Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a decisive victory in West Bengal, senior leader Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the state’s chief minister on Saturday, heralding a new saffron era in the politically crucial state.
Adhikari’s elevation came as little surprise, given his rise through the BJP ranks over the past five years, thanks to his aggressive political style and mass appeal. With his swearing-in, West Bengal became the ninth state where the BJP has appointed a first-time chief minister since coming to power at the Centre in 2014.
The journey began in Haryana, where the paryt formed a government on its own for the first time in 2014 and appointed Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister.
In 2016, the BJP won Assam, marking the start of its expansion into the northeast, with Sarbananda Sonowal taking charge as chief minister. The same year, the party formed its first full-fledged government in Arunachal Pradesh after former Congress leader Pema Khandu, along with 33 MLAs, joined the BJP, giving it a clear majority. The state had briefly seen a BJP government in 2003 under former CM Gegong Apang, but it lasted only 44 days.
In 2017, the BJP formed its first government in Manipur, appointing N. Biren Singh as chief minister. The party’s rise to power in the state was made possible through a post-poll alliance with the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF).
In 2018, the BJP ended the Left Front’s decades-long rule in Tripura, forming the government under Biplab Kumar Deb.
In 2024, the party achieved another breakthrough in Odisha, ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year uninterrupted rule of the BJD and appointing Mohan Charan Majhi as its first BJP chief minister in the state.
Most recently, in 2026, the BJP formed the government in Bihar—the only Hindi heartland state where it had never held the chief ministership—appointing Samrat Choudhary as CM after JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar stepped down following his election to the Rajya Sabha.