Suvendu Adhikhari is new Bengal CM: How Nandigram movement in 2007 catapulted his political career

Once a trusted lieutenant of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Suvendu Adhikari is all set to take oath as West Bengal CM on May 9, with the BJP forming its first ever government in the state. Adhikari was elected the leader of the BJP legislature party in West Bengal on May 8, paving the way for him to become the first BJP chief minister of the state.

The rise of Suvendu Adhikari from a regional organiser in East Midnapore to the face of the BJP in Bengal is closely tied to the 2007 Nandigram movement — one of the most defining political turning points in West Bengal’s history. The anti-land acquisition agitation not only weakened the 34-year-old Left Front government but also reshaped Bengal’s political leadership for years to come. 

What was the Nandigram movement of 2007? 

The Nandigram movement began in January 2007 after the then Left Front government led by the CPI(M) proposed acquiring nearly 10,000 acres of land in East Midnapore for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and chemical hub project backed by Indonesia’s Salim Group. 

Local farmers and villagers feared losing their agricultural land and livelihoods. Resistance quickly grew into a mass agitation under the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (Committee Against Land Eviction), which opposed forced land acquisition. 

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The movement turned violent on March 14, 2007, when police firing during protests left 14 people dead, triggering statewide outrage. The incident became a major political flashpoint and severely damaged the Left Front government’s image. 

How Suvendu Adhikari become face of the protest? 

At the time, Suvendu Adhikari was a rising Trinamool Congress leader from the politically influential Adhikari family of East Midnapore. He emerged as one of the chief organisers of the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram and played a key role in mobilising villagers and coordinating protests on the ground. 

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While Mamata Banerjee led the broader political campaign against the Left, Adhikari became the movement’s most visible local face. His grassroots control in the region helped the Trinamool Congress expand rapidly across rural Bengal. 

The Nandigram agitation transformed Adhikari from a district-level politician into a statewide political figure. Following the movement, he rose quickly within the TMC, winning the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and later becoming a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. 

Why was the anti-land acquisition movement important? 

The Nandigram and Singur movements fundamentally changed Bengal politics. They helped the Trinamool Congress position itself as the defender of farmers and rural communities against industrial land acquisition policies. 

The agitation significantly weakened the Left Front, which had ruled West Bengal uninterrupted since 1977. Political analysts widely view Nandigram as the beginning of the Left’s decline and the turning point that paved the way for Mamata Banerjee’s victory in the 2011 Assembly elections. 

For Suvendu Adhikari personally, the movement created a lasting political identity. Even after he left the TMC and joined the BJP in 2020, Nandigram remained central to his political narrative. In 2021, he defeated Mamata Banerjee in the high-profile Nandigram Assembly contest, cementing his stature as one of Bengal’s most influential leaders. 

The Nandigram agitation made Suvendu Adhikari a major grassroots leader in Bengal politics. His role in organising protests and mobilising local support increased his influence within the Trinamool Congress and later helped build his image as a powerful mass leader in Bengal politics.