West Bengal has begun the formal process of government formation four days after the declaration of the 2026 Assembly election results. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in the state for the first time with a full majority.
The BJP leadership has appointed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the central observer and Mohan Charan Majhi as co-observer for the government formation process. Both leaders are scheduled to arrive in Kolkata on Friday and attend the BJP legislature party meeting, where the name of the new Chief Minister is expected to be announced.
According to sources, the leader chosen for the post of Chief Minister will be formally declared after the BJP legislature party meeting. The swearing-in ceremony of the new government may be held on May 9 at Kolkata’s Parade Ground.
The event is considered politically significant for the BJP as the party is preparing to assume power in West Bengal for the first time.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is considered the frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister. In the Assembly election, Suvendu Adhikari defeated Trinamool Congress chief and incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency.
He also secured victory from the Nandigram seat, where he had defeated Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly election as well. BJP leaders have described the consecutive electoral defeats of Mamata Banerjee in direct contests against Suvendu Adhikari as a significant political achievement for the party.
The Assembly election results announced on May 4 gave the BJP 206 seats out of 293 declared seats, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was reduced to 81 seats.
Repolling is pending in the Falta Assembly constituency, one of the state’s 294 Assembly seats. The result for that seat is scheduled to be declared on May 24.
After the election results, Mamata Banerjee questioned the electoral process during a press conference and refused to accept the defeat. She said her party had lost not because of the public mandate but due to what she described as a “conspiracy.”
Mamata Banerjee also made allegations against the Election Commission, claiming that the BJP had influenced the outcome of seats in coordination with the poll body.
She further stated that she would not resign from the post of Chief Minister and would continue her political struggle. Referring to herself as an “independent bird,” she said she would continue the fight from the streets to the Assembly.
Political tensions in the state increased further after the killing of Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, on May 6.
According to reports, Chandranath Rath was returning home from Kolkata when attackers stopped his vehicle near Madhyamgram and opened fire. He sustained serious gunshot injuries and later died at a hospital.
Following the incident, Suvendu Adhikari said the killing of his personal assistant could be linked to political rivalry. He alleged that the attack may have taken place because he defeated Mamata Banerjee in the election.
He said the manner in which the killing was planned was deeply concerning and called for a fair investigation into the incident.
The Trinamool Congress had not issued any official response to the allegations at the time of reporting.
The BJP’s victory is being viewed by political observers as the beginning of a new phase in West Bengal politics. The party’s rise to power in a state long dominated by Left parties and later the Trinamool Congress is also being regarded as politically significant at the national level.
Experts believe that administrative changes, industrial investment and law-and-order issues are likely to be among the priorities of the new government in the coming period.
