Mamata Banerjee Skips Suvendu Adhikari’s Swearing-In As West Bengal CM, Shares Tagore Tribute Instead

Kolkata: After days of political speculation and public silence following the Trinamool Congress’ crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee finally resurfaced on social media on Saturday with a message marking the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Taking to X on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti, Banerjee paid tribute to Tagore, describing him as the eternal guiding force of Bengali language, culture and human unity. Her post came amid the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari as West Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister.

“Division is not the truth; unity is,” Banerjee wrote in her message, while invoking Tagore’s ideals of harmony and universal humanism. She also quoted lines inspired by the poet’s literary philosophy and called Rabindra Jayanti 'a grand festival of the rebirth of Bengali language, culture and heritage.'

Until Saturday morning, political circles remained focused on Banerjee’s whereabouts and whether she would attend the high-profile oath-taking ceremony at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya had earlier confirmed that the former Chief Minister was invited to the ceremony 'as per protocol.'

Mamata Banerjee Skips Suvendu's Swearing In

However, Banerjee ultimately skipped the event, choosing instead to remain away from the public spotlight after the Trinamool Congress suffered one of its worst electoral defeats in recent history.

Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari officially took oath as the Chief Minister on Saturday, marking a historic political transition in the state. Once considered Banerjee’s close aide in the TMC, Adhikari has now emerged as the face of the BJP’s rise in Bengal after defeating her twice, first in Nandigram in 2021 and again in Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly polls.

The BJP secured a landslide victory in the elections, winning 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly and ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule in the state. Several senior BJP leaders, including Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik and others were also sworn in as ministers in the new cabinet.

The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union ministers and chief ministers from BJP-ruled states, showing the significance of the party’s first-ever government in West Bengal since Independence.