Mamta’s farewell, there will be a blast on 9th May! Bengal will get a new Chief Minister on the day of Rabindra Jayanti

Kolkata: A new era is about to begin in the politics of West Bengal. Bharatiya Janata Party has announced that the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Bengal will be held on May 9. Interestingly, on this day the whole of Bengal celebrates ‘Tagore Jayanti’ (Ravindra Jayanti). It is being seen as a unique combination of Bengal’s rich cultural heritage and major political change. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya confirmed, saying, ‘The swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister of West Bengal will take place on May 9.’

PM Modi had already predicted

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a big hint regarding this date of oath-taking during the election campaign itself. At one of his last election rallies, a public meeting in Barrackpore, he had confidently said, ‘I will come to Bengal again after the results on May 4, to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP.’ After the historic mandate on Monday, PM Modi, while addressing the workers from Delhi headquarters, recalled the immortal lines of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in which he had envisioned a ‘fear-free’ and ‘self-respecting’ Bengal.

Constitutional process started

After the election results, the formal process of forming the government has now intensified. Senior Election Commission official Principal Secretary S.B. Joshi and Secretary Sujit Kumar Mishra are reaching Kolkata from Delhi today. They will submit the Official Gazette notification of the election results to the Chief Electoral Officer. After this, on May 6, Governor R. N. Ravi will be formally informed. As per constitutional rules, the Governor will call on outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resign and may request her to serve as caretaker Chief Minister until the new government is formed.

The big message behind the date of May 9

Political experts believe that choosing the day of May 9 i.e. ‘Pochishe Boishakh’ is a well-thought-out strategy of the BJP. Rabindranath Tagore is the soul of Bengali identity and culture. After more than four decades of rule by the Left and then the Trinamool Congress, the BJP wants to take oath on this day to send a message that this is not just a change of power but the beginning of a “new and cultural Bengal”. At present, preparations for the oath-taking ceremony are going on war footing in Kolkata and its formal government announcement will also be made soon.