PM Modi thanks Bengal voters in emotional gesture as BJP forms government in the state for the first time
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday delivered an emotional gesture of gratitude to the people of West Bengal during the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari as the state’s first Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister.
Standing before massive crowds at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Grounds, PM Modi waved to supporters before slowly kneeling down and bowing with folded hands in a symbolic gesture thanking the people of Bengal for handing the BJP a historic mandate.
The moment quickly became the defining image of the ceremony, underscoring the political significance of the BJP’s landmark victory in a state long dominated by the Trinamool Congress.
PM Modi bows down with folded hands at Suvendu Adhikari’s oath – Watch pic.twitter.com/wnj4PguJXR
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 9, 2026
Video Credit: NDTV
Suvendu Adhikari, who emerged as the face of the BJP’s Bengal campaign, took oath as chief minister in the presence of PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, senior BJP leaders and NDA chief ministers from across the country.
Governor RN Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari and members of his initial cabinet at the high-profile event held at Brigade Parade Grounds.
The BJP swept to power with 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in West Bengal and marking the saffron party’s first-ever government in the state.
PM Modi and Amit Shah had invested enormous political energy into the Bengal campaign, holding multiple rallies, roadshows and public meetings across the state. Saturday’s ceremony reflected the BJP leadership’s view of Bengal as one of the party’s most significant political breakthroughs in recent years.
The new cabinet also appeared carefully balanced to represent different communities and regions across Bengal. BJP leaders inducted into the first ministry included Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Kirtania, Kshudiram Tudu and Nishit Pramanik, reflecting outreach to OBC, tribal, Matua and Rajbonshi communities.
For the BJP, the moment was more than just a government formation ceremony — it marked the culmination of a years-long political expansion in eastern India and a symbolic breakthrough in one of the country’s most politically contested states.
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