&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Suvendu Adhikari: 10 fast facts about the leader set to be first BJP chief minister of West Bengal")
Suvendu Adhikari was officially announced on Friday (May 8) as the first-ever chief minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal after the saffron partys' landslide victory in the recent assembly elections that saw the end of the 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. A former TMC leader who started his political career with Congress Party, Adhikari has had a long political journey. Here are 10 fast facts about him.
Suvendu Adhikari: Birth and Background
Suvendu Adhikari was born on 15 December 1970 in Karkuli near Contai in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal.
He is from a prominent political family belonging to the Mahishya community.
He is the son of Sisir Kumar Adhikari, who was a former Union Minister and Member of Parliament.
Suvendu Adhikari family, marital status
Trending Stories
)
Indians on H-1B visas exit Texas and its housing boom is dying. Other states could see similar decline
)
CID exposes Rs 2,400-crore ponzi scheme in Karnataka; Over 40,00 investors affected in fraud case
)
Actress Sukanya secures a massive legal victory against Sun TV—three decades after infamous Veerappan interview
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why fighter jets are so loud compared to normal planes
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT Releases this week (June 8-14, 2026): Bhooth Bangla, Raakh, Every Year After- 5 new films and TV shows coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Who is Abhilasha Barak? India's first woman combat helicopter pilot wins UN Military Gender Advocate Award
)
Tsunami warnings in multiple countries as massive earthquake, aftershocks strike Philippines - Check full list
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Trump abruptly leaves interview, calls reporter ‘darling’: 5 times US president berated female journalists
)
Powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines, buildings crumble into dust; tsunami alert issued - VIDEO
)
A mayor for Los Angeles from Kerala? Who is Nithya Raman, the Indian-origin contender?
)
Iran announces end of military operations against Israel, warns ‘harsher’ action if Lebanon attacked again
)
Plane crashes in Dominican Republic, explodes into massive fireball - VIDEO
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why Russia and the US design their fighter jet missiles so differently
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
IPL 2026: 5 players who could be released after disappointing campaigns
)
'Cockroach, memes & reels': Why Indian GenZ's AI knowledge gap is at least 40 years behind from rest of the world
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Do dark-coloured cars burn more fuel for AC in summer?
)
Old praise, new problems: Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das's 9-year-old tweet faces scrutiny
)
Scientists discover vast geological structure hidden beneath Antarctica's ice
)
'Future doesn't look bright': Indian GenZ was busy debating Cockroach Janta Party, AI quietly took their jobs in last 1 month
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Is it logically smarter to buy an electric car right now just to avoid fuel costs?
)
WATCH | Trump blames weather for viral meltdown during TV interview
)
Israel attacks Iran despite Trump's plea for restraint: Is Netanyahu defying US president?
)
'Each of them had their fun': Iran fires ballistic missiles at Israel, IDF vows retaliation; Trump, Netanyahu react
)
Israel strikes Iranian Petrochemical facilities after fresh missile exchange, Netanyahu to hold security meeting
)
India A Tri-Series in Sri Lanka 2026: Full schedule, venues, squads, timings & live-streaming details
)
Indian mangoes make inroads into the US market with Seattle event
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How often should you restart your phone? Samsung & NSA have different answers
)
Trump-Netanyahu breakup? US president says 'I call the shots, he doesn't' but Netanyahu goes on to strike Iran
)
‘Strait of Hormuz is our nuclear bomb’: Iranian official’s EXPLOSIVE remark amid tensions with US
)
Video: Major Accident at Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant after molten iron spills, 10 feared dead
)
Who Is Kevin Kunta? Meet Ram Charan’s bodyguard, MMA fighter, who reportedly charges Rs 2–3 lakh per day
)
Trump shares AI-video of himself riding bike in India, lion in jungle: What is it about
)
Houthis join renewed Iran war? Israel intercepts missile from Yemen: 'Red Sea banned' - What's happening
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet top 5 players with most runs in Women's World Cup history
Adhikari has two brothers, Dibyendu Adhikari and Soumendu Adhikari, who are also politicians. He is unmarried, having decided to be celibate, under the influence of some Indian freedom fighters.
Suvendu Adhikari Education
Suvendu Adhikari holds a master's degree from Rabindra Bharati University.
How Suvendu Adhikari came into politics
Suvendu Adhikari began his political career with the Indian National Congress in 1995 as a municipal councillor in Contai. He later joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with his father in 1998.
Suvendu Adhikari led TMC's political movements in West Bengal
Adhikari came to prominence in the heyday of the Trinamool Congress. He played a major role in the 2006–07 Singur and Nandigram anti-land acquisition agitations. These movements gained the TMC massive support against the then Left Front government and helped catapult it to power.
Suvendu Adhikari in elections
Suvendu Adhikari was elected a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Kanthi Dakshin in 2006.
He was a TMC parliamentarian from Tamluk in 2009 and 2014.
He became an MLA from Nandigram in 2016 under the TMC.
Later, he parted ways with the TMC and, in 2021, was elected MLA again from Nandigram on a BJP ticket.
How Suvendu Adhikari left TMC
Due to controversies, rivalries with Mamata Banarjee, and inner-party conflicts, Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the TMC in late 2020 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Soon, he became the face of the BJP in West Bengal, helping its rise over the past five years.
How Suvendu Adhikari directly contested and won against Mamata Banerjee twice
Suvendu Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Nandigram constituency in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, he again defeated Mamata from the Bhawanipur constituency.
Suvendu Adhikari: From Leader of the Opposition to chief minister of West Bengal
Suvendu Adhikari served as Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from 2021 to 2026, leading the BJP in the House. He has been the de facto leader of the West Bengal BJP unit.
Suvendu's political life comes full circle with the West Bengal chief minister post
The 2026 Assembly elections marked a milestone for both Suvendu Adhikari and the BJP, which went from no seats to 207 seats. Adhikari played a central role in the BJP's historic victory, which ended the TMC's 15-year rule.
This year as well, he won again from Nandigram.
