Kolkata, 16 May (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday met senior actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty at his New Town residence here and described him as one of the key figures behind the political change in the state.

The meeting, the first between the two after Adhikari took oath as chief minister, lasted for around an hour.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Adhikari said Chakraborty had worked tirelessly over the past several years to strengthen the BJP in West Bengal and bring political change in the state.

“Mithun da is one of the key architects behind the BJP’s victory in Bengal. He worked selflessly for six years to bring change in the state,” the chief minister said.

Adhikari said Chakraborty had wanted to meet him after the swearing-in ceremony, but he insisted on visiting the actor himself.

“I told him that the chief minister shaped by him would come to meet him,” Adhikari said.

Praising the actor’s popularity, the chief minister said Chakraborty’s appeal went beyond party lines.

“Mithun da’s popularity is not limited to the BJP. He is a ‘Mahaguru’. I came here to seek his blessings,” he added.

Chakraborty, who campaigned extensively for the BJP during the Assembly elections, said Adhikari was the best possible choice for the chief minister’s post.

“There could not have been a better chief minister for West Bengal. Since taking oath, he has been continuously working,” the actor said.

The two leaders also discussed promises made during the BJP’s election campaign and ways to implement them, sources said.

Later, Adhikari, in a social media post, praised Chakraborty for his contribution towards the BJP’s rise in Bengal and for “working relentlessly to restore the pride of West Bengal”.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey