PM Modi felicitates BJP veteran worker Makhanlal Sarkar during swearing-in ceremony in West Bengal

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday felicitated and took blessings from senior BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground during the swearing-in ceremony in West Bengal.

At the age of 98, Sarkar remains one of the early grassroots figures associated with the nationalist movement in post-Independence India.

Who is Makhanlal Sarkar?

In 1952, Makhanlal Sarkar was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there.

After the formation of the BJP in 1980, he became the organisational coordinator for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling districts. Within just one year, he helped enrol nearly 10,000 members.

From 1981 onward, he served continuously for seven years as district president, an exceptional achievement at a time when BJP leaders generally could not remain in the same organisational position for more than two years.

Suvendu Adhikari, who was elected as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party in West Bengal, took oath as the state's first BJP Chief Minister today.

Adhikari had contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, defeating outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes, marking a major political development in the state.

The BJP has won 207 seats in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) secured 80 seats after ruling the state for 15 years.

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, are also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Earlier, Adhikari said that the "Sonar Bangla" era has officially begun as he is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal later in the day.

He called it a historic moment as the state prepared to see its first-ever BJP government since Independence.

In a post on X, Adhikari wrote, "A historic dawn for West Bengal indeed. It is a moment of profound pride and jubilation to welcome Visionary Leader Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji to the City of Joy. Today, as we witness the Swearing-in-Ceremony of the first-ever BJP Government in West Bengal since Independence, we fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers."

"Today marks the end of decades of misrule and the beginning of a 'Double Engine' era of development, peace, and prosperity. The era of 'Sonar Bangla' officially begins. Welcome, Pradhan Mantri Ji" the post read.