CR Paatil joins Chhath Puja in Surat's Sachin, meets devotees
Synopsis
Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil attended a Chhath Puja event in Surat's Sachin and Pardi-Kanade areas, joining North Indian migrants at a celebration organised by the Gujarat Uttar Bharatiya Seva Sangh Chhath Samiti.
Key Takeaways
Paatil attended Chhath Puja in Surat's Pardi-Kanade and Sachin areas.
The event was organised by the Gujarat Uttar Bharatiya Seva Sangh Chhath Samiti , a local committee serving North Indian migrants.
Paatil met fasting devotees and worshippers at the gathering and shared a video glimpse on X.
Surat hosts a large population of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who observe Chhath Puja.
Senior BJP leaders attending Chhath events in Gujarat is an established pattern of community outreach.
Amid the glow of diyas and the sound of folk hymns, Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil joined thousands of North Indian migrants at a Chhath Puja celebration in Surat's Pardi-Kanade and Sachin areas, meeting fasting devotees and worshippers at an event organised by the Gujarat Uttar Bharatiya Seva Sangh Chhath Samiti.
The minister shared a glimpse of the gathering on X, describing it as a moment spent with 'sab vratiyon evam shraddhaaluon' — all fasting devotees and worshippers — a phrase that captures the deeply personal, communal character of the festival.
Chhath in Gujarat: a festival that travelled with its people
Chhath Puja, dedicated to the Sun God and traditionally rooted in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, has followed its devotees westward. Surat, one of India's fastest-growing industrial cities, hosts one of the largest concentrations of North Indian migrants in Gujarat — workers and traders who carried the festival's rituals, its pre-dawn river baths, and its earthy folk songs thousands of kilometres from the Gangetic plains.
Organisations like the Gujarat Uttar Bharatiya Seva Sangh Chhath Samiti have become the institutional backbone of this cultural continuity, coordinating ghats, logistics, and community gatherings so that the festival retains its full ceremonial weight even far from its origin.
Paatil's outreach and the Gujarat migrant community
C. R. Paatil, who served as Gujarat BJP state president before taking charge of the Jal Shakti Ministry, has long maintained close ties with Surat's diverse communities. Senior BJP leaders attending Chhath events has become a recognisable pattern across Gujarat, where migrant voters from Bihar and UP represent a significant and growing constituency. The appearance is both a cultural gesture and a moment of direct, ground-level engagement.
That blend — a minister wading into a festival crowd, shaking hands with vrat-keepers exhausted from a day-long fast — is precisely the kind of constituency contact that travels well on social media and lingers longer in community memory.
As migration from the Hindi belt continues to shape Gujarat's social fabric, festivals like Chhath will only grow in their public and political resonance. Ministers who show up are remembered.
Point of View
Who constitute a meaningful electoral bloc in industrial Gujarat. For a party that spans both Gujarat's dominant political landscape and the Hindi-belt states that supply much of the city's workforce, these festivals serve as natural bridges. The optics — a Union minister in a crowd of exhausted, devoted fasters — are precisely calibrated for community trust-building, reinforcing local ties even as Paatil holds a national portfolio.
NationPress
15 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the Chhath Puja event that CR Paatil attended?
The event was held in Surat's Pardi-Kanade and Sachin areas in Gujarat, organised by the Gujarat Uttar Bharatiya Seva Sangh Chhath Samiti .
Why is Chhath Puja celebrated in Gujarat?
Large numbers of migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh live and work in Gujarat's industrial cities, particularly Surat. They have brought Chhath Puja traditions with them, and community organisations now organise major events to observe the festival.
What is the Gujarat Uttar Bharatiya Seva Sangh Chhath Samiti?
It is a local committee in Gujarat that organises Chhath Puja celebrations for North Indian migrant communities, coordinating ghats, gatherings, and festival logistics.
Is Chhath Puja only celebrated in Bihar and UP?
While Chhath Puja originated primarily in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh , it is now observed across India and internationally wherever communities from these states have settled, including major events in Gujarat, Delhi, and Mumbai.
