West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari holds Janta Darbar at BJP office in Salt Lake City
Kolkata, May 18
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari held a 'Janata Darbar' at the BJP office in Salt Lake City, Kolkata, on Monday.
The Chief Minister interacted with citizens and listened to their grievances during the meeting.
Earlier, the West Bengal Chief Minister said Bengali culture would once again be at the forefront globally, asserting that the people of the state had "unshackled" West Bengal from a regime that had allegedly suppressed its cultural identity.
In a post on social media platform X, Adhikari wrote, "The Glorious Bengali Culture admired Worldwide, thanks to the contributions of Revered personalities like Vishwa Kabi Rabindranath Tagore and other Great Sons of the Soil during the Bengal Renaissance, would again be at the forefront, because the People of West Bengal have unshackled the State from the Regime that had consciously suffocated the Bengali Culture and tried to forcefully impose foreign & regressive culture and tradition."
He was reacting to a post shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his five-nation tour that highlighted the Bengali culture's presence in Sweden.
In West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a significant surge, winning 206 seats in the 294-member Assembly, a major shift in a state where it had secured 77 seats in the previous election. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had won 212 seats in the last Assembly polls, finished a distant second with 80 seats.
On May 8, Union Home Minister Amit Shah officially announced Adhikari as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party in West Bengal. Shortly afterwards, Adhikari met Governor RN Ravi to stake a claim to form the government.
On May 9, Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the ninth Chief Minister of West Bengal. Adhikari had contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, defeating outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes, marking a major political development in the state.
The oath of office was administered by Governor RN Ravi at a grand swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers and senior BJP leaders.
Calling it the beginning of a new chapter for the state, Adhikari said the "Sonar Bangla" era had officially begun after the BJP's sweeping victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
"Today marks the end of decades of misrule and the beginning of a 'Double Engine' era of development, peace, and prosperity. The era of 'Sonar Bangla' officially begins," he wrote on X.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Hopeful but cautious. This is the same Suvendu who was with Mamata for years. Let's see if he actually delivers on promises of development and cultural revival. Actions speak louder than social media posts. 🤔
Interesting to see an Australian perspective here, but this shift in Bengal is massive. The BJP's 206 seats show people wanted change desperately. The 'Double Engine' government concept has worked in other states - hope it brings real development to Kolkata's infrastructure and job creation.
People saying 'cultural revival' - but what about the 80 lakh jobs promised? Bengali youth need employment, not just cultural festivals. Also, hope this doesn't become another tool to suppress minority voices. Let's be watchful citizens. 🧐
As someone who follows Indian politics, this is genuinely historic. Mamata Banerjee was considered invincible in Bengal. Suvendu Adhikari has pulled off what many thought impossible. The 'Sonar Bangla' vision sounds promising if backed by actual governance.
The Janata Darbar concept is good, but we need to see if grievances actually get resolved. In TMC's 15 years, corruption became rampant. BJP promised corruption-free governance - this is the moment to prove it. Also, Bengali culture doesn't need saving, it was always thriving - Tagore is eternal! 😌
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.