National, May 5: The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to form the next government in West Bengal, with the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for May 9, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in a move carrying both political and cultural significance.
The date was confirmed by West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya following the party’s sweeping electoral victory, which brings an end to the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress in the state.
Announcing the development, Bhattacharya stated that the new Chief Minister would take oath on May 9, marking a key transition in West Bengal’s political landscape after a decisive mandate in favour of the BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier indicated the timeline during his final campaign rally in Barrackpore, noting that he would return to the state after the results to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Following the victory, Modi invoked Tagore’s ideals while addressing party workers in New Delhi, emphasising a vision for a Bengal “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.”
Senior officials of the Election Commission of India are expected to complete post-election formalities before Governor R N Ravi initiates the constitutional process for the formation of the new government.
The ceremony, set to take place on Rabindra Jayanti—locally known as “Pochishe Boishakh”—is expected to carry deep symbolic resonance in a state where Tagore’s literary and cultural legacy remains integral to public life.
The BJP’s victory is widely seen as a watershed moment in West Bengal politics, ending decades of dominance first by the Left Front and subsequently by the Trinamool Congress, and signalling a major shift in the state’s electoral trajectory.
