CM Rekha Gupta joins Durga Puja celebrations in Shalimar Bagh
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
On the occasion of Durga Puja, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stepped into the festive spirit of Shalimar Bagh on the evening of Saturday, October 17, 2026, attending two major community pandals and invoking blessings of Maa Bhagwati for the people of Delhi.
Two pandals, one message of cultural pride
The Chief Minister visited the Adarsh Mithila Samiti pandal at PWD Park and the Mithilanchal Purvanchal Manch celebration at DDA Maidan — both prominent community-organised festivals drawing devotees from Delhi's large eastern-Indian diaspora. Posting on X with the salutation 'Jai Mata Di', Gupta described the worship of Maa Durga as 'a sacred celebration of power, devotion, and the glorious traditions of our Sanatan culture.'
Organisers at both venues, she noted, expressed warm gratitude for arrangements facilitated by the Delhi Government for Durga Puja committees — a gesture she called 'inspiring' and a source of motivation for her administration.
Shalimar Bagh's role as a Puja hub
Shalimar Bagh, a northwest Delhi neighbourhood, has long served as a gathering point for communities with roots in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh — regions where Durga Puja and Chhath Puja carry deep cultural weight. Public parks and DDA grounds in the area are routinely made available for pandal installations during the festive season, a practice successive Delhi administrations have continued.
Gupta concluded her post with a prayer: 'Maa Bhagwati se samast Delhi parivar ke sukh, samridhi aur mangal ki prarthana hai' — 'A prayer to Maa Bhagwati for the happiness, prosperity, and well-being of the entire Delhi family.'
As Delhi's festive calendar moves toward Diwali, the Chief Minister's visible presence at community celebrations signals an active cultural outreach — one that speaks directly to the city's vast migrant communities from eastern India.