Kolkata, India – India’s Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to inaugurate two Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata this September, marking his return to Bengal’s biggest cultural festival after a year’s gap. The move comes just months ahead of the 2026 state elections, underscoring the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) bid to deepen its presence in West Bengal’s cultural landscape.
According to BJP sources, Shah is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata on September 22, a day after Mahalaya which signals the beginning of the festival’s Devi Paksha (the fortnight dedicated to the goddess). He is likely to inaugurate the Durga Puja at Santosh Mitra Square — a high-profile community puja in central Kolkata — followed by another at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake, organised under the banner of the “Paschimbanga Sanskriti Mancha,” a BJP-backed cultural platform.
In 2023, Shah inaugurated the Santosh Mitra Square puja, themed around the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The EZCC puja, meanwhile, has been a BJP initiative since 2020, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched it during the pandemic.
This year, Santosh Mitra Square is adopting the theme “Operation Sindoor,” while BJP’s cultural cell, led by actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh, is steering the EZCC celebration.
Despite BJP’s confidence, the official confirmation of Shah’s visit is still awaited from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Until then, both puja committees are refraining from public announcements.
Durga Puja, recently recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is Bengal’s largest festival and a significant stage for political signalling. While Kolkata’s marquee pujas are usually helmed by non-political community groups, the BJP has sought to carve out its own space in the celebrations, projecting the involvement of its central leaders as a show of strength.
Shah’s last inauguration in 2023 came months after the BJP suffered setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections in Bengal. His return to the city’s festive stage this year, BJP insiders suggest, is aimed at energising the party’s cadre and reclaiming lost ground before the assembly polls.
