Kolkata, May 6: The oath-taking ceremony of the first BJP government in West Bengal will be held at Brigade Parade Ground here on May 9, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya announced on Wednesday, as the saffron camp prepared to formally assume power after ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state.
The ceremony, scheduled to begin at 10 am, is expected to witness the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Nitin Nabin and several union ministers, party sources said.
“The new BJP government will take oath on May 9 at 10 am at Brigade Parade Ground,” Bhattacharya told reporters.
Significantly, the swearing-in ceremony will be held on the 25th day of Baisakh in the Bengali calendar–observed across the state as Rabindra Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore– lending the event a layer of cultural symbolism.
According to state BJP sources, the choice of the date is being seen in political circles as an attempt by the BJP to embed its historic rise within Bengal’s cultural imagination and counter the TMC’s long-standing portrayal of the saffron party as a “party of outsiders” disconnected from Bengal’s linguistic and intellectual ethos.
A meeting of the newly elected BJP MLAs has been convened on May 8 evening, party sources said, though the leadership remained tight-lipped over the chief ministerial face.
The BJP secured a landslide victory in the recently concluded assembly elections, paving the way for its first-ever government in Bengal after years of organisational expansion and sharp ideological polarisation.
TMC leaders, new MLAs at Mamata’s home to discuss future strategy
Senior TMC leaders and newly-elected MLAs gathered at outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence here on Wednesday evening for a meeting to discuss their strategy and allocation of responsibilities following the party’s setback in the West Bengal assembly elections.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was also present.
TMC spokesperson and Beliaghata MLA Kunal Ghosh said all decisions regarding our future responsibilities rest with Mamata Banerjee.
“Who will get which responsibility and what assignment will be given to whom, that is entirely Didi’s decision, and all of us will abide by it. Whatever decision she takes will be final,” Ghosh told reporters after the meeting.
He said the party still believes the BJP’s victory was not proper, alleging manipulation and claiming that the Election Commission was part and parcel of the saffron party’s result.
Security arrangements outside residence, office of Banerjee removed
Additional police deployment and area security arrangements outside senior TMC leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Harish Mukherjee Road residence and Camac Street office in Kolkata have been withdrawn following a review, though his existing security categorisation remains unchanged.
He continues to receive Z plus-category police protection.
Officials said the withdrawal of the area management deployment took effect early Wednesday morning following fresh instructions.
Initially, in the morning, a scissor barricade was seen covering the footpath in front of his Harish Mukherjee Road residence, with no police personnel present.
Later, police vans arrived and packed up chairs, scissor barricades and even a baggage scanner from inside the gates of his residence.
The police kiosk and shed built outside the residence have not yet been dismantled, but are expected to be removed soon, an official said.
Sources said the earlier protocol included route sanitisation and advance movement checks by police personnel before the TMC national general secretary travelled to any destination.
However, under the revised arrangement, no police vehicle will conduct advance route checks or ensure traffic clearance ahead of Banerjee’s movement, officials indicated.
Local residents expressed relief, saying they had faced years of restrictions on movement.
They said Harish Mukherjee Road is widely used by vehicles to avoid congestion on SP Mukherjee Road, but a large stretch near the residence had remained occupied due to security arrangements.
One local resident said Banerjee’s security cover was “like that of the PM of West Bengal”.
Another said she had come to see the withdrawal of the arrangements, which she claimed were maintained using taxpayers’ money.
A scissor barricade at the entry road to outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat was also removed on Tuesday.
A ‘scissor barricade’ is a collapsible metal security barrier used by police to control or restrict entry to a road, lane or building. It expands and folds like a pair of scissors, hence the name. (PTI)
