Suvendu Adhikari (born 15 December 1970) is an Indian politician who has served as
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
and Leader of the
West Bengal unit of
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
since May 2021. Adhikari previously worked in the state ministry for the
West Bengal government
The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the principal administrative authority of the Indian state of West Bengal, created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial a ...
from 2016 to 2020. He was elected
Member of Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several national ...
(MLA) for
Nandigram
Nandigram is a census town in the Nandigram I Community development block, Community Development Block of the Haldia subdivision in the Purba Medinipur district of the India, Indian state of West Bengal.
In 2007, the West Bengal government all ...
in 2016 and 2021, previously for
South Contai in 2005, and
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Tamluk
Tamluk (), is a town and a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world and the headquarter ...
in 2009, and 2014.
[
He previously served as the Minister of Transport from 2016 to 2020, Irrigation and Water resource from 2018 to 2020 in the ]Government of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...
. He was also a member of Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
from Tamluk
Tamluk (), is a town and a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world and the headquarter ...
from 2009 to 2016 and the chairperson of Jute Corporation of India from 2020 to 2021. He was a former member of the Trinamool Congress
The All India Trinamool Congress (; AITC), simply known as Trinamool Congress, is an Indian political party that is mainly influential in the Federated state, state of West Bengal. It was founded by Mamata Banerjee on 1 January 1998 as a Lis ...
from 1998 to 2020 and Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
from 1995 to 1998. He is the son of Sisir Adhikari
Sisir Kumar Adhikari (born 19 September 1941) is an Indian politician who represented Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency from 2009 till 2024. He is a former Union Minister of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh government.
He was th ...
, Member of Parliament and former Union Minister of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh government.
Early life and education
Adhikari was born on 15 December 1970 to Sisir Adhikari
Sisir Kumar Adhikari (born 19 September 1941) is an Indian politician who represented Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency from 2009 till 2024. He is a former Union Minister of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh government.
He was th ...
and Gayatri Adhikari at Karkuli in Purba Medinipur district
East Medinipur (Alternative spelling ''Midnapore'') district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the southernmost district of Medinipur division – one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The ...
in West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. Sisir Adhikari is a politician, and former Minister of State
Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
in Second Manmohan Singh ministry
The Second Manmohan Singh ministry came into existence after the general election in 2009. The results of the election were announced on 16 May 2009 and led to the formation of the 15th Lok Sabha. Manmohan Singh took the oath as the 13th Prim ...
and was elected to the Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
from Kanthi constituency in 2019. Adhikari is unmarried.
One of Suvendu's brothers, Soumendu, was the chairman of the Kanthi municipal corporation , now elected from kathi lok sabha constituency in 18th lok sabha . Dibyendu Adhikari
Dibyendu Adhikari (born 24 December 1976) is an Indian politician from the state of West Bengal in India. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Tamluk in 2019 as a member of Trinamool Congress.
Dibyendu Adhikari's father Sisir Adhikari and elder bro ...
, elected to Lok Sabha in 2019 from Tamluk constituency, is also his brother.
Adhikari received a Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree from Netaji Subhas Open University
Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) is a state open university imparting distance education in eastern India.
History
It was established in 1997 to commemorate the birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It has its headquarters at 1, ...
.
Early political career
Adhikari was first elected as a councillor from Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
in the Kanthi Municipality in 1995. In 2006, Adhikari was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paścimabaṅga Vidhānasabhā'') is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal, located in eastern India. It consists of 294 members directly elected from single-seat ...
from Kanthi Dakshin constituency. He also became the chairman of Kanthi Municipality in the same year.
In 2007, Adhikari spearheaded the anti-land-acquisition movement in the Nandigram
Nandigram is a census town in the Nandigram I Community development block, Community Development Block of the Haldia subdivision in the Purba Medinipur district of the India, Indian state of West Bengal.
In 2007, the West Bengal government all ...
. He led the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee
Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee ('Committee against Land Evictions') was an organisation in West Bengal, India, formed to oppose the set-up of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the rural area of Nandigram.
History
It formed an important role in r ...
. 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
A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...
. This movement catapulted Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 2 ...
to the centre-stage of Bengali politics. The state CID alleged that Adhikari had supplied arms to the Maoists to wage an armed movement against the state government.
After Adhikari's success in Nandigram, Banerjee made him the party's observer (in-charge) of the Jangal Mahal i.e. Paschim Medinipur
Paschim Medinipur (English: ''West Medinipur'', alternative spelling ''Midnapore'') district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal, India. It was formed on 1 January 2002 after the partition of Midnapore into Paschim Medinipur a ...
, Purulia
Purulia, officially Purulia Sadar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purulia district. It is located on the north of the Kangsabati River.
Geography
Location
Purulia is locate ...
and Bankura
Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district.
Etymology
It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”.P.R. Sarkar Rarh - ...
districts. He was successful in expanding the party's base in these districts. In 2009, he was elected to the Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
from the Tamluk constituency. He defeated his nearest rival Lakshman Seth of Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
by a margin of approximately 173,000 votes.
In the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in 2016 for 294 seats of the ''Vidhan Sabha'' in the Indian state of West Bengal. The All India Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee won 211 seats, and thus was re-elected with an enhanced majority. ...
, Adhikari was pitted against Abdul Kadir Sheikh of the Left Front - Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
alliance in Nandigram constituency. After getting elected, he resigned as an MP from Tamluk constituency. He was sworn in as the Minister of Transport in the Second Mamata Banerjee ministry
Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal on 27 May 2016. Here is the list of ministers.
Council of Ministers
Minister of State (Independent charge)
Minister of State
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banerjee 0 ...
on 27 May 2016. Adhikari resigned from the post of chairman of Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC), a statutory body under the Government of West Bengal on 26 November 2020. He also resigned as West Bengal Transport Minister on 27 November 2020. 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. On 17 December 2020 he resigned from the primary membership of All India Trinamool Congress.
On 19 December 2020, he joined Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah
Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...
.
2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
He defeated the sitting chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 2 ...
in Nandigram assembly seat in 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
The 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election was the 17th quinquennial List of Indian state legislative assembly elections, legislative election held in Elections in West Bengal, West Bengal, to elect List of constituencies of the West ...
by 1,956 votes. Mamata Banerjee has filed an election petition in Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located at Esplanade Row West, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. T ...
challenging the verdict of Nandigram.
On 10 May, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
Ravi Shankar Prasad (born 30 August 1954) is an Indian politician and lawyer, from the Bharatiya Janata Party. A Member of Parliament since 2000, first in the Rajya Sabha (2000–2019) and then in the Lok Sabha (since 2019), Prasad has served a ...
announced Suvendu Adhikari as leader of the BJP legislature party in the West Bengal assembly.
Electoral history
* 1995 : Elected as a councillor from Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
in the Contai Municipality
* 2006 : Elected to West Bengal Vidhan Sabha, from Kanthi Dakshin (Vidhan Sabha constituency) as member of AITC .
** Resigned mid-term to join Lok Sabha
* 2009 : Elected to Lok Sabha, from Tamluk (Lok Sabha constituency)
Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 Lok Sabha, parliamentary constituencies in India. All seven assembly segments under Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency are in Purba Medinipur district.
Assembly segments
As per order of the Delimita ...
, member of AITC (All India Trinamool Congress)
* 2014 : Elected to Lok Sabha, from Tamluk (Lok Sabha constituency)
Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 Lok Sabha, parliamentary constituencies in India. All seven assembly segments under Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency are in Purba Medinipur district.
Assembly segments
As per order of the Delimita ...
** Resigned mid-term to join Vidhan Sabha
* 2016 : Elected to West Bengal Vidhan Sabha, from Nandigram (Vidhan Sabha constituency), member of AITC
* 2021 : Elected to West Bengal Vidhan Sabha by beating Mamata Banerjee, from Nandigram (Vidhan Sabha constituency), member of BJP
Controversies
Saradha scam
Adhikari was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic crime investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and gover ...
in September 2014 for his alleged role in the Saradha Group financial scandal
The Saradha Group financial scandal was a major political scandal caused by the collapse of a Ponzi scheme run by Saradha Group, a consortium of over 200 private companies that was believed to be running collective investment schemes popularly ...
. A former employee of the company alleged the company's head Sudipto Sen met Adhikari before fleeing to Kashmir. Adhikari rejected such allegations.
Narada Sting Operation Case
Adhikari has been linked to the Narada sting operation case. The case originated from a 2014 sting operation conducted by Mathew Samuel
Mathew Samuel is a former managing editor of the Indian news magazine ''Tehelka''. He is one of the members of the magazine, and as a special correspondent there, he instigated Tehelka's biggest corruption investigation, Operation West End. Thi ...
, in which several TMC leaders, including Adhikari, were allegedly filmed accepting cash bribes from a company in exchange for promised favours. While Adhikari denied the allegations and questioned the authenticity of the footage, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched investigations into the matter. In 2021, after Adhikari's defection to the BJP, the probe attracted renewed attention due to the political implications and ongoing legal proceedings. The case remains under investigation.
Communal Remarks
In March 2025, Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paścimabaṅga Vidhānasabhā'') is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal, located in eastern India. It consists of 294 members directly elected from single-seat ...
, sparked controversy by making a communal remark during a protest over the suspension of BJP MLAs, stating that Muslim MLAs would be "thrown out" of the Assembly when the BJP came to power. The comment provoked strong backlash from Trinamool Congress leaders, including Humayun Kabir and Siddiqullah Chowdhury, and led to the tabling of a censure motion by the Treasury Benches. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the remark, accusing the BJP of promoting divisive politics. The BJP defended Adhikari, claiming he made the comment outside the House while being suspended. The episode intensified communal and political tensions in the state, with protests, Assembly walkouts, and a police complaint filed by former Congress MLA Ali Imran Ramz against Adhikari for his communal rhetoric.
See also
* 2021 Nandigram controversy
Notes
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adhikari, Suvendu
1970 births
Living people
India MPs 2009–2014
People from Purba Medinipur district
Lok Sabha members from West Bengal
Trinamool Congress politicians from West Bengal
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from West Bengal
West Bengal MLAs 2021–2026
India MPs 2014–2019
West Bengal MLAs 2016–2021
West Bengal MLAs 2006–2011
Leaders of the opposition in West Bengal
State cabinet ministers of West Bengal
Indian National Congress politicians from West Bengal
West Bengal municipal councillors