With the BJP's resounding victory in West Bengal, ending the 15-year rule of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, the party has secured the chief minister's post for the first time in nine states since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. The journey began with Haryana and Maharashtra in 2014, followed by Assam (2016), Arunachal Pradesh (2016), Manipur (2017), Tripura (2018), Odisha (2024), Bihar (2026), and now West Bengal. In Haryana, the party formed a government on its own for the first time and appointed Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister. In Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis became the state's first BJP chief minister after the BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the assembly polls and formed the government with allies in the Mahayuti alliance. The BJP expanded its footprint in the Northeast in 2016 by winning Assam, where Sarbananda Sonowal became the party's first chief minister in the state. Since then, the BJP has retained power in Assam
BJP legislature party leader Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday, heading the first BJP government in the state. Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari at a grand ceremony held at the Brigade Parade Grounds here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states and senior BJP leaders. The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule in the state.
Jhalmuri, the quintessential Bengali street snack that became an unlikely symbol in the bitter TMC-BJP fight for over a month, found pride of place at the swearing-in of West Bengal's first BJP government at the Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday. The state BJP set up 20 jhalmuri stalls across the sprawling venue in central Kolkata, while several independent vendors were also seen doing brisk business along the periphery. Scores of people attending the ceremony made a beeline for the stalls to savour the snack made of puffed rice, green chillies, and an assortment of spices. "I am loving jhalmuri more today because of our heady victory in the election," said Manjari Basu, who came from Tollygunge, in Kolkata's southern quarters, to witness the swearing-in ceremony. Manish Yadav from Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas, holding a paper packet of jhalmuri in hand, said the snack tasted sweet instead of spicy because of the BJP's momentous victory. The humble snack hogged national limeli
West Bengal's chief minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari said the days of 'Sonar Bangla' have officially started with Saturday marking the beginning of a new era of "peace and prosperity" under a "double-engine" administration as the state's first BJP government is set to take charge. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival in Kolkata for the oath-taking ceremony at the Brigade Parade Ground, Adhikari posted a message on X welcoming him to the state and describing the occasion as the fulfilment of the "dreams of our founding fathers". "A historic dawn for West Bengal indeed. It is a moment of profound pride and jubilation to welcome visionary Leader PM Narendra Modi Ji to the City of Joy. Today, as we witness the swearing-in ceremony of the first-ever BJP government in West Bengal since Independence, we fulfil the dreams of our founding fathers. "Today marks the end of decades of misrule and the beginning of a double-engine era of development, peace, and prosperity. The era of ..
Security was tightened across key locations in Kolkata on Saturday ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in West Bengal, including at the residence of chief minister-designate Suvendu Adhikari, Brigade Parade Grounds and outside former CM Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence. Heavy security deployment was seen outside Adhikari's Chinar Park residence here. Security arrangements were also intensified at the RCTC Ground, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to land before attending the ceremony. A multi-layered security apparatus, including central forces and Kolkata Police personnel, was put in place at Brigade Parade Grounds, the venue of the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected BJP government. CRPF personnel were deployed outside Banerjee's Kalighat residence amid heightened political activity in the city. The BJP registered a historic win in the polls, ending Trinamool Congress' 15-year rule in the state. Meanwhile, BJP supporters from nor
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Saturday said the first BJP government in West Bengal will fulfil the people's aspirations and the dream of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in the state, the Kharagpur Sadar MLA said the party had long struggled to bring about political change in the eastern province. "We struggled for a long time. The results have now come, and a regime change has taken place. We will have to work for the fulfilment of the wishes of the people and the dream of Syama Prasad Mookerjee," Ghosh said. He said the new government would pay tribute to BJP workers who lost their lives during the party's fight against the "TMC's misrule" in the state. West Bengal chief minister-elect Suvendu Adhikari and his council of ministers are scheduled to be sworn in at a grand ceremony at the Brigade Parade Grounds on Saturday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top Union ministers and some 20
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, alleging it has established a system to "steal" elections but said people have understood this and it will have to face public anger. Addressing a gathering here this evening after participating in the 'Sadbhav Yatra' of Haryana Congress leader Brijendra Singh, he accused the BJP of stealing elections in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra and recently in West Bengal and Assam. They delete lakhs of names and add lakhs of names. The ECI and bureaucracy are under their control, he alleged. They think that their rule will not stop, he said. "But their time is going to come. People have understood that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are selling the country. Airport, ports, infrastructure. Nicobar Island is being sold to Adani," he alleged. Gandhi again raked up the Indo-US trade deal, reiterating it will destroy Indian farmers. Our agri sector has been opened for US farmers who can now sell their produce i
From Congress worker to TMC strongman and now BJP's face in Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari's rise has reshaped the state's politics
The BJP won 207 seats to secure more than a two-thirds majority in the 294-member West Bengal assembly
Reddy said that the BJP is intensifying efforts to establish a double-engine government in Telangana in the 2027 Assembly elections
The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected BJP-led NDA government in Assam will be held on May 12, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers, chief ministers and deputy CMs of BJP-ruled states, and representatives from industries are expected to attend the function. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Veterinary Field, Khanapara, he said. "Chaired a comprehensive review meeting with the DGP, Assam today to assess preparedness for the forthcoming visit of the Hon'ble Prime Minister to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Council of Ministers", Kota posted on X on Wednesday night. Arrangements related to security, traffic management, venue readiness, protocol, and inter-departmental coordination were discussed in detail, he said. ''Emphasised the need for seamless execution, strict adherence to established protocols, and close coordination among all stakeholders," Kota said. All departments concerned
West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta said that live rounds along with fired cartridges were recovered from the spot of the incident near Madhyamgram
Counting of votes started at 8 am across 293 Assembly constituencies, with polling in one seat deferred, taking place at 77 counting centres spread over 23 districts
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said. The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4. "Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X. The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said. Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11. "As it was a historic win, we have ..
The BJP's ascent to power in West Bengal has revived industry expectations around the long-delayed Rs 25,000 crore Tajpur deep sea port project, with stakeholders hopeful that improved coordination between the state and the Centre will accelerate progress on the proposed infrastructure venture. The optimism comes even as the latest global tender floated in December 2025 by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) now stands cancelled, after failing to attract adequate participation. "With the Centre-state alignment in Bengal, the project is well positioned to gain momentum. However, its full potential will hinge on robust last-mile connectivity and seamless multimodal integration," Adhip Nath Pal Chaudhuri, Chairman, National Shipping and Logistics Committee, BCC&I, told PTI. The Tajpur port has the potential to be a transformative catalyst for eastern India's trade by enabling direct berthing of large vessels, reducing reliance on transshipment hubs, and ...
BJP's digital team fundamentally reshaped the narrative in Assam by dominating the digital landscape with high-impact, strategic content
Goa Forward Party president Vijai Sardesai has claimed that anti-incumbency is building against the state BJP government and stressed the need for the Opposition parties to come together to defeat it in the 2027 assembly polls. In the 2022 elections to the 40-member Goa assembly, the GFP contested four seats in alliance with the Congress, winning only one, with Sardesai getting elected from his traditional Fatorda constituency. The Congress had won 11 seats. Speaking to reporters in Margao on Tuesday, Sardesai said, "Anti-incumbency sentiment defeated the DMK in Tamil Nadu. A similar sentiment is running high against the BJP government in Goa. To tap this, it is incumbent upon Opposition parties to come together and defeat the BJP." In the just-concluded elections to the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly, Vijay-led TVK emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while the ruling DMK headed by M K Stalin got 59 seats. Sardesai also said his party has decided to take the h
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that every sixth BJP MP in the Lok Sabha secured his or her seat through "vote chori" and asked if they should be labelled "ghuspethiya" in that party's own parlance. Gandhi also claimed that the BJP would not be able to win even 140 seats today in the Lok Sabha if fair elections are held. "Through vote theft, sometimes individual seats are stolen, and at other times, an entire government. Of the 240 BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha, roughly every sixth MP secured seat through vote chori," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi on X. "They are not hard to identify - should we, in the BJP's own parlance, label them 'ghuspethiya'? And what of Haryana? There, the entire government itself is an 'ghuspethiya'. The very institutions they keep in their pockets - the ones they manipulate to distort voter lists and the electoral process - are themselves 'remote-controlled'," Gandhi said, in a scathing attack on the ...
The BJP, which gained three seats in the Kerala assembly polls and ended its political drought in the state, came in the second place in six other constituencies. The BJP got second place in Thiruvalla, Palakkad, Malampuzha, Attingal, Kasaragod and Manjeshwar seats after counting of votes on May 4. In Thiruvalla, BJP's state general secretary Anoop Antony came second with 43,078 votes and lost by a margin of 10,146 to advocate Varghese Mammen of the Kerala Congress (KEC). He also increased the party's vote share in the constituency as compared to the 2021 Assembly polls. In 2021, the BJP came third with 16.25 per cent of the votes, while this time it got 30.61 per cent of the votes. In Palakkad, the party's senior firebrand leader Sobha Surendran, following a neck-and-neck contest in the initial rounds of counting, lost to UDF's Ramesh Pisharody by 13,147 votes. She got 49,052 votes, while Pisharody got 62,199 votes. However, she improved the BJP's vote share compared to the 202
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the BJP's victory in Bengal and Assam assembly polls a "theft" of the mandate, and a big step forward in the saffron party's mission to "destroy" Indian democracy. Gandhi also came out in support of the TMC, which has been trounced by the BJP in the polls, and urged those gloating over the loss of Mamata Banerjee's party to put petty politics aside. "Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about TMC's loss.They need to understand this clearly - the theft of Assam and Bengal's mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy," Gandhi said in a post on X. "Put petty politics aside. This is not about one party or another. This is about India," he said in his post. The BJP ousted Trinamool Congress from power in Bengal and captured power for the third time in a row in Assam in results of assembly polls declared on Monday.