West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday inaugurated several Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata, including Chetla Agrani, Jodhpur Park 95 Pally, and Selimpur Pally.
On the occasion of Mahalaya, which marks the advent of Devi Paksha, Banerjee extended her greetings to the people of the state. She visited Selimpur Pally and later inaugurated other pujas in Kolkata and across Bengal, through a virtual medium.
Banerjee also launched the autumn edition of the TMC mouthpiece, Jago Bangla (Wake up Bengal).
"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 highlighted the significance of Mahalaya, when people perform rituals like tarpan (offering prayers to the ancestors).
Banerjee posted a music video on social media, for which she wrote the song and composed the music.
In the afternoon, she launched the autumn edition of Jago Bangla and lent her voice to a devotional song along with Minister of State for Tourism and Information and Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen.
She later offered puja at Lake Kalibari and inaugurated their Durga Puja on the opposite side.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also shared his wishes on the occasion of Mahalaya, highlighting the universal spirit of togetherness in Bengal’s Durga Puja festivities, which have received UNESCO heritage status.
Abhishek Banerjee, posted on X: "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."
Extending his heartfelt wishes, Abhishek Banerjee said, "It marks the triumph of light over darkness."
