NEW DELHI: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took oath as the chief minister of West Bengal.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP.Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Tripura chief minister Manik Saha, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta and Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Dhami, attended the swearing-in ceremony.The BJP won 207 seats in the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, while the Trinamool Congress secured 80 seats after ruling the state for 15 years.West Bengal recorded its highest-ever voter turnout since independence, with an impressive 91.66% polling in Phase II of the assembly elections. In Phase I, the turnout was 93.19%, taking the combined polling percentage to 92.47%.Here is the list of ministers who also took oath:Dilip GhoshDilip Ghosh is a veteran BJP leader and former state party president. Initially associated with the RSS as a full-time pracharak, he played a key role in strengthening the BJP’s grassroots organisation in West Bengal after 2014.He served as a MP from the Medinipur constituency in the Lok Sabha and has been one of the party’s prominent faces in the state’s political expansion.Agnimitra PaulWest Bengal’s first BJP government has just one woman in the cabinet, and that is 51-year-old Agnimitra Paul, who was sworn in as a minister alongside Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday.A two-time MLA from Asansol Dakshin and BJP’s Bengal vice-president, Paul emerged as one of the party’s key women leaders during the 2026 Assembly election campaign. She retained her seat by defeating TMC’s Tapas Banerjee by over 40,000 votes, further strengthening her position in the state unit.Before entering politics in 2019, Paul was a well-known name in Kolkata’s fashion industry. She ran her label “Inga” and designed outfits for celebrities such as Sridevi and Hema Malini. Her work often showcased Bengal’s traditional crafts, including Kantha embroidery, and was featured at platforms like Lakme Fashion Week.Born and raised in Asansol in a middle-class family, she studied Botany before pursuing fashion technology and management. She later transitioned into politics, focusing on women’s empowerment and grassroots mobilisation.Ashok KirtaniaAshok Kirtania is a BJP MLA representing Bangaon Uttar in North 24 Parganas, an area strongly influenced by Matua politics in West Bengal.He has worked in business and has also been active in local organisational politics.Kshudiram TuduKshudiram Tudu is a tribal leader from Bankura district, representing Ranibandh, a tribal-dominated constituency in the Jungle Mahal region.BJP has relied on leaders like him to strengthen its outreach among tribal communities in West Bengal.Nisith PramanikNisith Pramanik is one of the BJP’s prominent young leaders from North Bengal.He was earlier associated with the Trinamool Congress before joining the BJP in 2019.In July 2021, he was appointed Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Modi government, becoming one of the youngest ministers at the age of 35.Pramanik represents the Rajbanshi community and the North Bengal political base, known for its strong youth appeal and organisational influence.The maximum size of the West Bengal Council of Ministers is 44, leaving scope for the induction of 39 more ministers.
