Bengal’s voters did more than change the party in power — they changed the political course of the state.
NEW DELHI: The winds are changing in West Bengal. In April this year, the people of Bengal voted not just to change their government but also the direction of the state’s politics. The verdict marked the end of Bengal’s old political order and the beginning of a new ecosystem rooted in nationalism. On May 9, when Suvendu Adhikari took oath as chief minister in a historic political transition, change became the dominant theme of the BJP’s first government in the state.For the last 15 years, Bengal’s politics had one centre of gravity — Didi. From Nabanna to the neighbourhood para, from welfare camps to party offices, from Durga Puja pandals to school gates, Mamata Banerjee’s imprint was everywhere.But that changed fast after May 9, when Adhikari, the man who not only handed the BJP its biggest Bengal breakthrough but also defeated Mamata Banerjee on her own turf of Bhabanipur, became the new power centre of the BJP’s “new Bengal”.Within days of taking office, the BJP government began rolling out key decisions across administration, welfare, law and governance. The first two weeks saw a rapid policy reset, with a flurry of moves aimed at two objectives: signalling a clear break from the Trinamool Congress regime that the BJP had fought tooth and nail, and implementing the party’s Sankalp Patra, its roadmap for a stronger and more prosperous Bengal.So, while several Mamata-era decisions were reversed or stopped, new policy initiatives were also set in motion. Two months into this tectonic regime shift, West Bengal is still trying to understand the “what” and the “why” of these changes.
The Hindutva focus
One of the clearest and most visible shifts under the Suvendu Adhikari-led government has been on issues the BJP repeatedly raised during its West Bengal campaign — citizenship, religious conversion and what the party described as religion-based welfare.
Suvendu Adhikari government has begun reshaping the administrative structure.
Uniform Civil Code:The government has initiated legislative steps to bring a Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal. The move is aimed at creating a common set of personal laws across communities, replacing religion-based personal law differences in areas such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.Anti-conversion law:The government has said it will bring a stringent law against religious conversion, framing it as necessary to curb coercion. Mamata Banerjee has argued that such laws violate the fundamental right to freedom of religion, conscience and privacy guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution.Religion-based schemes:The cabinet has decided to discontinue welfare assistance based on religious classification, including specific allowances linked to Minority Affairs, Madrasa Education and related departments.NRC push: The government has also moved towards introducing the National Register of Citizens in the state. Adhikari has announced a “Detect, Delete, Deport” process to identify suspected illegal immigrants, remove their names from official records and begin deportation proceedings.These issues were at the core of the BJP’s offensive against Mamata Banerjee over what it called minority appeasement. The early moves were aimed at signalling an immediate break from the past.
Cultural identity
The BJP’s Sankalp Patra had spoken of reclaiming Bengal’s cultural identity, and some of the new government’s most visible decisions have come in schools, museums, street names, food habits and public symbols.Vande Mataram in schools:State-run and state-aided schools have been directed to sing Vande Mataram during morning assemblies. The order adds a stronger national-symbol element to school routines, after the Mamata government had earlier made Banglar Mati Banglar Jol compulsory in school assemblies.Mid-day meal row: The decision to hand over cooked mid-day meals in Kolkata schools to the ISKCON-linked Annamitra Foundation triggered a row over reports that eggs may be replaced with vegetarian alternatives such as soya, paneer and rajma. In Bengal, where fish and eggs are part of everyday eating for many families, the issue quickly moved beyond nutrition and became a debate over food culture. TMC leaders accused the BJP of “imposing vegetarianism” and said children were being deprived of nutrition.
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Textbook review: School books have also entered the change debate. BJP MLA Sajal Ghosh indicated that sections on the Singur and Nandigram movements, closely associated with Mamata Banerjee’s rise, may be dropped from the Class 8 syllabus. He also said “distortions in history will be changed”, signalling that curriculum review could become another front in the state’s political reset.Vande Mataram Museum:The government has announced a Vande Mataram Museum in Bengal, with budgetary allocation for 2026-27. The project is being linked to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote the national song.Street renaming: Kolkata’s Suhrawardy Avenue has been renamed Gopal Mukherjee Road, and the government has announced a panel to review names associated with Mughals and Pathans.Public icons:The government removed a Mamata Banerjee-designed football-themed sculpture outside Salt Lake Stadium and has begun replacing the Biswa Bangla logo with the Ashoka emblem at public infrastructure. Separately, the 70-foot Messi statue was taken down after being found structurally unsafe and is set to be reinstalled at Eco Park after safety concerns are addressed.
The welfare shift
Welfare schemes play a key role in electoral politics, and the BJP’s Sankalp Patra for Bengal carried several promises for women and youth. The Adhikari government has moved quickly to rework Bengal’s welfare architecture and put the BJP’s imprint on the state’s welfare delivery. In the process, several of Mamata Banerjee’s flagship schemes have either been stopped, renamed or changed.
The welfare shift
Lakshmir Bhandar to Annapurna: The government has notified Annapurna Yojna to replace Lakshmir Bhandar, one of the Trinamool government’s most visible welfare schemes. Under the new scheme, eligible women will get Rs 3,000 a month through direct bank transfer.Beneficiary clean-up:Existing Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries will be shifted to Annapurna, but names identified as dead, duplicate, shifted or deleted during voter verification will be removed from the list.Free bus travel for women: The cabinet has approved free travel for women in state-run buses, adding a new women-centric welfare measure under the BJP government.Job age relaxation:The upper age limit for state government jobs has been increased by five years, a move aimed at candidates affected by delayed recruitment and stalled exams.
Bridging the Bengal-Delhi divide
One of the key areas of confrontation between the Trinamool government and the Centre was the Bengal-Delhi divide over projects and schemes. Mamata Banerjee had frequently accused the Centre of withholding funds, while the Modi government alleged that her administration was not implementing key central welfare schemes. With Adhikari in the saddle, the new government has moved to clear several friction points.
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Ayushman Bharat rollout:The new government has cleared the implementation of Ayushman Bharat, the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme. Bengal had stayed out of it under Trinamool, which ran its own Swasthya Sathi programme.Central schemes cleared:The cabinet has also moved to implement other central schemes, including PM Vishwakarma, Ujjwala Yojana and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, signalling a shift from resistance to alignment with Delhi.Census files unblocked: The government has sanctioned pending census-related directives from the Union home ministry, another area where the BJP had accused the previous regime of delaying national processes.Highways handed to Centre:The state has approved the transfer of seven national highway stretches in the Siliguri Corridor, or “Chicken’s Neck”, to central agencies to speed up road development in the strategically sensitive region.Land for BSF fencing: The cabinet has ordered land transfer to the BSF for India-Bangladesh border fencing, with a 45-day deadline for clearance.
Law-and-order reset
Law and order was a key priority area for the BJP after years of accusing the Trinamool Congress of allowing “gundaraj” in Bengal. In its first weeks, the Adhikari government moved to signal a tougher approach on organised crime, political violence and street protests.
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Anti-goonda legislation: The government has passed legislation aimed at organised syndicates, illegal mining and political violence. The move is being projected as part of a wider crackdown on local strongmen the BJP had accused the TMC of protecting.Action against violent protests:Suvendu has warned that stone-pelting and violent protests will not be tolerated after clashes in areas such as Park Circus. The government has linked such action to its larger public order push.BNS implementation: The cabinet has mandated the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, replacing the earlier delay in adopting the new national criminal laws in the state.Police Welfare Board dissolved:The government has dissolved the West Bengal Police Welfare Board, with Adhikari saying the body had moved away from its original purpose.RG Kar case:The state has sanctioned prosecution of former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh in connection with alleged financial irregularities, a case that became politically significant after the 2024 hospital rape-murder case, with the victim’s mother later contesting and winning on a BJP ticket.
Corruption and accountability
Corruption was another major BJP campaign plank, with the Sankalp Patra promising a white paper on 15 years of TMC rule and action against those found guilty.White papers:The government has said it will issue department-wise white papers on alleged irregularities, incomplete projects and financial mismanagement under the previous Trinamool administration.Corruption commission:Adhikari has announced a commission on institutional corruption, headed by retired Justice Biswajit Basu, to examine alleged wrongdoing under the previous regime.
Resetting the bureaucracy
The change has also reached the way the state government functions. Soon after taking office, the Suvendu Adhikari government began reshaping the administrative structure that had come to be associated with Mamata Banerjee’s long rule.Back to Writers’ Building: The government has sped up repairs at the historic Writers’ Building in central Kolkata, a complex that had fallen out of regular use during Mamata Banerjee’s tenure after the administrative headquarters shifted to Nabanna in Howrah. It now plans to move the state’s main offices back there.Top officers changed: The government moved quickly to overhaul the top ranks of the state administration, replacing chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty with Dushyant Nariala and appointing Sanghamitra Ghosh in place of home secretary J C Meena.Police leadership reset: The changes also extended to the police. DGP Peeyush Pandey was replaced by Siddh Nath Gupta, while Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar made way for Ajay Kumar Nand.CMO and ministerial staff shifted:At least 46 WBCS officers who had served as private secretaries and OSDs to outgoing TMC ministers were reassigned. Another 16 officers attached directly to the chief minister’s office were also moved out as part of the wider administrative reset.
Where is Mamata Banerjee?
Interestingly, the BJP’s push for change in West Bengal has not stopped with Mamata Banerjee’s programmes and policies. It has also triggered the most volatile crisis in the Trinamool Congress’s history.
TMC turmoil
Mamata Banerjee, Bengal’s most visible political face for 15 years, is now dealing not just with a major electoral defeat but also a rebellion within the party she built.With Suvendu Adhikari, once one of Didi’s most trusted aides, now at the helm, the winds of change have reached the TMC’s doors. A large section of the party’s MLAs and MPs has broken away from Mamata’s leadership and changed sides. They could not join the BJP for obvious reasons so they aligned with the saffron party – both at the state and at the Centre.The dispute has also reached the question of who can claim the Trinamool name, its official assets and its iconic “twin-flower” election symbol.
Mamata Banerjee is facing one the biggest turmoil her party her ever seen.
Until recently, Didi controlled both the government and the party from the centre. Now, with the chief minister’s chair gone and former lieutenants turning challengers, Mamata has been pushed back into a street-fight for political survival.Two months after May 9, Bengal is still figuring out how deep this reset will go. But one thing is clear: the Mamata era is over, and a new chapter has begun — not quietly, but in full view.
