Chaos, confusion and celebration mark Bengal’s first BJP govt swearing-in at Brigade

Kolkata witnessed scenes of massive celebration, political theatre and severe disruption on Saturday as Suvendu Adhikari took oath as West Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister at the historic Brigade Parade Ground.

While BJP supporters described the day as “historic”, the grand ceremony also exposed significant organisational strain, strict restrictions and widespread inconvenience across large parts of the city.

From early morning, lakhs of supporters flooded central Kolkata carrying saffron flags, beating drums and chanting “Jai Shri Ram”. Roads around the Maidan, Esplanade and Hastings areas became heavily congested long before Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the venue.

Despite the swearing-in ceremony being projected as open to the public, many supporters were left angry after being denied entry to the Brigade grounds because they lacked official identity cards distributed by local BJP leaders and organisers.

Large queues formed outside multiple entry gates from morning onwards. Police and central forces conducted rigorous security checks, allowing entry only to those carrying approved passes or identification documents.

Several supporters who had travelled overnight from districts such as Bankura, Purulia and Cooch Behar alleged that they were unable to enter despite arriving hours in advance.

One frustrated BJP worker from East Midnapore said, “We came all the way to see Suvendu babu become Chief Minister, but without the party card they would not let us enter. We waited for hours outside.”

Police sources indicated that thousands of people remained outside the barricaded areas during the ceremony as security agencies refused to relax entry protocols because of the presence of high-profile VVIPs, including Modi, Amit Shah and several Chief Ministers.

The entire Brigade area resembled a fortified security zone. The ground was divided into around 35 sectors, with IPS officers supervising different blocks. Drones monitored crowds continuously while police personnel occupied rooftops of surrounding buildings.

Attendees were prohibited from carrying umbrellas, bags or even water bottles into the venue. In the intense afternoon heat, many supporters complained of discomfort after being forced to discard water bottles at entry points.

An elderly supporter standing outside one of the gates said, “We understand security is important, but people have been standing in the sun for hours without water.”

Central forces and the Special Protection Group maintained a tight cordon around VVIP enclosures, where nearly 40 high-profile guests were seated.

The scale of the celebration and the sweeping security restrictions threw Kolkata traffic badly out of gear for most of the day.

Major roads surrounding the Maidan, including stretches near Victoria Memorial, Cathedral Road, Kidderpore Road and AJC Bose Road, faced severe congestion from morning till evening.

Goods vehicles were barred from entering large parts of the city between 4 am and 8 pm. Although emergency vehicles were exempted, commuters reported unusually long delays across central Kolkata.

Officegoers, patients travelling to hospitals and ordinary commuters found themselves stranded for hours as roads were repeatedly stopped to facilitate VVIP movement.

A taxi driver near Esplanade remarked bitterly, “Today the whole city became a political stage. Ordinary people suffered the most.”

Public buses moved slowly through packed roads while many commuters chose to walk long distances after traffic diversions left several routes paralysed.

Inside Brigade, the atmosphere remained deeply political and heavily symbolic. BJP supporters danced to dhak beats, blew conch shells and shouted religious slogans while saffron flags covered large sections of the ground.

Food stalls selling jhalmuri, sitabhog and mihidana did brisk business throughout the day. However, several attendees noticed that non-vegetarian food was entirely absent from the venue and surrounding organised stalls despite Bengal’s strong culinary association with fish and meat dishes.

Party organisers appeared to consciously project a culturally controlled and devotional atmosphere around the event, especially as the ceremony coincided with the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

One attendee commented quietly, “It felt more like a religious-political gathering than a typical Bengal public event. Everything was very carefully curated.”

While Brigade erupted in celebration, the atmosphere outside the residence of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Harish Chatterjee Street was subdued and tense.

The roads there appeared unusually empty except for police personnel, paramilitary troops and a small group of Trinamool supporters who had gathered outside her residence.

Prime Minister Modi’s arrival generated some of the loudest cheers of the day. Travelling in a flower-decorated open-top vehicle, he acknowledged supporters continuously as chants and drumbeats echoed through the grounds.

On stage, Modi first offered floral tributes to Rabindranath Tagore before performing a full sastanga pranam to the people of Bengal — a gesture many BJP workers described as deeply emotional and politically significant.

The Prime Minister later posted a video of the moment on social media, writing that he bowed before the “people’s power of West Bengal”.

For BJP supporters, the ceremony marked the fulfilment of a long political journey in Bengal. Yet beneath the celebration, the day also revealed the immense logistical pressure, security anxieties and public disruption that accompanied the transfer of power.

As crowds finally dispersed from Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata was left exhausted after a day that combined triumph, tension, symbolism and chaos in almost equal measure.