The BJP's first-ever government in West Bengal will be sworn in on May 9, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, following the party's sweeping victory in the state assembly elections on Monday.
This was revealed by Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattarcharya to ANI as the process gathers pace for the BJP to pick its first-ever chief ministerial face for the state.
The date, coinciding with Tagore's birth anniversary, reflects the BJP's cultural symbolism in the political landscape of Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly indicated this timeline during his final campaign rally in Barrackpore, saying he would return after the May 4 results to attend the BJP’s oath taking ceremony.
Following the party’s historic victory in West Bengal on Monday, Modi invoked Rabindranath Tagore’s ideals while addressing workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. He said the BJP was committed to building a Bengal “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”, echoing the spirit of Gurudev’s vision.
Historic win in Bengal
In a mandate both sweeping and symbolic, the BJP on Monday scripted history by winning 206 seats, securing more than a two-thirds majority in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The result ended the TMC’s 15 year rule and marked a decisive shift in the state’s ideological and political balance.
The outcome gained further significance as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was defeated in the high-profile Bhabanipur seat by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, completing a dramatic turnaround after early trends had favoured the TMC chief.
What began as early leads soon turned into a decisive wave, with the BJP winning 206 seats, while the TMC lagged behind with 79 wins and leads in 2 seats, according to Election Commission data at midnight.
The scale and pace of the BJP’s surge, crossing the halfway mark of 148 in the 294-member House well before counting reached its midpoint, indicated not just a change in government but a structural realignment in Bengal politics.
For the first time since 1972, West Bengal is set to be governed by a party that is also in power at the Centre, a shift with significant administrative and political implications.
The result also marked the BJP’s breakthrough in its last major eastern stronghold, completing its presence across Anga, Banga and Kalinga, Bihar, Bengal and Odisha, and paving the way for it to form the government in West Bengal for the first time.
Also read: Mamata Banerjee falls, several ministers routed as BJP reshapes politics in Bengal
