Suvendu Adhikari has officially taken oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal, marking a historic political shift in the state after decades of Left and TMC dominance. Once considered one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest aides inside the Trinamool Congress, Suvendu Adhikari dramatically switched to the BJP in 2020 — a move that reshaped Bengal politics forever. From leading the Nandigram movement to defeating Mamata Banerjee in two high-voltage elections, Adhikari steadily emerged as the BJP’s biggest face in Bengal. Now, after the BJP’s massive 207-seat victory, he has completed one of the most dramatic political rises in recent Indian politics.  

The political temperature in West Bengal has exploded after BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide Chandranath Rath was shot dead in a chilling point-blank attack in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas. The shocking daylight assault has triggered massive outrage across the state, with the BJP calling it an “assassination-style killing” and accusing the ruling TMC government of fostering what it calls a “mafia culture” and “jungle raj” in Bengal. According to reports, Rath, who served as a personal assistant linked to the Leader of Opposition’s office, was travelling in an official Legislative Assembly duty vehicle when armed attackers allegedly opened fire at close range. Bullets reportedly ripped through the windshield and doors of the vehicle, leaving the car blood-soaked and riddled with bullet holes.