CM Rekha Gupta Extends Chhath Puja Sandhya Arghya Wishes to Delhi
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
As the sun dipped toward the horizon on Sunday, 15 November 2026, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta extended heartfelt greetings to devotees across the capital observing Sandhya Arghya — the evening offering at the heart of Chhath Puja, one of Hinduism's most demanding and deeply revered festivals.
Posting on X in Hindi, CM Gupta wrote: 'उगते सूर्य के साथ अस्ताचलगामी सूर्यदेव को भी समान श्रद्धा से नमन करना हमारी सनातन संस्कृति का अद्भुत दर्शन है' — 'Bowing with equal reverence to the setting sun as to the rising sun is a remarkable philosophy of our Sanatan culture.' She prayed that every devotee's fast be fulfilled and every family remain happy and prosperous, signing off with 'Jai Chhathi Maiya!'
Why Chhath Runs Deep in Delhi
Delhi hosts one of the country's largest concentrations of migrants from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, communities for whom Chhath Puja is not merely a festival but a cultural anchor. Over the past decade, the celebration has grown markedly visible across the capital — river banks, parks, and designated ghats filling with families who observe a gruelling multi-day fast, standing in water to offer arghya at both dusk and dawn.
The festival's demand — no food or water for extended periods, immersion in open water bodies, pre-dawn vigils — sets it apart from most Hindu observances. Its philosophy of worshipping the sun in both its rising and setting forms, as CM Gupta highlighted, reflects a rare emphasis on equality and cyclical gratitude rather than triumph alone.
A Political Acknowledgement With a Cultural Constituency
State leaders across India routinely issue public greetings on major regional festivals, but Chhath carries particular political weight in Delhi, where the Bihari diaspora forms a substantial and electorally significant community. CM Gupta's message — invoking samabhav (equanimity), samarpan (dedication), and gratitude toward nature — mirrors the festival's own core values and signals the BJP-led Delhi government's attentiveness to this constituency.
Her post carried the hashtag #दिल्ली_में_दिव्य_भव्य_छठ ('Divine and Grand Chhath in Delhi'), suggesting official enthusiasm for the scale of this year's observances across the capital's ghats.