• Source:JND
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Bengal New Government: Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday took the oath as the first-ever chief minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal. The saffron party managed to dethrone the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government after 15 years. While Adhikari emerged as the leading face of the party in the recent years, he was earlier in the TMC and was considered very close to Mamata Banerjee. In recent years, the BJP has rewarded the leaders who switched sides, especially where its organisation has not been strong.

- Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal: Ahead of joining the BJP, Adhikari held several protests against the left forces under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. He was given key portfolios in the TMC government; however, he joined the BJP in 2020, allegedly after being neglected by the top brass.

- Samrat Choudhary in Bihar: Despite having its strong core group of leaders, the BJP made Choudhary the chief minister after the JDU chief, Nitish Kumar, decided to shift to national politics. Choudhary began his political career as an RJD leader and later joined JDU along with other leaders. However, he joined the BJP in 2017 after Nitish Kumar joined hands with RJD and pledged to remove Kumar from the top post.

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- Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam: Sarma was a key figure in Congress' northeast unit; however, he joined the BJP abruptly in 2015 due to differences with party veteran Tarun Gogoi. The saffron party made him the chief minister in 2021, and he is again the frontrunner for the post following a landslide victory in 2026 assembly polls.

- Pema Khandu in Arunachal Pradesh: Earlier in 2016, Khandu, along with 43 of the total 44 MLAs, left Congress to join the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA), an ally of the NDA. However, he later shifted to the BJP along with 32 MLAs, giving a boost to the BJP in the northeast. Apart from this, N Biren Singh and Manik Saha were also made chief minister in Manipur and Tripura, respectively.

ALSO READ: North Bengal’s ‘Strongman’ Nisith Pramanik Sworn In As Cabinet Minister In Suvendu’s Govt


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