Suvendu’s real test begins now

The rise of Suvendu Adhikari as West Bengal’s first BJP chief minister marks not merely a change of government but also a test of whether the Bharatiya Janata Party can transform itself from a powerful electoral machine into a credible governing force in a state long shaped by ideo- logical politics and administrative drift. During the last half-century, Bengal’s politics revolved around confrontation—first under the Left Front and later under Mamata Banerjee. Adhikari now faces the hard task of governance and the even harder task of meet- ing the expectations of his voters who have voted for a ‘Sonar Bangla’ or a ‘Golden Age for Bengal’. Voters will look for visible delivery, particularly on the BJP’s campaign promises.

The initial tasks are simple— the BJP committed itself to clearing pending dearness allowance arrears, implementing the Seventh Pay Com- mission, and introducing monthly cash support for women heads of families and unemployed youth. Money is in short supply given Bengal’s dire fiscal situation, but central loans or grants may make his task easier. The state’s deeper crisis is economic stagnation, which the BJP highlighted during the election campaign, citing the de- cline of manufacturing hubs and rising youth unemploy- ment and terming Bengal an “industrial graveyard”.

Adhikari must now convert campaign criti- cism into a realistic in- dustrial strategy, which involves investment in lo- gistics, ports, food pro- cessing, and industrial corridors linked to Durgapur, Burnpur, and the state’s ag- ricultural hinterland. Reviving tea and jute industries, while encouraging technology, media, and design sectors, could help reposition Kolkata as a creative and services hub rather than merely a city of nostalgic decline. Em- ployment generation is central to the BJP’s long-term sur- vival in Bengal. Large sections of the state’s educated youth see migration as the only route to opportunity. A visible jobs pipeline would not only improve incomes but also restore confidence in Bengal’s economic future.

Bengal’s bureaucracy and police have long functioned under intense partisan pressure, with transfers, recruit- ment and local administration often turning into exten- sions of political patronage. If Adhikari genuinely wants to distinguish his government from its predecessor, he must professionalise governance rather than merely re- place one political-patronage network with another. A corruption inquiry into the previous regime may satisfy political expectations, but Bengal’s larger need is proce- dural trust—transparent recruitment, accountable wel- fare delivery, and more neutral policing.

The greatest risk for the BJP is that it remains trapped in permanent politi- cal combat where public life remains deeply polarised along party and communal lines and governance is arbi- trary and partisan. Ultimately, his real challenge lies in persuading Bengal that the BJP’s rise need not come at the expense of Bengali identity, institutional balance or so- cial cohesion.