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Addressing newly elected BJP MLAs and senior leaders, Shah invoked the high-profile Nandigram contest, directly referencing Banerjee’s defeat there to underline the party’s political turnaround. “Suvendu da had defeated Didi in Nandigram… this time he came into her home turf and defeated her,” Shah said, sharpening his criticism of the former Chief Minister. Suvendu Adhikari named BJP’s CM face In a key announcement following the victory, Shah formally projected Suvendu Adhikari as the next Chief Minister of West Bengal, marking his rise from a former Trinamool leader to the BJP’s top choice for the state’s leadership. Adhikari, who joined the BJP in 2020, had earlier defeated Banerjee in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election, a political turning point that continues to shape Bengal’s power dynamics. Focus on security, infiltration and smuggling Shah also framed the win in terms of national security, stating that the new government would prioritise tackling infiltration and cattle smuggling in the border state. He claimed the victory would “plug gaps in national security” and promised action to identify and remove infiltrators. BJP’s first government in Bengal The win marks the BJP’s first-ever government formation in West Bengal, ending the Trinamool Congress’s uninterrupted rule since 2011 and representing a major expansion for the party. Shah also linked the victory to Bengal’s ideological legacy, invoking Syama Prasad Mookerjee and referencing the significance of governing from the birthplace of nationalist icons.