Photo caption (from left to right): Sukanta Majumdar, Governor R. N. Ravi, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, and Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal (Img: Dynamite News)
Kolkata: West Bengal witnessed a grand Mahalaya celebration at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Saturday. According to Dynamite News, around 40,000 people attended a large-scale Durga Puja event organised by the state government.
The event also marked the first Durga Puja celebration under the Bharatiya Janata Party government since it came to power in the state.
The state Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the event alongside members of his Council of Ministers and stressed that this year’s celebrations would follow established religious traditions. His remarks also took a dig at the practices followed under his predecessor, Mamata Banerjee.
“All Durga Pujas will follow the proper religious traditions this year,” Adhikari said.
He argued that celebrations should not begin before Mahalaya and said religious observances must follow their prescribed traditions and dates.
“This is the first time pujas have not been inaugurated before time. This is our tradition; everybody has to follow the religious scripture and traditions. Every religion has its own rules and regulations. No Chief Minister has enough power to change the dates of religious events on their own will,” CM Adhikari said.
The Chief Minister had earlier made it clear that his government would not allow Durga Puja committees to inaugurate festivities before Mahalaya.
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari and other dignitaries attend the grand Mahalaya celebration at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens (Img: Dynamite News)
CM said that the number of community Durga Pujas had increased following the change of government. According to him, 12,400 additional community pujas are being organised this year, compared with 45,000 in 2025 under the previous government.
He also appealed to major Puja committees not to seek financial assistance from the state. The BJP government has, however, continued the cash incentive scheme introduced during Banerjee’s tenure in 2018.
“Over 200 Puja committees in Kolkata did not take the financial help, responding to my appeal to them to let go of this financial assistance,” CM Adhikari said.
The West Bengal government hosted a massive Durga Puja event at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Saturday, drawing an estimated 40,000 people. Held on the occasion of Mahalaya, the event marked the BJP government’s first Durga Puja celebration in the state since coming to power. #WB #Bengal #Mahalaya #EdenGardens @PIBKolkata @TourismBengal
— Dynamite News (@DynamiteNews_) October 10, 2026
The celebrations continued for several hours, featuring drone displays and performances by artists including Shantanu Moitra and Kaushiki Chakraborty.
Ravi described the event as a reflection of the government’s devotion to Maa Durga and expressed optimism about the state’s future.
“Because of Maa Durga’s blessings, West Bengal now has a new sunrise and has a government which believes and prays to Maa Durga. Just a few months back, there was hopelessness here, but today that has changed, and there is hope in West Bengal now... Even people who come from outside, delegations who meet me say that this is a great time to invest in Bengal, this is Maa Durga’s blessing,” the Governor said.
