📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / HridoyKundu
Politics
BJP-led West Bengal government inaugurates Durga Puja at Eden Gardens
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 11 Oct 2026, 01:17 AM
👁 15
The BJP‑run West Bengal government inaugurated its first Durga Puja celebrations with a large‑scale event at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, marking a political debut of the festival under the party’s rule.
Kolkata – The BJP‑led administration in West Bengal marked a new chapter by launching its inaugural Durga Puja celebration at the city’s iconic Eden Gardens. Described as a mega event, the gathering brought together party officials, local administrators and a crowd of devotees to signal the government’s engagement with the state’s most revered festival.
The ceremony featured traditional lighting, music and cultural performances that are customary during the nine‑day Puja period. Organisers highlighted the event as an effort to blend political outreach with cultural heritage, emphasizing inclusivity and communal harmony.
Analysts note that the state’s decision to host the festival at a high‑profile venue underscores the BJP’s strategy to connect with Bengal’s cultural identity ahead of upcoming electoral contests.
The ceremony featured traditional lighting, music and cultural performances that are customary during the nine‑day Puja period. Organisers highlighted the event as an effort to blend political outreach with cultural heritage, emphasizing inclusivity and communal harmony.
Analysts note that the state’s decision to host the festival at a high‑profile venue underscores the BJP’s strategy to connect with Bengal’s cultural identity ahead of upcoming electoral contests.