During his visit to Kolkata for Durga Puja on Friday, September 26, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a pandal at Santosh Mitra Square. While there, he offered a heartfelt prayer to Maa Durga, expressing his wish for a new government to emerge after the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections – one that would successfully restore the state’s cherished ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal) glory.
Shah emphasized his desire for Bengal to once again flourish as a safe, peaceful, and prosperous state, echoing the visionary dream of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
He explicitly stated, “I have prayed to Maa Durga that after this assembly election, there is a government which can truly transform the state into ‘Sonar Bangla’ (Golden Bengal).”
From the inauguration event at the Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity in north Kolkata, Mr. Shah also extended his warm Durga Puja greetings to the people of Bengal and the entire nation.
Beyond his political message, the Home Minister also offered his sincere condolences to the families affected by the recent tragic rain-related incidents across the state.
These condolences followed the devastating torrential rains on September 23, which claimed at least 11 lives in Kolkata and its surrounding regions.
Earlier, Mr. Shah had arrived in Kolkata on Thursday evening, September 25, 2025, where he was greeted at the airport by senior state BJP leader, Rahul Sinha.
His itinerary for the visit also included plans to offer puja at the revered Kalighat temple in south Kolkata, followed by the inauguration of another Durga Puja pandal at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake, organized by the BJP-backed Paschim Banga Sanskriti Mancha.