On Thursday, Samik Bhattacharya, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party, was unanimously chosen as the party’s president for West Bengal, taking over from Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar.

This election of the new state president occurs as the party aims to contest against the ruling Trinamool Congress in the forthcoming 2026 Assembly elections in the state. Bhattacharya previously served as an MLA in the West Bengal Assembly for the Basirhat constituency from 2014 to 2016 and was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP representing the state starting in April 2024.

The newly appointed state president has taken over from Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, who held the position for four years, having been elected on September 20, 2021.

Earlier today, following the celebration of his election, Majumdar remarked that this election marks the beginning of a “continuous relay race,” and he expressed optimism about “uprooting” the government led by Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming election.