TMC amid leadership clashes

From leading Mamata Banerjee’s fiercest street battles against the Left to becoming the BJP’s first ever Chief Minister in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari’s political journey has now reached its biggest milestone yet.

The 57-year-old Leader of the Opposition was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of West Bengal at Kolkata's famous Briagade ground after being chosen as the BJP legislature party leader at a key meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata on Friday.

His elevation came after BJP’s historic victory in the 2026 Assembly elections and marked the culmination of one of the most dramatic political transformations in Bengal politics.

THE MAN WHO DEFEATED MAMATA TWICE

Suvendu Adhikari’s stature within BJP rose sharply after he defeated Mamata Banerjee in the high-voltage Nandigram contest in 2021. Five years later, he has done it again. This time in Bhabanipur, considered Mamata’s safest political fortress.

In the 2026 Assembly elections, Adhikari defeated the Trinamool Congress supremo in Bhabanipur by 15,105 votes, delivering one of the biggest political upsets in recent Bengal history.

In his second seat, Nandigram, he defeated TMC candidate Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes.

The victories firmly established him as the BJP’s tallest face in Bengal and strengthened his claim for the chief minister’s post after the party swept to power.

FROM MAMATA’S TROUBLESHOOTER TO BJP’S BENGAL FACE

Before joining the BJP in December 2020, Suvendu Adhikari was widely seen as the second-most influential leader in the Trinamool Congress after Mamata Banerjee herself.

However, his equation with the party leadership deteriorated as the influence of Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee steadily grew within the organisation.

In November 2020, Adhikari resigned as Transport and Irrigation Minister in the Mamata government, triggering intense political speculation. Weeks later, he joined BJP in a major setback for the ruling TMC ahead of the 2021 elections.

His switch dramatically altered Bengal’s political landscape.

Though the BJP failed to form the government in 2021 and won 77 seats, Adhikari emerged as the Leader of Opposition and became the party’s most aggressive voice against the Mamata government inside and outside the Assembly.

ROOTS IN CONGRESS, RISE THROUGH NANDIGRAM

Born into a powerful political family in East Midnapore, Suvendu Adhikari began his political career with the Congress and was elected councillor of Kanthi Municipality in 1995.

The Adhikari family later joined Mamata Banerjee after she floated the Trinamool Congress in 1998.

His father, Sisir Adhikari, served as a three-term MP and was Union Minister of State for Rural Development during the UPA-2 government.

Suvendu himself served two terms as MP during UPA-1 and UPA-2.

His political rise accelerated during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, where he emerged as one of the key faces of the agitation against the Left Front government.

The movement became a turning point in Bengal politics and played a major role in ending the Left’s 34-year rule in 2011.

In 2009, Adhikari defeated CPM heavyweight Lakshman Seth from the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat by 1.73 lakh votes. He retained the seat again in 2014.

In 2016, he shifted to state politics, won the Nandigram Assembly seat and was inducted into Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet as Transport Minister.

CONTROVERSIES AND POLITICAL AGGRESSION

Adhikari’s political career has also seen controversies.

In September 2014, the CBI interrogated him in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.

Despite political attacks from rivals, Adhikari steadily expanded his influence within BJP and became the central figure in the party’s Bengal campaign.

Known for his combative style and sharp attacks on Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari now faces the challenge of leading a politically polarised Bengal as BJP forms government in the state for the first time.

Unmarried and holding an MA degree from Netaji Subhas Open University, Suvendu Adhikari is now beginning the most defining chapter of his political career - taking charge of Bengal from the very leader whose rise he once helped script.

- Ends