New Delhi: The emergence of Suvendu Adhikari as the BJP’s choice for the chief ministerial post in West Bengal comes after years of establishing himself as the party’s strongest anti-Mamata Banerjee face in the state. From defeating the Trinamool Congress supremo in his own den to leading the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva-driven campaign, Adhikari has steadily emerged as the saffron party’s strongest leader in Bengal. Adhikari’s stature within the party was further strengthened by the BJP’s landslide victory in the state, winning 207 seats in the 294-member assembly and ending TMC’s 15-year rule. His electoral success, grassroots influence, insider understanding of TMC and ability to consolidate anti-Trinamool votes ultimately made him the natural choice of the BJP leadership to lead its first government in West Bengal.

Giant killer: The man who defeated Mamata twice in her own stronghold

The biggest reason behind BJP choosing Suvendu Adhikari as the face of its first government in West Bengal is his landslide victory. Mamata Banerjee In Bhabanipur, a constituency long considered the political stronghold of the Trinamool Congress supremo. Defeating a sitting chief minister on his home turf gave Adhikari unmatched political weight within the BJP and he instantly emerged as the party’s strongest leader in the state.A former close aide of Mamata Banerjee who later defected to the BJP, Adhikari emerged as the most aggressive anti-TMC face of the saffron party in Bengal. In the high-stakes Bhabanipur contest, he secured 73,917 votes against Mamata Banerjee’s 58,812, defeating her by a margin of 15,105 votes, making it the closest battle of the election.The result has immense symbolic significance as Bhabanipur is historically deeply associated with Mamata Banerjee’s political identity. Located in the Kolkata district and part of the Kolkata South parliamentary constituency, the seat has long been considered one of the safest strongholds of the Trinamool Congress. After losing to Adhikari in Nandigram in the 2021 assembly elections, Mamata returned to the assembly later that year by easily winning the Bhabanipur bypoll with over 65,000 votes.For the BJP leadership, Adhikari’s victory proved that he is capable of directly challenging Mamata Banerjee in areas where the opposition has traditionally struggled, not once, but twice.

No option, at least for now

Although there were a few contenders for the top post, there was no one who could come close to Adhikari, at least for now. Although several BJP leaders strengthened their positions in the elections, none matched Adhikari’s electoral impact. His victory in both Nandigram and Bhawanipur established him as the party’s strongest anti-TMC face and a leader capable of directly challenging Mamata Banerjee.Agnimitra Paul retained the Asansol South assembly seat by defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Tapas Banerjee by over 40,000 votes, further cementing her position as one of the rising leaders of the BJP in Bengal. Senior leader Dilip Ghosh also won from Kharagpur Sadar assembly constituency, reasserting his hold within the party organisation.However, despite the presence of leaders like Paul and Ghosh, the BJP leadership could not find anyone who could match Adhikari’s ground influence, organizational control and political stature in Bengal. Although there were a few contenders for the top job, no one came close to being the official – at least for now.

Insider on TMC playbook

The BJP also sees Suvendu Adhikari as a leader who understands the Trinamool Congress from the inside, having spent more than two decades within the party before switching sides in 2020.Adhikari started his political career with the Congress and became a councilor in Kanthi Municipality in 1995 before joining the Trinamool Congress in 1998. Over the years, he emerged as one of the most influential grassroots organizers of the party and played a key role in the Nandigram land movement against the Left Front government in 2007, a movement that ultimately helped Mamata Banerjee come to power in Bengal.He became Lok Sabha MP from Tamluk in 2009 and retained the seat in 2014 before returning to state politics as a Trinamool MLA from Nandigram in 2016 and a cabinet minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. His long association with TMC gave him deep knowledge of the party’s organizational structure, electoral strategies and voter networks.After quitting TMC and joining BJP in December 2020, Adhikari soon became the saffron party’s sharpest weapon against Mamata Banerjee. His victory in Nandigram in the 2021 assembly elections further strengthened his stature and ultimately made him the leader of the opposition in West Bengal.

Hindutva appeal that matches BJP’s core politics

Another major factor behind the rise of Suvendu Adhikari as the chief ministerial face of the BJP was his ability to consolidate Hindu votes, a strategy that closely matches with the BJP’s broader political identity and electoral vision in Bengal.After winning in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, Adhikari openly credited Hindu voters for his victory, especially in Nandigram where he defeated TMC candidate Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes. “This time I won the election by about ten thousand votes. The Hindu people of Nandigram made me win again. The entire Muslim vote there went to TMC. I will work for the Hindus of Nandigram,” ANI quoted Adhikari as saying a day after the assembly election results.For the BJP leadership, Adhikari’s success strengthened the party’s belief that he could emerge as the central face of Hindu solidarity in Bengal politics. His aggressive attacks on TMC, coupled with strong messaging around ideology and identity politics, resonated with the BJP’s core support base in the state.

assertive aggressive leader

The emergence of Suvendu Adhikari as the BJP’s choice for chief minister was also driven by his image as the party’s most vocal and aggressive opposition leader in West Bengal, a politician who consistently fought Mamata Banerjee and the TMC directly, both politically and ideologically.Throughout the campaign, Adhikari projected himself as the BJP’s strongest Hindutva voice in the state. From leading Ramnavmi rallies in Bhawanipur and calling for “Ram Rajya” in Bengal to openly crediting Hindu voters for his victory, he aligned himself with the core ideological message of the BJP. He has repeatedly attacked TMC on issues of infiltration, minority appeasement and law and order and has established himself as the face of the aggressive anti-TMC movement.After the election results, his fighting style became even more visible. The BJP’s landslide victory, winning 207 seats in the 294-member assembly while the TMC was reduced to 80 seats after ruling Bengal for 15 years, further cemented Adhikari’s stature as the undisputed face of the party in the state.