Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party named a chief minister of West Bengal state on Friday, cementing its thumping win in key elections in the bastion long held by its adversary.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed a landmark 207 out of 294 seats in the legislative assembly in Monday’s results, marking its first electoral victory in the largely Bengali-speaking state of more than 100 million.
The results should put Modi on a stronger footing while he battles a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rates and a pending US trade deal, ahead of a general election in 2029.
The BJP named Suvendu Adhikari as chief minister of West Bengal, the party’s leader and Indian interior minister Amit Shah said Friday.
“It was decided unanimously,” Shah told reporters after a meeting of BJP’s elected members in the eastern state.
Adhikari will be sworn in on Saturday, the BJP’s West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya said.
Votes were counted under tight security in West Bengal — one of five states and territories across India that held elections in April and May and where results were also announced on Monday.
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