In the quiet hours past midnight, as people in most parts of Bengal slept, Contai remained awake for its most celebrated son.
Hours after taking oath as the ninth chief minister of Bengal in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah in Calcutta on Saturday, Suvendu Adhikari returned to his ancestral home Santikunj in the coastal town of Contai, East Midnapore, around 2am on Sunday.
Suvendu's parents, veteran politician Sisir Adhikari and Gayatri Debi, remained awake deep into the night to welcome their second son, fondly nicknamed Bubai.
Outside Santikunj, the night resembled anything but ordinary. Thousands of BJP supporters, residents and onlookers crowded the narrow lanes around the Adhikari residence from midnight onward, waiting for a glimpse of the man who rose from the grassroots politics of East Midnapore to the chief minister’s chair.
It took nearly half an hour for Suvendu's convoy to negotiate the swelling crowd after entering the neighbourhood around 2am.
The atmosphere in the locality was festive. Slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” echoed through the streets as flower petals rained on the convoy. The chief minister’s vehicle eventually came to a halt a little before the entrance to the house as supporters surged forward with garlands, bouquets and sweets. Suvendu stepped out of the car amid loud cheers and folded his hands repeatedly in acknowledgement of the greetings showered upon him.
“It has become very late at night. Please now go back home and take rest,” the visibly emotional chief minister told the crowd of his hometown with folded hands after accepting their greetings.
For many in Contai, the scene carried emotional weight beyond politics. Residents described it as the triumphant return of the “son of the soil” after a prolonged and bitter political battle that ultimately reshaped Bengal’s political landscape.
Suvendu’s rise to the top office is widely viewed in the district as a culmination of decades of organisational politics led by the influential Adhikari family.
As soon as Suvendu entered Santikunj, he was welcomed by his 12-year-old niece Dipanwita, daughter of his brother and BJP MLA Dibyendu Adhikari, who greeted him with lotuses. Suvendu hugged her before proceeding inside.
His mother Gayatri Debi welcomed him in the traditional Bengali manner with “dhan-durba” paddy grains and sacred grass symbolising abundance, vitality and blessings for longevity.
Suvendu was both surprised and concerned to see his aged parents waiting for him so late despite their frail health, sources said.
His younger brother and BJP MLA from Egra, Dibyendu Adhikari, said the chief minister maintained a simple routine at home despite the extraordinary political occasion.
“Since it was very late, Dada did not eat anything then. He woke up around 6am on Sunday and had ruti-sabji for breakfast. He ate a home-cooked lunch of hilsa fish, posto, dal and bhetki fish. In the afternoon, after having green tea, he left again for Calcutta,” Dibyendu told The Telegraph.
On Sunday morning, crowds continued to gather outside Santikunj, many hoping for one more glimpse of the newly sworn-in chief minister before he left for Calcutta.
On his way to Calcutta, Suvendu's convoy was forced to make an unscheduled halt at Nandakumar, where people lined both sides of the road waiting to greet him. Suvendu stepped out of his vehicle and met the crowd personally. Amid loud cheers and slogans, he walked a few hundred metres with the people, accepting their greetings and congratulations.
Social media
On Sunday morning, Suvendu posted a message on social media marking Mother’s Day. “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Respect and gratitude to every mother for making the world a better place. Happy Mother’s Day,” he wrote. Suvendu also changed his Facebook and X cover pictures and his Facebook profile picture, using photographs from the swearing-in ceremony.
Arrest
Alipurduar police arrested a man for allegedly using abusive language against the new chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari. Atul Ghosh, 39, a resident of the Banchukamari area under the Alipurduar police station limits, on the outskirts of the town, allegedly abused Suvendu in a video that surfaced on social media. He was arrested on Saturday evening and produced in a local court on Sunday. The court remanded him to 14 days in judicial custody.