Rajnath Singh Greets Devotees on Chhath Kharna Day
Synopsis
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh extended Kharna Puja greetings on the second day of Chhath Puja, praying that Chhathi Maiya's blessings bring peace and prosperity to every household. Kharna is a key ritual day in one of India's most widely observed folk festivals.
Key Takeaways
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted Kharna Puja greetings on 14 November 2026 .
Kharna is the second day of the four-day Chhath Puja festival, marked by a daylong fast and evening offerings.
The festival is dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya , and is especially prominent in Bihar , Jharkhand , and eastern Uttar Pradesh .
Singh prayed for 'happiness, peace, and prosperity' in every household and closed with the invocation 'Jai Chhathi Maiya!' Rajnath Singh is a former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister with deep roots in the festival's core geographic belt.
The air across riverbanks in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh fills with incense and devotion as Chhath Puja enters its sacred second day — and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has extended warm wishes to all devotees observing Kharna Puja on Saturday, 14 November 2026.
Posting in Hindi on X, the Defence Minister wrote: 'छठ महापर्व के दूसरे दिन खरना पूजा का विशेष धार्मिक महत्व है' — 'Kharna Puja holds special religious significance on the second day of the grand Chhath festival.' He conveyed heartfelt wishes to all devotees immersed in the worship of Chhathi Maiya, praying that her blessings bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to every household. He closed with the invocation: 'जय छठी मैया!'
What Kharna means to millions of Chhath devotees
Chhath Puja is one of India's most demanding and deeply personal festivals, dedicated to the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya — the folk deity believed to bless families with health, longevity, and children. Kharna, the second day of the four-day festival, is marked by a daylong fast broken in the evening with offerings of kheer (rice pudding) and roti, shared first with the deity and then with family. It is the moment devotees formally take their vow for the more arduous dawn and dusk vigils that follow over the next two days.
The festival draws its deepest roots from Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh — the heartland of Rajnath Singh's own political base — and has spread across India and into the global Bihari diaspora wherever communities have settled.
A minister who knows this festival's weight
Rajnath Singh's connection to this region is long and personal. A native of Uttar Pradesh, former Chief Minister of the state, and a senior figure of the BJP whose electoral strength in the Gangetic belt is tightly bound to these cultural touchstones, his greeting carries more than ceremonial weight. Senior Union ministers routinely acknowledge major regional festivals through public platforms — but for a politician whose career was built along the same riverbanks where devotees will stand at sunset tonight, the words land with a particular resonance.
As lamps are lit and offerings placed at the water's edge, the Defence Minister's message is a reminder of how deeply woven faith, region, and public life remain in India's political fabric.
Point of View
But the gesture carries extra salience for a leader personally rooted in Uttar Pradesh's political soil. The message reinforces the BJP's consistent strategy of visibly honouring folk and regional festivals as a bridge to its core voter base in Bihar and UP. No policy consequence flows from the post, but its symbolic alignment with cultural identity politics is deliberate and well-established.
NationPress
14 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kharna Puja in Chhath festival?
Kharna is the second day of the four-day Chhath Puja festival. Devotees observe a strict daylong fast and break it in the evening with offerings of rice pudding and flatbread made for Chhathi Maiya, formally beginning their vow for the festival.
Why did Rajnath Singh post Chhath Puja wishes?
As Union Defence Minister and a senior BJP leader with deep roots in Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh extended public greetings to mark Kharna Puja, the second day of Chhath — a festival central to the cultural identity of Bihar and eastern UP.
What does Chhath Puja celebrate?
Chhath Puja is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, a folk deity. Devotees pray for health, longevity, and the well-being of their families through fasting, ritual bathing, and sunrise and sunset offerings at water bodies.
Where is Chhath Puja most widely observed?
Chhath Puja is most prominent in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also celebrated by Bihari and UP diaspora communities across India and around the world.
What did Rajnath Singh say on Kharna Puja 2026?
Rajnath Singh said Kharna Puja holds special religious significance and prayed that Chhathi Maiya's blessings bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to every household, signing off with 'Jai Chhathi Maiya!'
