Union Home Minister Amit Shah is all set to visit Kolkata in September to inaugurate a few Durga Pujas. According to sources, he may inaugurate a famous Durga Puja in Central Kolkata which highlights the theme of India’s “Operation Sindoor” this year. Shah will be in Kolkata after Mahalaya, which falls on September 21.

The BJP has already started preparations for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections. According to political observers, Amit Shah’s visit is directly related to the campaign for the upcoming elections.

Amit Shah came to Bengal during Durga Puja in 2023. Although he was not seen in 2024, this top BJP leader is coming to the state again during the Durga Puja season of 2025. Currently, state BJP’s target is to win the hearts of the people of Bengal. As a strategy, the saffron camp has associated itself with the culture and emotions of Bengalis, for which, Durga Puja as a big opportunity.

BJP taking refuge in Bengal’s goddesses to appeal to Bengali sentiments?

According to party sources, Amit Shah will inaugurate two Durga puja pandals in Kolkata and one in Salt Lake the day after Mahalaya. These include a famous puja in Kolkata and a puja organised by the BJP at Government of India’s Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake. Last year, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) All India President JP Nadda had inaugurated two pujas in Kolkata.

Discussions and speculations have already started in political circles regarding whether the BJP trying to strengthen its position in West Bengal by taking refuge in the worshipped goddess of Bengali community. Recently, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, he mentioned the names of Maa Durga and Maa Kali in his speech to appeal to Bengali sentiments. PM Modi during his rally in the industrial township of Durgapur in July this year, started with a “Jai Ma Kali, Jai Ma Durga” homage to the state’s two biggest Hindu deities, which gave a glimpse of the BJP’s strategy in the run-up to the 2026 assembly polls.

This time, Shah’s arrival has made that message clearer, according to political observers.

Amit Shah visited Kolkata in May-June

Amit Shah visited Kolkata for two days in May-June this year which intensified political tensions in West Bengal, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle in the 2026 Assembly elections. The visit underscored the BJP’s strategic focus on the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal.

Shah has emphasized the party’s goal of winning a two-thirds majority, targeting issues such as infiltration, corruption, and women’s safety. He has urged party workers to enrol one crore members in the state, aiming to strengthen the BJP’s grassroots presence. Shah has also criticized the Mamata Banerjee-led government for alleged state-sponsored infiltration and corruption, positioning the BJP as the alternative for a “Sonar Bangla” (Golden Bengal).

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