Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday wished people of the state on the occasion of Mahalaya, which marked the advent of Devi Paksha.
The Trinamool Congress supremo also launched the autumn number of her party mouthpiece Jago Bangla.
Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wished everyone on the occasion of Mahalaya and highlighted the universal spirit of togetherness embodied in the Durga Puja festivities in Bengal, which had received the UNESCO heritage status.
Just one week remains before the start of the four-day Durga Puja festivities.
"Devi Durga, please be awake. My best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Mahalaya," the CM said in an X post in Bengali.
She also mentioned the significance of this day when people perform rituals like ''tarpan (offering prayers to ancestors)".
Mamata posted a music video on social media. She had written the song and composed music for it as well.
In the afternoon, Mamata launched the autumn edition of 'Jago Bangla' newspaper of Trinamool Congress and lent her voice to a devotional song along with minister of state for tourism and information and cultural affairs Indranil Sen, who is a well-known singer.
She then offered puja at Lake Kalibari and inaugurated their Durga Puja organised on the opposite side.
Abhishek, in another X post, wished people on the occasion of Mahalaya and for the upcoming Durga Puja festival.
"Those who had been making false claims that Durga Puja is not being allowed to be celebrated in Bengal, are now saying the state is gripped by Durga Puja spirit and fervour as they arrive for public meetings. They are making the about turn ever since UNESCO conferred heritage status to Bengal's Durga Puja," he said in a video message.
He was alluding to previous comments by BJP leaders like Amit Shah about Durga Puja organisers allegedly facing difficulty in celebrating the festival in the state, and a recent observation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that, while visiting the city, he could sense the festivities in the air.
Extending his heartfelt wishes to all on the occasion of 'Mahalaya', Abhishek said: "It marks the triumph of light over darkness."