Hours after Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister, Mamata Banerjee quietly altered her profile on X, dropping the description that identified her as the incumbent chief minister of the state — a move that immediately triggered political chatter across Bengal.
Until Saturday morning, Banerjee’s bio on the social media platform described her as the “Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal”. By afternoon, it had been updated to read: “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Chief Minister of West Bengal (15th, 16th and 17th Vidhan Sabha).”
The carefully worded change stood out because Banerjee had so far refused to publicly concede defeat after the BJP swept the 2026 Assembly elections, bringing an end to the All India Trinamool Congress’s uninterrupted 15-year rule in the state.
The BJP secured a historic majority in the 294-member Assembly, while the TMC was reduced to 80 seats in one of the most dramatic political shifts in Bengal since the Left Front’s defeat in 2011. Adhikari, once considered one of Banerjee’s closest political lieutenants, emerged as the face of the BJP’s victory and formally took oath as chief minister on Saturday.
Banerjee had initially rejected the verdict, alleging widespread irregularities and insisting that the election was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy”. She had also refused to resign immediately after the results, arguing that the mandate had been “looted”.
The timing of the update added to the symbolism. It came almost simultaneously with the BJP government’s swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata and amid visible signs of institutional transition across the state administration.
Until Saturday morning, Banerjee’s bio on the social media platform described her as the “Honourable Chief Minister, West Bengal”. By afternoon, it had been updated to read: “Founder Chairperson All India Trinamool Congress. Chief Minister of West Bengal (15th, 16th and 17th Vidhan Sabha).”
The carefully worded change stood out because Banerjee had so far refused to publicly concede defeat after the BJP swept the 2026 Assembly elections, bringing an end to the All India Trinamool Congress’s uninterrupted 15-year rule in the state.
The BJP secured a historic majority in the 294-member Assembly, while the TMC was reduced to 80 seats in one of the most dramatic political shifts in Bengal since the Left Front’s defeat in 2011. Adhikari, once considered one of Banerjee’s closest political lieutenants, emerged as the face of the BJP’s victory and formally took oath as chief minister on Saturday.
Banerjee had initially rejected the verdict, alleging widespread irregularities and insisting that the election was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy”. She had also refused to resign immediately after the results, arguing that the mandate had been “looted”.
The timing of the update added to the symbolism. It came almost simultaneously with the BJP government’s swearing-in ceremony in Kolkata and amid visible signs of institutional transition across the state administration.
Banerjee, who first came to power in 2011 by ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule, served three consecutive terms as chief minister and remained the dominant political force in Bengal for over a decade. Her revised X bio now appears to place that tenure firmly in the past tense.
