Will HM Amit Shah Inaugurate Three Durga Pujas in Kolkata on Friday?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Amit Shah's visit signifies BJP's cultural engagement in West Bengal.
- The event highlights the significance of Durga Puja in the region.
- Community participation is crucial in West Bengal's political landscape.
- The themes chosen reflect contemporary issues and cultural sentiments.
- Local organizers are increasingly asserting independence from state funds.
Kolkata, Sep 22 (NationPress) - The Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to arrive in Kolkata on Friday, September 26, to inaugurate three community Durga Puja pandals in the city on the same day.
A member of the state committee of the BJP confirmed that two out of the three Puja committees to be inaugurated by the Union Home Minister have been finalized.
The first is the community Durga Puja organized by Paschim Banga Sangskritik Manch (West Bengal Cultural Forum), which enjoys direct support from the West Bengal unit of the BJP.
This Puja was launched in 2020, just prior to the significant West Bengal assembly elections the following year. In its inaugural year, it was virtually inaugurated from Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The second community Durga Puja, as per state BJP insiders, is the one at Santosh Mitra Square Community Durga Puja held at Lebutala Park in North Kolkata, which is primarily organized by Sajal Ghosh, a BJP councillor in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
The Santosh Mitra Square Community Durga Puja is renowned for its creative themes, and this year, the theme is titled “Operation Sindoor,” reflecting the Indian Armed Forces’ recent successful missions against terror bases in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Last year's theme focused on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
Sajal Ghosh was among the first to decline the traditional annual Durga Puja funds provided by the state government, a stance he continues to uphold.
Subsequently, many other community Puja organizers have adopted a similar approach.
However, the state unit of the BJP is keeping the details of the third community Durga Puja that Amit Shah will inaugurate on Friday a closely guarded secret.
What little information has emerged indicates that this Puja will be located in South Kolkata, within or near the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, where the elected representative is none other than Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
According to the itinerary, HM Shah will arrive in Kolkata on Friday morning and return to Delhi the same evening after inaugurating the three Pujas.