Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been tasked with selecting the new Chief Minister of West Bengal, will meet all the 207 MLA elects of the state on Friday. The senior BJP leader will reach Kolkata by Friday afternoon.
Shah, who is set to stay at a hotel in New Town, will leave for Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, where all MLAs will gather. He will meet all of them between 3 pm and 5 pm. The legislative party leader will be chosen in that meeting through discussions.
The new Chief Minister will then go to Raj Bhavan in the evening with the prospective MLAs and request the Governor to form the government. Once that process is completed, the new government will be sworn in at the Brigade on Saturday.
Many believe Suvendu Adhikari will be chosen to helm the government. He proved his public support by defeating the state's Chief Minister in two consecutive elections. Subhendu first entered the electoral battle against Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021, where he defeated Mamata by 1956 votes. After defeating Mamata in his home turf, Subhendu challenged her in Mamata's constituency in the 2026 assembly elections. This time, he defeated Mamata by more than 15,000 votes.
Local media reports hint that the Chief Minister has already been decided, along with those who will helm important departments in Bengal. ”The BJP is going to form a cabinet in an important state like Bengal. RSS will have an opinion, though it does not impose anything on the BJP. It gives suggestions. Usually, the BJP central leadership does not ignore it. Now let's see who the Sangh wants to see in the Chief Minister's chair,” he told Bengal newspaper, Ei Samay.
High anticipation
Though many believe that Shah will land at Kolkata airport on Wednesday night with the cabinet list in his pocket, anticipation is high among the saffron brigade of Bengal. The mood is volatile ahead of the key meeting of MLAs. According to local media reports, winning MLAs whose names got featured on the probable list are keeping fingers crossed.
“There is so much tension. Some say that my name is on the list, some say that there is no guarantee,” an MLA told Ei Samay. Another added, “I did not expect to win the election. In Bengal, we have done politics by losing. We are used to defeat. But since we have won, I want to fulfil my desire to become a minister.”
