Senior BJP leaders, including Samik Bhattacharya and Suvendu Adhikari, are upbeat this Durga Puja season, as an “unprecedented” number of requests to inaugurate community Pujas have reached them from across the state this time, which they believe bodes well for the party before the 2026 Assembly elections.
A BJP source said the party’s MLAs, MPs, and senior leaders have been receiving a large number of Puja invitations, significant at a time when the party’s main aim is to connect with the community during the festive season as part of its outreach ahead of the polls.
“The number of invitations for inaugurating Durga Puja and visiting pandals is significantly higher this time compared to past years. Though I personally don’t inaugurate Durga Pujas, I have received over 100 such invitations and will be visiting different Puja pandals across the state, including the Sundarbans,” said Bhattacharya, the Bengal BJP chief and a Rajya Sabha member, who also received three invitations from the UK to inaugurate Pujas organised by the Bengali community based there.
A BJP source said Union home minister Amit Shah was scheduled to inaugurate three Puja pandals in Calcutta, including the Santosh Mitra Square one, organised under the mentorship of BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, the BJP-organised Durga Puja at the EZCC and a Puja at Sevak Sangha in south Calcutta.
Nandigram BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, also the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, has received “at least 350 invitations” for Durga Pujas in Bengal, including over 100 from Puja committees requesting him to inaugurate their pandals.
A source close to Adhikari told The Telegraph: “Suvendu-da’s number of invitations for Durga Puja has doubled last year. Apart from Bengal, he was invited by 200 Puja committees from outside the state, including some from the US and the UK. Significantly, he has also been invited by different Durga Puja committees in Bangladesh.”
Party MLAs and district leaders have also been invited to more pujas than last year.
“Last year, I was invited by only 20 Puja committees who wanted me to inaugurate. This time the number is 50,” said BJP’s Pursurah MLA and Arambagh president Biman Ghosh.
On Wednesday, Adhikari inaugurated at least five Durga Pujas in Murshidabad, where he received 21 invitations from committees in that district alone.
Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty, tracking the intersection of Durga Puja and politics in Bengal, said the BJP leaders’ involvement in the festival has increased at least fivefold since 2021.
“If you take the example of Suvendu Adhikari, he was invited to only 21 puja inaugurations in 2021. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, he received invitations from 34, 67, and 88 committees, respectively. This year, in 2025, he has already received invitations from 117 puja committees as an inaugurator, besides general invitations,” said Chakraborty.
“Rightwing politics in Bengal is deeply connected with Durga Puja. Even Congress leaders, before the Trinamool Congress, were involved in organising hundreds of Durga Pujas across the state. The BJP’s increasing footprint in Durga Puja is significant and is the result of the party’s unparalleled Hindu vote consolidation drive, which will certainly help them reap political dividends,” he said.
A BJP source said getting invitations from Puja committees was not easy for them as the Trinamool Congress had maintained complete hegemony over community Pujas with financial support to organisers for years.
“This time, Mamata Banerjee is giving ₹1.1 lakh to each Puja committee and club, yet organisers are inviting us in large numbers. It is a very good sign for us ahead of the elections,” said a senior BJP leader.