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New Delhi: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari will take oath as the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal on Saturday at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, days after the party’s historic landslide victory in the state.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for 11 am on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore’s 165th birth anniversary. This will also be the first time a Bengal chief minister’s oath-taking ceremony is being held at Brigade Parade Ground.

CM from 21 BJP-and NDA-ruled states to attend

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and chief ministers from 21 BJP-and NDA-ruled states are expected to attend the event, along with BJP MPs, MLAs and a large number of party workers.

According to reports, massive security arrangements have been put in place across Kolkata, especially around Brigade Parade Ground, amid expectations that lakhs of BJP supporters may gather for the ceremony.

The venue has reportedly been divided into around 35 security sectors, with IPS-rank officers assigned to supervise individual blocks. Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda will oversee the entire security operation.

Heavy security arrangement in place

Officials said nearly 40 VVIPs are likely to attend, with the innermost security ring reserved for top dignitaries. Surveillance will also be carried out from nearby high-rise buildings, while drones will monitor VVIP movement and crowd activity outside the venue.

Traffic restrictions have also been imposed across parts of the city. The movement of heavy vehicles will remain suspended from 4 am to 8 pm on Saturday, except for emergency and essential services such as LPG, CNG, petroleum products, oxygen, medicines, vegetables, milk and fish transport.