India’s Home Minister Amit Shah has formally announced Suvendu Adhikari as the new Chief Minister of West Bengal. The decision came after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) major victory in the state assembly election, with Adhikari unanimously chosen as the parliamentary party leader during a meeting of 207 newly elected legislators at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town.

Adhikari, who left the Trinamool Congress to join the BJP in 2020, has been a prominent and often controversial figure in West Bengal politics. Since 2024, several of his statements about Bangladesh have drawn attention and debate over India-Bangladesh relations. He has accused Bangladesh of minority persecution, threatened to halt border trade, and criticized the country’s military capability. His remarks also included calls for international intervention in Bangladesh’s political situation and comparisons to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

By late 2025, Adhikari’s rhetoric intensified, including threats to block exports and protests targeting the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. His comments have continued to stir political tension between the neighboring countries.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah has officially announced Suvendu Adhikari as the new Chief Minister of West Bengal. The announcement came after a meeting of 207 newly elected BJP legislators at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town on Friday. During the meeting, Adhikari was unanimously chosen as the leader of the BJP legislative party, paving the way for him to form the next state government.

Amit Shah served as the chief observer at the meeting, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi acting as assistant observer. Shah stated that eight proposals were submitted for the leadership position, all naming Suvendu Adhikari, and no alternative names were proposed. Adhikari is expected to meet Governor R. N. Ravi to present letters of support and formally claim the right to form the government.

The swearing-in ceremony for the new government is scheduled for Saturday at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. Adhikari’s selection follows his consecutive electoral victories over former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which strengthened his position within the BJP.

Suvendu Adhikari has been announced as the next Chief Minister of West Bengal. The decision was made on Friday after a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 207 winning candidates, presided over by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah declared Adhikari as the leader of the BJP legislative party, confirming him as the state’s new Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground.

The selection process took place at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town under the supervision of Amit Shah, the chief observer, and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the assistant observer. Shah stated that eight proposals were received, all naming Adhikari, and no alternative name was submitted. Following the meeting, Adhikari is expected to meet Governor R.N. Ravi to formally request permission to form the government.

Adhikari’s selection was widely anticipated within the party, as he had previously defeated Mamata Banerjee twice in electoral contests, including in Nandigram in 2021 and again in Bhabanipur by a larger margin.

South Indian film star Thalapathy Vijay is on the verge of making political history in Tamil Nadu, as strong indications suggest he will become the state’s next Chief Minister with coalition support. In last month’s assembly election, his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), contested for the first time and won 108 of 234 seats, ending the 62-year dominance of the DMK and AIADMK. However, lacking the 118-seat majority required to form a government, a tense political standoff followed.

Governor R. V. Arlekar insisted that Vijay must prove his majority before being invited to form the government. After several rounds of talks, the Congress broke ties with the DMK and offered support for five seats, on the condition that TVK would not ally with communal parties like the BJP. TVK then secured backing from Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), CPI(M), and CPI, bringing the coalition’s total to exactly 118 seats.

According to reports, each coalition partner may receive representation in the new cabinet. Supporters gathered outside Vijay’s Chennai residence on Friday evening, chanting in celebration as the political uncertainty appeared to settle.

Results from five Indian state assembly elections have reignited debate over Muslim representation in national politics. Out of 723 total seats, only 104 Muslim legislators were elected, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not field or elect a single Muslim candidate. Analysts argue this reflects a deliberate political strategy to marginalize Muslims, particularly in states like West Bengal and Assam, where the BJP focused on consolidating Hindu votes through communal narratives.

In West Bengal, 39 Muslim legislators were elected, 34 of them from the Trinamool Congress, while the BJP had none. Assam’s Muslim-majority constituencies fell from 35 to 22 after boundary changes, which opposition parties claim reduced Muslim political influence. Kerala and Tamil Nadu showed similar trends, with limited Muslim representation despite significant populations. Puducherry elected no Muslim legislators.

According to The India Forum, even opposition parties are becoming more conservative in nominating Muslim candidates. Analysts warn that declining proportional representation and the exclusion of Muslims from major parties threaten the democratic inclusivity of India’s political system.

In Tamil Nadu, actor-turned-politician Vijay has urged Governor R.N. Ravi to allow his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), to form the government after emerging as the single largest party in the state assembly elections. However, the governor has not given any assurance. Vijay warned that if TVK is not invited to form the government, all 107 of his party’s elected legislators will resign.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly requires 118 seats for a majority, but no party or alliance has reached that mark. TVK won 108 seats, though Vijay’s dual victories reduce the party’s legislative strength to 107. The DMK-Congress-Left alliance secured 74 seats, while the AIADMK-BJP alliance won 53. Outgoing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lost his seat, and the Congress has already declared support for Vijay. Governor Ravi has stated that he will not invite TVK to form the government without written support from 118 legislators.

Political speculation has grown that the DMK and AIADMK could unite to block Vijay’s path to power, leaving the state’s government formation uncertain.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to meet the 207 winning Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in West Bengal on Friday to select the state’s next chief minister. The meeting will determine who will lead the new government, which is set to take oath on Saturday at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.

The BJP has not yet clarified who will be chosen as chief minister, and speculation continues within the party. Some believe that Suvendu Adhikari, who twice defeated Mamata Banerjee in elections, could be named for the post. The meeting will also be attended by state BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya, Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar, BJP central observer Sunil Bansal, and state general secretary Amitabh Chakraborty. After consulting the elected members, the party will decide its legislative leader, who will become the next chief minister.

According to reports, the selected leader will visit the Raj Bhavan in the evening with the newly elected legislators to seek the governor’s approval to form the government, completing the process before the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday.

India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has reported that 3,091 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested across the country in 2024 on various criminal charges. The data, published in the NCRB’s latest report, highlights that foreign nationals were most frequently implicated in crimes in the state of West Bengal, where 992 cases were filed against foreigners during the same year.

According to the report, after Bangladeshi nationals, Nigerians accounted for the second-highest number of foreign arrests, with 509 individuals detained in 2024. They were followed by 476 Nepalese and 245 Myanmar citizens. In total, 4,794 foreign nationals were arrested in India that year, including 944 women and 11 individuals identified as third gender.

The NCRB report underscores that Bangladeshi citizens made up the majority of foreign detainees in India during 2024, reflecting ongoing cross-border law enforcement challenges between India and its neighboring countries.

The Governor of West Bengal, R.N. Ravi, has dissolved the state assembly, formally ending Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year tenure as Chief Minister. The decision follows the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) sweeping victory in the recent state elections, where it won over 200 seats, paving the way for its first government in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee, who had led the state since 2011 through three consecutive terms, reportedly showed reluctance to submit her resignation to the Governor, raising concerns about a potential constitutional impasse.

Following the announcement of election results on May 4, widespread violence erupted across the state. Police reports confirm at least four deaths and 433 arrests, with more than 200 cases filed. Clashes between supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have been reported in several districts, including Kolkata. Both parties are blaming each other for the unrest.

The situation intensified after the shooting death of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. The BJP has called it a planned political killing, while the Trinamool Congress accuses BJP-backed groups of inciting violence. The state now faces both political transition and deep instability.

A new report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), released on May 7, 2026, reveals that 58 percent of West Bengal’s 292 newly elected legislators face serious criminal cases. The report shows that 170 lawmakers are accused of grave offenses such as murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, crimes against women, rape, corruption, and misuse of public funds. In total, 190 legislators, or about 65 percent, have some form of criminal case pending against them. The number of serious cases has risen significantly from 113 in 2021.

The ADR analysis also highlights major disparities among political parties. Of 206 BJP legislators, 141 face serious charges, compared with 25 of 80 from the Trinamool Congress. All winning candidates from CPI(M), All India Secular Front, and Aam Janata Unnayan Party have serious cases, while Congress’s two legislators have none. The report further notes a sharp rise in declared assets, with 178 lawmakers owning over one crore rupees each and average wealth increasing from 2.5 crore in 2021 to 3.7 crore.

ADR concludes that the growing number of criminally accused legislators and their rising wealth raise new concerns about transparency and ethics in West Bengal politics.

Leaders of Khelafat Majlis have expressed deep concern over recent violence in India following state assembly elections, claiming that extremist Hindu groups have intensified attacks on Muslims. In a press release issued on Thursday, the party said Muslims in border states such as West Bengal and Assam are being branded as Bangladeshis and subjected to brutal persecution. The group condemned the attacks and demanded an immediate end to extremist assaults on minority Muslims.

The statement, released after a central executive meeting chaired by Maulana Abdul Basit Azad and conducted by Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Abdul Kader in Dhaka’s Paltan area, alleged that mosques, homes, and businesses in India have been attacked and vandalized, leaving many injured and displaced. It also noted that even Hindu workers of opposition parties have faced violence, accusing the ruling BJP governments of irresponsibility.

Khelafat Majlis called on the Indian government to ensure the safety of its minority communities and urged the Bangladesh government to formally express concern to India over the incidents.

Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu has called for a re-election in Tamil Nadu, citing uncertainty over actor-politician Vijay’s party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), forming a stable government. In a post on social media platform X, Vembu said the numbers do not add up for a clear majority and warned that any government formed under current conditions could face instability due to internal pressures.

Vembu suggested that imposing President’s Rule followed by a new election might be the best course of action, emphasizing the need for strict enforcement of a “no cash for votes” policy to ensure genuine voter support. He expressed confidence that Vijay would return with a strong majority if such an election were held. He also urged the DMK and AIADMK to unite if they wished to challenge Vijay, while suggesting that the BJP should contest independently even if it risks winning no seats.

Vijay’s TVK, formed just two years ago, won 108 of 234 seats in the April 23 assembly election, falling ten seats short of the 118 needed for a majority.

West Bengal Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta announced that 200 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed and 433 people arrested following incidents of violence that erupted after the state assembly election results were declared on May 4. Additionally, 1,100 individuals have been detained as a preventive measure. The statement came a day after the Election Commission of India directed the state’s Chief Secretary, DGP, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against post-poll violence.

Gupta also clarified that some additional security previously assigned to outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee had been withdrawn, though their protocol-based security remains intact. The withdrawn personnel have been reassigned to maintain law and order across the state.

The DGP urged citizens not to take the law into their own hands and assured that police would act on complaints or initiate cases suo motu if necessary. According to the Election Commission’s directive, 500 CAPF companies remain deployed in West Bengal until further notice to prevent further unrest.

India’s political landscape has shifted sharply toward one-party dominance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues a sweeping series of electoral victories. Once-powerful opposition leaders Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and M.K. Stalin in Tamil Nadu both lost recent elections, leaving Modi with virtually no major political challengers. The Congress Party, which once led India’s independence movement, now controls only four states, while Modi’s alliance governs 21.

The BJP’s rise follows years of organizational discipline, a business-friendly image, and a strategy of uniting Hindu voters. Critics accuse the party of using state power to manipulate elections, including voter list revisions that allegedly disenfranchised minorities. In Bihar and West Bengal, millions of names were reportedly removed from voter rolls, fueling allegations of bias. Despite opposition claims of irregularities, the BJP has dismissed all accusations.

Analysts say Modi’s dominance has reshaped India’s pluralist ideals into a more centralized, Hindu nationalist model. With the next national election due in 2029, questions remain over whether Modi will seek another term or who might succeed him within the BJP.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has described the killing of his close aide and personal assistant Chandranath Rath in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, as a 'cold-blooded murder'. The incident occurred on Wednesday night, May 6, when assailants on motorcycles stopped Rath’s car in the Daulatala area and opened fire before fleeing. The attack took place within 48 hours of the West Bengal Assembly election results, sparking tension in the area.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, May 7, Adhikari said the attack appeared preplanned, claiming the assailants had conducted reconnaissance before striking. He stated that the state’s Director General of Police, Siddhanath Gupta, assured him of a full investigation. Adhikari urged party workers to remain calm, emphasizing that the BJP would not take the law into its own hands and called for an impartial probe to identify the real culprits.

Adhikari also alleged that BJP workers across the state had been targeted since the election results were announced, citing incidents of shootings and stabbings in Basirhat and Baranagar. He said he had briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national leader Nitin Navin about the situation.