Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in West Bengal on Friday to attend a crucial meeting with the newly elected MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to decide the party's legislative leader. Along with Shah, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will also participate in the meeting.
Shah, a former BJP president, arrived in Kolkata this morning and the legislative meeting is likely to be held around 4 pm. The development comes a day after Governor RN Ravi dissolved the West Bengal Legislative Assembly after the completion of its tenure.
Suvendu Adhikari's name remains among the frontrunners to be elected as BJP's legislative leader, which will pave the way for him to become the next chief minister. Adhikari was at the forefront of party's election campaign in Bengal. Plus, him defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on her Bhabanipur seat has only boosted his chances to be appointed as the next chief minister.
Coincidently after arriving in Kolkata, Shah was seen applauding Adhikari, which many analysts say was a hint that he will be appointed as the next chief minister of West Bengal.
Adhikari's rise in Bengal politics carries layers of political irony. He was once a trusted aide of Banerjee, helping her oust the Left in 2011; however, he joined the BJP before the 2021 elections, which many considered as a gamble. "I was part of the 2011 poribartan', and now I am part of the real change," Adhikari had said during the campaigning for this year's elections.
There are other leaders such as Dilip Ghosh, Samik Bhattacharya, Agnimitra Paul and Roopa Ganguly who are in the fray to be appointed as the next chief minister, but Adhikari remains the frontrunner for the position.
Shah offers prayers at Dakshineswar Temple
After arriving in Kolkata, the union home minister - who was received at the airport by state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, and senior party leaders Suvendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh, Rahul Sinha and Sukanta Majumdar at the airport - offered prayers at the Dakshineswar Temple. He was accompained by Adhikari and Bhattacharya.
Meanwhile, preparations are also in full swing at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata for the swearing in ceremony of the next chief minister, which will be held around 10 am on Saturday. Other than Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers and chief ministers of states ruled by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will attend the ceremony.
As per the final result tally, the BJP registered a massive victory in the West Bengal elections, winning 207 seats. The TMC won 80 seats, while the Congress and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party bagged two seats each. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) won just one seat.
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