Union home minister Amit Shah to be BJP observer for West Bengal

New Delhi: After its assembly poll victories in West Bengal and Assam, BJP on Tuesday began the process of government formation by announcing central observers to oversee the election of legislature party leaders, who will be sworn in as chief ministers in the two states.

BJP parliamentary board has appointed Union home minister Amit Shah as the central observer and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi as deputy observer for the election of the next chief minister of West Bengal. Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the outgoing assembly, is the frontrunner for the post.

However, the possibility of a dark horse emerging as the next West Bengal CM cannot be ruled out, in line with recent BJP trends. Former state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh (Kharagpur Sadar) and former Union minister Nisith Pramanik (Mathabhanga reserved seat) are among the contenders. If the party opts for a woman CM, Agnimitra Paul, who won from Asansol South, could also be in the race.


For Assam, Union minister JP Nadda has been appointed as the central observer while Haryana CM Nayab Saini will serve as deputy observer. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who led the BJP campaign in the state as chief minister, is expected to be elected for a second consecutive term.