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Suvendu Adhikari Opens Bengal Durga Puja Season at Eden
Suvendu Adhikari began West Bengal’s Durga Puja season with events in Kolkata.
A roadshow took place on Red Road, followed by a large carnival at Eden Gardens.
Adhikari said the state has added 12,400 Durga Pujas this year.
He said celebrations should begin during Devi Paksha, and that idol immersions must be finished by October 24.
The government has offered Puja committees a grant of ₹1 lakh and a full electricity-bill rebate.
Adhikari said more than 200 committees in Kolkata chose not to take the grant.
The carnival included music, traditional dances, a drone show and a performance about Mahishasuramardini.
Governor R.N. Ravi said he believed Bengal’s fortunes had improved under leadership devoted to Ma Durga.
Suvendu Adhikari opened Bengal’s 2026 Durga Puja celebrations with an Eden Gardens carnival after a Mahalaya roadshow on Red Road.
He said 12,400 new Pujas had been added this year, compared with 45,000 in the state in 2025.
Adhikari said celebrations would begin during Devi Paksha, not Pitri Paksha, and immersions must finish by October 24.
He said organisers could receive a ₹1 lakh grant and a full electricity-bill rebate; more than 200 Kolkata committees had declined the grant.
The events featured cultural performances, a drone and laser show, 3,000 dhakis, and a Mahishasuramardini presentation.
- Who
- Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, Governor R.N. Ravi, Puja organisers and cultural performers.
- What
- The opening of West Bengal’s 2026 Durga Puja celebrations, including a Red Road roadshow and an Eden Gardens carnival.
- Where
- Red Road and Eden Gardens in Kolkata, West Bengal.
- When
- On Mahalaya; the article identifies the celebrations as the 2026 season.
- Why
- To begin the Durga Puja season; Adhikari said the timing was chosen to start during Devi Paksha and preserve the Puja’s religious sanctity.
Adhikari’s explanation
Ravi’s explanation
Bengal’s direction
Adhikari’s explanation
Adhikari presented the new government as respectful of Sanatani tradition and called for building a Viksit Bharat under Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Ravi’s explanation
Ravi attributed Bengal’s past decline to governments he described as atheist and said the state now had leadership devoted to Ma Durga.
Key facts
- New Pujas
- Adhikari said 12,400 new Durga Pujas had been added in Bengal this year.
- Pujas in 2025
- Adhikari said Bengal had 45,000 Durga Pujas in 2025.
- Grant
- ₹1 lakh for Puja organisers; Adhikari said eligible applicants would begin receiving it on Sunday.
- Kolkata committees declining grant
- More than 200, according to Adhikari.
- Electricity bills
- Adhikari said Puja committees would receive a full rebate.
- Immersion deadline
- October 24, according to Adhikari.
- Eden Gardens performers
- The programme included 3,000 dhakis, singers and a Mahishasuramardini presentation.
Quotes
Bidisha Bhattacharjya
Attendee who travelled to Eden Gardens from Salt Lake.
“As a result, West Bengal, the leading state, kept going down and down, into a deep abyss. With Durga’s blessings, time and tide have turned. Today, there is a new dawn in Bengal. The state has a leadership that is devoted to Ma Durga. Her energy will inspire us to build golden Bengal. The journey has begun.”
telegraphindia.com
“This year, 12,400 new Durga Pujas have been added in Bengal. In 2025, the state had 45,000 Durga Pujas. We now have a nationalistic double-engine sarkar that respects Sanatani tradition. The cultural programme has been organised in keeping with that tradition.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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