Kolkata, May 8 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata on Friday to choose the new leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Legislative Party in the West Bengal Assembly, who will assume the role of the new Chief Minister of the state following the BJP’s resounding victory in the recently held elections, the results of which were announced on May 4.

His flight landed at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at around 11 a.m. He was greeted at the airport by top state BJP leaders of West Bengal, namely the party state president and Rajya Sabha member, Samik Bhattacharya and the former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.

From the airport, the Union Home Minister went straight to the iconic Goddess Kali temple in the North 24 Parganas district, where he offered prayers.

His next destination is a hotel in the New Town in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, where he will have lunch. Thereafter, he will be holding a meeting with the newly elected BJP legislators at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, also in New Town.

At the meeting, the leader of the BJP’s Legislative Party in the Assembly, who will also be the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal since independence, will be selected.

After selection, the new leader of the BJP’s Legislative Party and the future Chief Minister will go to Lok Bhaban in Kolkata and place the plea for forming the new state cabinet to the Governor, R.N. Ravi.

As per HM Shah’s schedule provided by the West Bengal unit of the BJP, he will be staying at the same hotel in New Town. On Saturday morning, from the hotel, he will go straight to the Brigade Parade Ground in central Kolkata, where the oath ceremony of the CM and the new cabinet will be held.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, HM Shah, Chief Ministers from other BJP-ruled states and top central leaders of the party will be present at the oath ceremony.

Extensive security arrangements are already in place at the Brigade Parade Ground for the ceremony on Saturday, which will start from 10 a.m.

–IANS

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