In a watershed moment in West Bengal politics, Suvendu Adhikari was on Saturday sworn in as the state’s first BJP chief minister at the Brigade Parade Ground, a vast green space in the heart of Kolkata that was set for a saffron coronation.
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.
Opening a new chapter in Bengal politics, the BJP marched to power for the first time in the state with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the 15-year rule of the TMC, which was reduced to just 80.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a road show at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata on Saturday.
Accompanied by state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and CM-elect Suvendu Adhikari, Modi received a rousing welcome.
Amid sloganeering of ‘Jay Shri Ram’, Modi entered the venue in an open vehicle and was seen waving to the crowd.
The Prime Minister landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here shortly before 10:00 am and took a helicopter to the race track before proceeding by road to the venue.
