From Mamata’s all-weather man to Bengal’s next CM: 5 things to know about Suvendu Adhikari

It was 2007. A young Suvendu Adhikari stood amid the dust and turmoil of Nandigram, speaking into a handheld microphone with Mamata Banerjee by his side.

At the time, he was one of the key architects of Banerjee’s anti-Left movement and a driving force behind the rise of the All India Trinamool Congress.

Nearly two decades later, Adhikari is set to take oath as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister — after helping dismantle the very political machinery he once built.

Adhikari was elected Friday as the legislature party leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and will be sworn in on Saturday at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground.

The milestone follows the BJP’s sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, where it won 208 of the state’s 294 seats, bringing an end to 15 years of Trinamool rule.

The road to the top

Adhikari’s march to the chief minister’s office gathered momentum on April 2, when he filed his nomination from Bhabanipur.

During a roadshow, Union home minister Amit Shah revealed that while Adhikari had initially wanted to contest only from Nandigram, the party leadership pushed him to challenge Banerjee on her home turf.

The gamble paid off.

On counting day, Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur by 15,000 votes, delivering one of the election’s most symbolic victories.

Five key facts about Suvendu Adhikari

1. Political legacy and early rise
Born on December 15, 1970, in Purba Medinipur, Adhikari is the son of veteran politician Sisir Kumar Adhikari. He entered the Assembly in 2006 and later served two terms in the Lok Sabha before joining the state cabinet in 2016.

2. The strategist behind TMC’s expansion
For years, he was regarded as one of the Trinamool Congress’s most effective grassroots organisers. He played a crucial role in expanding the party into Left strongholds such as Jangalmahal and later helped weaken Congress influence in Malda and Murshidabad. His organisational success earned him the transport portfolio in the Banerjee cabinet.

3. A career shadowed by controversy
Adhikari has faced scrutiny over his alleged links to the Saradha chit fund scam and the Narada sting operation. He has consistently denied wrongdoing, describing the allegations as politically motivated.

4. The dramatic switch to BJP
In December 2020, Adhikari resigned from the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP amid growing tensions with the party leadership.

His political break became complete when he defeated Banerjee in Nandigram in the 2021 elections by 1,956 votes.

Though the BJP lost that election, Adhikari emerged as Leader of the Opposition and spent the next five years spearheading the party’s Bengal campaign.

Despite facing nearly 300 criminal cases — 15 of which were quashed by the High Court in 2025 — he remained central to the BJP’s strategy.

5. Academic and personal profile
Adhikari holds a master’s degree from Rabindra Bharati University and previously served as chairman of Contai Co-operative Bank and Vidyasagar Central Co-operative Bank.

Outside politics, he is known for his interest in football and cricket.

The 2026 election strategy

In the 2026 Assembly election, Adhikari contested from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur.

His campaign focused heavily on Hindu consolidation, concerns around demographic shifts and infiltration, themes that became central to the BJP’s Bengal messaging.

The strategy delivered major gains, with the BJP making significant inroads even in Muslim-majority districts such as Malda and Murshidabad.

For Adhikari, the victory marks the culmination of one of Indian politics’ most striking transformations — from Mamata Banerjee’s closest battlefield ally to the man who ended her reign.