Hours after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari convened his initial meeting with top state administrative and police officials, which included Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, and Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta at the Public Works Department (PWD) auditorium in central Kolkata’s Esplanade area. Adhikari inquired about the state’s overall administrative and law-and-order situation during the meeting. He is set to meet with senior state administration and Kolkata Police officials at Nabanna, the state secretariat, on Monday at 5 p.m.
According to sources, the state DGP, Kolkata Police Commissioner, and senior officers from various police zones across the state are expected to participate in the upcoming meeting. The oath-taking ceremony for Suvendu Adhikari, conducted by Governor R.N. Ravi at the Brigade Parade Grounds in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political leaders, was followed by a brief interaction between Adhikari and senior police and administrative officials. Adhikari also updated his social media profiles to reflect his new title as ‘Chief Minister.’
Five additional ministers, namely Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Nisith Pramanik, and Khudiram Tudu, were sworn in alongside Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday, with the remaining ministers scheduled to take their oaths at Lok Bhavan on Monday. The new Cabinet’s first meeting is expected to convene on the same day. BJP MLA Tapas Roy is anticipated to be sworn in as the Pro tem Speaker on Tuesday, while newly elected MLAs are likely to take their oaths on Wednesday and Thursday.
The change in leadership in West Bengal marks the end of a 15-year tenure, following the BJP’s victory in 207 out of 294 seats in the Assembly elections. The Trinamool Congress secured 80 seats, with Suvendu Adhikari defeating Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency by over 15,000 votes.
