KOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janata Party has named Suvendu Adhikari as its next chief minister for West Bengal, ending Mamata Banerjee’s tenure after her party’s defeat in the recent state elections. A BJP Legislative Party meeting scheduled for May 8 in Kolkata will formally elect Adhikari to lead the party in the assembly.

Adhikari will be proposed for the legislative party leadership by BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah announcing his name at the meeting, according to party sources. The election of the legislative party leader is the constitutional requirement for forming the government in West Bengal.

Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 election and repeated the victory in Bhabanipur in the recent polls, eroding the outgoing chief minister’s political stronghold. His two consecutive wins against Banerjee cemented his position as the BJP’s principal face in the state.

The BJP secured a majority in the West Bengal Assembly in the recently concluded elections, paving the way for Adhikari to assume the chief minister’s office. The party will initiate government formation procedures immediately after the legislative party meeting concludes on Friday.