- Party
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Born
- 15 December 1970, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal
- Education (declared)
- MA (Environmental Studies), Rabindra Bharati University (2011)
- In current post since
- 9 May 2026
- Seat
- Bhabanipur, Kolkata (Legislative Assembly)
Suvendu Adhikari comes from one of the best-known political families of Purba Medinipur. His father, Sisir Adhikari, was a Union minister of state and MP for Kanthi, and both his brothers have been elected representatives. He studied at Kanthi Prabhat Kumar College and completed an MA in environmental studies at Rabindra Bharati University in 2011.
Nandigram and the Trinamool years
He began as a Congress councillor in Kanthi municipality in 1995 and moved to Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. He won his first assembly seat, Kanthi Dakshin, in 2006.
The turning point came in 2007, when the Left Front government planned to acquire farmland at Nandigram for a chemical hub. Adhikari became a leader of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee, which organised the resistance. The agitation, and police firing that killed protesters in March 2007, helped end 34 years of Left rule in 2011. During the agitation the state CID, then under the Left government, alleged that he had supplied arms to Maoists; the allegation never resulted in a conviction.
He won the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat in 2009, defeating the CPI(M)'s Lakshman Seth, and held it in 2014. In 2016 he returned to state politics, won Nandigram and served as a minister until 2020, handling transport, irrigation and environment.
The switch
In late 2020, after months of public differences with the party leadership, he resigned as minister, MLA and Trinamool member, and joined the BJP on 19 December 2020 in the presence of Amit Shah. Months later, in the 2021 election, he defeated Mamata Banerjee herself in Nandigram by 1,956 votes. The Trinamool kept power, and he became Leader of the Opposition.
As opposition leader he was suspended from the assembly more than once. His speeches on illegal immigration, on Rohingya refugees and on Muslim-majority areas drew accusations of communal rhetoric from the Trinamool.
Chief Minister
In the April 2026 election the BJP won 208 of 294 seats on its own. Adhikari won both seats he contested, Bhabanipur, the constituency of Mamata Banerjee, and Nandigram, and kept Bhabanipur. He was sworn in on 9 May 2026 at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, becoming West Bengal's first BJP Chief Minister.
His government is less than six months old, too early for a record to judge. We will add to this profile as its decisions take effect.
Career at a glance
- 1995Elected Congress councillor in Kanthi municipality
- 2006Wins the Kanthi Dakshin assembly seat for the Trinamool Congress
- 2007Leads the Nandigram agitation against land acquisition
- 2009, 2014Elected MP for Tamluk
- 2016 to 2020Wins Nandigram; minister for transport, irrigation and environment
- Dec 2020Quits Trinamool and joins the BJP
- 2021Defeats Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram by 1,956 votes; Leader of the Opposition
- May 2026Wins Bhabanipur and Nandigram; sworn in as Chief Minister
Cases and allegations
An allegation, FIR or chargesheet is not proof of guilt. Only a court can convict, and convictions can be overturned on appeal. Status is as last checked on 2 Nov 2026.
His affidavit lists cases including charges of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and money laundering. In 2021 he asked the Calcutta High Court to transfer criminal cases against him to the CBI. No conviction is declared. Source
The CBI questioned him in 2014 in the Saradha investigation. He has not been named in a chargesheet. He has denied allegations made by Saradha's promoter Sudipta Sen that he took money. Source
Mamata Banerjee challenged his 1,956-vote win in Nandigram in an election petition. We have not found a final judgment on it. Source
The record card
Facts only, each from a public record. This is not a rating. Affidavit figures are the leader's own sworn declarations at the time of filing.
| Declared criminal cases | 29West Bengal 2026 affidavit, Bhabanipur | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions | None declared2026 nomination affidavit, as reported | Source |
| Declared assets | Rs 85.9 lakh2026; about Rs 34.7 lakh lower than five years earlier | Source |
| BJP seats in 2026 assembly election | 208 of 294Election held 23 and 29 April 2026 | Source |
| Party switches | 2Congress to Trinamool, Trinamool to BJP (2020) | Source |
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Sources
- Election affidavit, West Bengal 2026, Bhabanipur (ADR MyNeta archive)
- The Week, 25 cases against Suvendu Adhikari, affidavit reveals (30 Mar 2026)
- Telangana Today, Mamata Banerjee vs Suvendu Adhikari: assets and cases
- Deccan Herald, Adhikari asks Calcutta HC to transfer cases to CBI (2021)
- Wikipedia, Suvendu Adhikari ministry
- Wikipedia, Suvendu Adhikari (career and elections)
Photo: Vice President's Secretariat, GODL-India, via Wikimedia Commons.
This profile is built only from public records and attributed reports; read how we make these profiles. If anything here is wrong or out of date, or if you are Suvendu Adhikari's office and want to respond, write to devv@bharatverseh.com. Every correction is listed in our corrections log.