Suvendu Adhikari

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Suvendu Adhikari
Shri Suvendu Adhikari BJP.jpg
Adhikari in 2024
Leader of the Opposition, West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 May 2021
Relatives Dibyendu Adhikari (brother)
Soumendu Adhikari (brother)
Residence(s) Contai, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal
Alma mater Netaji Subhas Open University (M.A.)
Profession Politician

Suvendu Adhikari (born 15 December 1970) is an Indian politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party since May 2021. Adhikari previously served as a state minister in the Government of West Bengal from 2016 to 2020. He was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Nandigram in 2016 and 2021, previously for South Contai in 2005, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamluk in 2009 and 2014. [4] He previously served as the Minister of Transport from 2016 to 2020 and Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources from 2018 to 2020 in the Government of West Bengal. He was also a member of Lok Sabha from Tamluk from 2009 to 2016 and the chairperson of the Jute Corporation of India from 2020 to 2021. He was a member of the Trinamool Congress from 1998 to 2020 and the Indian National Congress from 1995 to 1998. He is the son of Sisir Adhikari, Member of Parliament and former Union Minister of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh government. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Contents

Early life and education

Adhikari was born on 15 December 1970 to Sisir Adhikari and Gayatri Adhikari at Karkuli in Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal. Sisir Adhikari is a politician and former Minister of State in the Second Manmohan Singh ministry and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kanthi constituency in 2019. [10] [11] Adhikari is unmarried. [12] One of Adhikari's brothers, Soumendu, was the chairman of the Kanthi municipal corporation and was elected from the Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency in the 18th Lok Sabha. [11] Dibyendu Adhikari, elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 from the Tamluk constituency, is also his brother. Adhikari received a Master of Arts degree from Netaji Subhas Open University. [10]

Early political career

Adhikari was first elected as a councillor representing the Indian National Congress in the Kanthi Municipality in 1995. [13] In 2006, Adhikari was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from the Kanthi Dakshin constituency. He also became the chairman of Kanthi Municipality in the same year. [10] In 2007, Adhikari spearheaded the anti-land-acquisition movement in Nandigram. He led the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee. The ruling Left Front government in West Bengal planned to acquire 10,000 acres of land in the village to set up a special economic zone. [14] [15] [16] This movement propelled Mamata Banerjee to the centre-stage of Bengali politics. [16] The state CID alleged that Adhikari had supplied arms to the Maoists to wage an armed struggle against the state government. [17] [18] After Adhikari's success in Nandigram, Banerjee made him the party's observer (in-charge) of the Jangal Mahal—specifically Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, and Bankura districts. He was successful in expanding the party's base in these districts. [16] In 2009, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Tamluk constituency. [19] He defeated his nearest rival Lakshman Seth of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a margin of approximately 173,000 votes. [20] In the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Adhikari was pitted against Abdul Kadir Sheikh of the Left Front–Indian National Congress alliance in the Nandigram constituency. [15] After getting elected, he resigned as an MP from the Tamluk constituency. [21] He was sworn in as the Minister of Transport in the Second Mamata Banerjee ministry on 27 May 2016. [22] Adhikari resigned as chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC), a statutory body under the Government of West Bengal, on 26 November 2020. [23] He also resigned as West Bengal Transport Minister on 27 November 2020. [24] He had tendered his resignation to the speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly as MLA on 16 December 2020, which was not accepted by the speaker initially on grounds of technicality. However, it was eventually accepted on 21 December 2020. [25] On 17 December 2020 he resigned from primary membership of the All India Trinamool Congress. [26] [27] On 19 December 2020, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. [28] [29]

2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election

He defeated the sitting chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, in the Nandigram assembly seat in the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election by 1,956 votes. [30] Banerjee filed an election petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the Nandigram verdict. [4] On 10 May, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced Adhikari as leader of the BJP legislature party in the West Bengal assembly. [31]

Electoral history

Policy stance and achievements

Stance on infiltration, CAA, and minority outreach

Adhikari has consistently called for strict measures against illegal infiltration in West Bengal, distinguishing between Indian Muslims and "foreign infiltrators" like Rohingya Muslims. In October 2025, he accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of facilitating the settlement of Rohingya infiltrators with fake documents to create vote banks, estimating up to 90 lakh fake voters in the state based on trends from Bihar. [35] [36] [37] Adhikari has campaigned for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) to support persecuted Hindu refugees, urging them to apply for citizenship at awareness camps ahead of the 2026 polls. [38] Following the 2024 unrest in Bangladesh, he warned that up to 1 crore Hindus might flee to Bengal and called for state preparedness under CAA provisions for pre-2015 refugees. [39] [40] During the 2024–2025 instability and anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, he demanded heightened border surveillance and threatened trade sanctions if attacks on Hindus persisted. [41] [42] Concurrently, he reassured Indian Muslims that the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls targets only illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, not genuine citizens. [43] [44]

Efforts against corruption and post-poll violence

Adhikari has aggressively pursued investigations into the Sarada chit fund scam, writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the CBI Director in 2023 to demand action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other high-ranking TMC officials, whom he accused of influencing the probe. [45] [46] [47] Following the 2021 Assembly elections, Adhikari compiled evidence of widespread post-poll violence against BJP workers and filed a writ petition in the Calcutta High Court. This led to a July 2021 court directive compelling the state to register FIRs and cooperate with the National Human Rights Commission of India, challenging the government's denial of retaliatory attacks. [48] [49] [50] [51] Adhikari has also championed the independence of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI. He cited the April 2024 recovery of weapons in Sandeshkhali as proof of state-sponsored protection of criminals and has repeatedly called for autonomous investigations to uproot corruption in the TMC administration. [52] [53]

Controversies

Involvement in the Saradha chit fund scam

Former TMC minister Adhikari was interrogated by the CBI in September 2014 regarding alleged collusion in the ₹25,000 crore Saradha Group financial scandal, though he was not named in specific chargesheets. [54] [55] In December 2020, Saradha chairman Sudipta Sen accused Adhikari of extortion, prompting TMC demands for his arrest in 2022; [56] [57] Adhikari dismissed the allegations as a political vendetta following his move to the BJP. [57] While other TMC leaders were arrested, no charges against Adhikari have been proven as of October 2025, with investigations by the CBI and ED ongoing. [58] [59]

Narada sting operation case

Adhikari was implicated in the 2014 Narada sting operation, where he was allegedly filmed accepting bribes, a claim he denied while questioning the footage's authenticity. [60] [61] Following his 2021 defection to the BJP, the CBI and ED investigations garnered renewed political attention and remain active. [62]

Communal remarks

In November 2024, the TMC complained to the Election Commission of India alleging Adhikari made communal remarks during bypoll speeches. [63] [64] Adhikari has frequently highlighted communal violence, claiming in April 2025 that over 400 Hindus were displaced during a Waqf property dispute in Murshidabad district, and attributing the 2023 Ram Navami riots to police appeasement policies. [65] [66] [67] After he advised against visiting Muslim-majority areas of Jammu & Kashmir in July 2025, the TMC condemned the statement as a calculated provocation and passed an Assembly resolution against him. [68] [69] [70] Adhikari maintained his comments were warnings about demographic risks and safety, and no legal cases have proceeded. [63]

Threatening Bangladesh and diplomatic missions

Amid rising India–Bangladesh tensions in December 2025, Adhikari warned he would disrupt the functioning of the Bangladeshi Deputy High Commission in Kolkata if denied a meeting regarding the Lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, threatening mobilisation. [71] On 28 December, he called for a "lesson" comparable to the Israeli campaign in Gaza or India's Operation Sindoor, drawing accusations of hate speech and communal polarisation from the Trinamool Congress. [72] [73]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ Podder, Debasish (31 December 2020). "জুট কর্পোরেশন অফ ইন্ডিয়ার চেয়ারম্যান হচ্ছেন শুভেন্দু অধিকারী, নতুন বছরেই নিয়োগ". Hindustan Times (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 December 2020.
    2. ↑ "BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari likely to step down as Chairperson of Jute Corporation of India". ANI News. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    3. 1 2 "CM Banerjee to retain transport portfolio following Suvendu Adhikari's resignation". NDTV . 28 November 2020.
    4. 1 2 Manral, Karan (17 June 2021). "Mamata Banerjee challenges Suvendu Adhikari's Nandigram win in Calcutta High Court". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    5. ↑ Bhattacharya, Ravik (23 September 2012). "Had no work, say former TMC ministers in UPA govt". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    6. ↑ "Suvendu Adhikari -Profile". Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
    7. ↑ "Election Commission of India". results.eci.gov.in. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
    8. ↑ "Nandigram Election Result 2021 LIVE: Nandigram MLA Election Result & Vote Share - Oneindia". OneIndia. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    9. ↑ "Nandigram Assembly Election Results 2021 LIVE - Nandigram Vidhan Sabha Election Results". Times Now. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    10. 1 2 3 "Adhikari, Shri Suvendu". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
    11. 1 2 Bhattacharya, Kajari (31 March 2018). "Nandigram: Trinamool's stronghold, one family's stranglehold". Asianet Newsable. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
    12. ↑ "ভাইরা বিয়ে করলেও অকৃতদার তিনি, জানুন কেমন শুভেন্দুর সংসার". Aaj Tak বাংলা (in Bengali). 16 December 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
    13. ↑ "The importance of being Suvendu Adhikari: Why the TMC strongman is miffed with the party leadership". Times Now. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
    14. ↑ Sarkar, Arindam (26 April 2007). "Mamata promises to marry off raped girls of Nandigram". Hindustan Times . Retrieved 27 April 2019.
    15. 1 2 "Trinamool Congress confident of victory in Nandigram". The Economic Times . 4 May 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
    16. 1 2 3 "From Nandigram to Murshidabad - Suvendu Adhikari is Mamata Banerjee's all weather man". Hindustan Times . 26 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
    17. ↑ Roy, Anirban (17 July 2010). "CID to question Trinamool's Adhikari on Maoist links". India Today . Retrieved 27 April 2019.
    18. ↑ "Trinamool MP accused of supplying ammo to Naxalites". India Today . 16 July 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
    19. ↑ "In Contai, it's family first for Trinamool's Sisir Adhikary". Indian Express . 5 November 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
    20. ↑ "Nandigram swings two seats in East Midnapore in Trinamool's favour". Indian Express 17 May 2009. 17 May 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
    21. ↑ "Dibyendu Adhikari to contest from Tamluk parliament constituency". India Today . 17 October 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
    22. ↑ "List of Ministers in Mamata's cabinet". The Hindu . 27 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
    23. ↑ "TMC's Suvendu Adhikari steps down as Bengal minister a day after resigning as Hooghly commission chairman". India Today. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
    24. ↑ "West Bengal: TMC rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari resigns as Transport Minister from Mamata govt". Times Now. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
    25. ↑ Sanyal, Anindita (16 December 2020). "Trinamool's Suvendu Adhikari Quits As MLA Amid Reports He Will Join BJP". NDTV. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
    26. ↑ "Didi aide Suvendu Adhikari exits TMC, sparks a spate of resignations". The Times of India. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    27. ↑ Phadikar, Anshuman (6 July 2021). "Suvendu Adhikari meets victims of post-poll violence in East Midnapore". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
    28. ↑ "অমিত শাহের হাত ধরে বিজেপিতে যোগদান করলেন শুভেন্দু অধিকারী সহ ৯ জন বিধায়ক". Bangla Hunt (in Bengali). 19 December 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    29. ↑ "Suvendu Adhikari ends all speculation, joins BJP, delivers jolt to Mamata and TMC". India Today. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    30. ↑ "Nandigram election result 2021: Suvendu Adhikari beats Mamata by 1,736 votes". The Times of India. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    31. ↑ "Suvendu Adhikari Elected Opposition Leader In West Bengal Assembly". NDTV. PTI. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    32. ↑ "जानिए कौन हैं शुभेंदु अधिकारी, जिन्होंने ममता को दिया जोर का झटका; कभी उनकी सरकार में थे नंबर 2". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Hindi). 16 December 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    33. ↑ Chowdhury, Santanu (27 November 2020). "Explained: The importance of Suvendu Adhikari — to Trinamool Congress and BJP". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    34. 1 2 "Mamata Banerjee Loses To Suvendu Adhikari In Nandigram, Will Go To Court". NDTV. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
    35. ↑ "Press Trust Of India". Press Trust Of India. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    36. ↑ "TMC 'helping' Rohingya infiltrators to settle in Bengal: Suvendu". Hindustan Times. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    37. ↑ "If Bihar has 30 lakh fake voters, Bengal will have 90 lakh: BJP". Inshorts - Stay Informed. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    38. ↑ Som, Moyurie (25 October 2025). "West Bengal BJP urges Bangladeshi Hindu refugees to apply for citizenship under CAA ahead of 2026 polls". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    39. ↑ "Bangladesh Unrest: 1 Crore Hindu refugees will come to West Bengal, says Suvendu Adhikari". The Economic Times. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    40. ↑ Mitra, Atri; Bhattacharya, Ravik (6 August 2024). "Bangladesh crisis: As Bengal BJP stirs talk of '1 cr refugees', CAA, cautious TMC govt appeals for calm". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    41. ↑ "Bengal LoP threatens trade embargo on Bangladesh if attacks on Hindus don't stop". The Times of India. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    42. ↑ "BJP's Suvendu says will stage protest at border if attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh don't stop". Deccan Herald. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    43. ↑ "SIR will lead to deletion of names of only Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators: Suvendu Adhikari". Moneycontrol. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    44. ↑ "Press Trust Of India". Press Trust Of India. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    45. ↑ "Will give proof of Mamata's involvement to CBI: Suvendu". The Indian Express. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    46. ↑ "Why is CBI hesitant?: Suvendu Adhikari writes to PM, seeks action against Mamata in Saradha case". Telegraph India. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    47. ↑ "LOP Suvendu Adhikari writes to CBI Director over slow investigation in Saradha Scam". ANI News. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    48. ↑ "Write Petition (Supreme Court of India)" (PDF). Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    49. ↑ "Bengal post-poll violence: Calcutta HC orders filing of cases and relief for victims". The Indian Express. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    50. ↑ Roy, Divyanshu Dutta (2 July 2021). "Bengal In "Denial Mode" Over Post-Election Violence: Calcutta High Court". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    51. ↑ "SUVENDU ADHIKARI AND ANR. v. STATE OF WEST BENGAL AND ORS., Calcutta High Court, Judgment, Law, casemine.com". www.casemine.com. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    52. ↑ Gupta, Shobhit (27 April 2024). "'Arrest Mamata, declare TMC a terror outfit', demands BJP leader after CBI searches at premises of Sandeshkhali accused". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    53. ↑ "Entire TMC is corrupt, claims BJP's Suvendu Adhikari; Trinamool hits back". Deccan Herald. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    54. ↑ "Saradha scam: CBI questions TMC MP Suvendu Adhikari". BusinessLine. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    55. ↑ Mondal, Dibyendu (22 May 2021). "Seven years on, CBI still silent on Saradha chit fund scam". The Sunday Guardian Live. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    56. ↑ "Saradha Scam Accused Alleges BJP Leader Took Money, Trinamool Seeks Action". www.ndtv.com. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    57. 1 2 "Suvendu urges CBI to probe Saradha accused's allegations against him". The Indian Express. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    58. ↑ "11 years on, Bengal's Saradha chit fund victims await justice amid LS polls corruption discourse". The New Indian Express. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    59. ↑ Tiwary, Deeptiman (4 April 2024). "Since 2014, 25 Opposition leaders facing corruption probe crossed over to BJP, 23 of them got reprieve". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    60. ↑ "ED files charges in Narada case. TMC: Why protect BJP's Suvendu Adhikari?". The Times of India. 2 September 2021. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 16 June 2025.
    61. ↑ "The Sting in Full". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
    62. ↑ "Why PM sharing stage with Suvendu who is accused in Narada case: TMC hits back on corruption charge". The Economic Times. 2 March 2024. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 16 June 2025.
    63. 1 2 "TMC alleges Suvendu Adhikari 'made communal remarks' in poll-bound area, complains to ECI". The Indian Express. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    64. ↑ Mishra, Anupam (11 November 2024). "Trinamool accuses Suvendu Adhikari of hate speech, complains to poll body". India Today. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    65. ↑ "West Bengal Waqf protests: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari claims Hindus 'forced to flee' Murshidabad amid violence". The Times of India. 13 April 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    66. ↑ Mitra, Atri (14 April 2025). "BJP and TMC allege 'outsiders' instigated violence at Murshidabad". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    67. ↑ Bhattacharya, Ravik; Mitra, Atri (3 April 2025). "Ram Navami days away, why there is an air of disquiet in Bengal". The Indian Express. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    68. ↑ "Suvendu Adhikari's call for avoiding Muslim-majority areas stokes row in West Bengal". Hindustan Times. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    69. ↑ "'Don't go to places where Muslims are majority': BJP's Suvendu Adhikari sparks outrage with communal remarks; TMC slams 'provocation'". The Times of India. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    70. ↑ "Resolution passed in Bengal assembly against BJP's Suvendu over remarks on TMC MLAs". Deccan Herald. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
    71. ↑ "'Won't allow them to function': Suvendu Adhikari's warning Bangladesh mission in Kolkata amid tensions with India". Hindustan Times. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
    72. ↑ "BJP's Suvendu Adhikari Draws Flak After Calling For Gaza-Like 'Lesson' at Protest Against Dipu Das's Murder". The Wire. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
    73. ↑ Singh, Shiv Sahay (27 December 2025). "TMC accuses Suvendu Adhikari of 'naked hate speech' in his remarks against Bangladesh". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 29 December 2025.
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