TMC to celebrate Dev Deepawali, attract Hindi-speaking city residents

Kolkata is set to witness a glittering spectacle this week as the Trinamul Congress (TMC) takes a leaf out of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s playbook on coming Wednesday, seeking to woo Hindi-speaking voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

Inspired by the grand Ayodhya Deepotsav and the Dev Deepawali festivities of Varanasi, the ruling party is making an elaborate bid to project Bengal’s own version of the Dev Deepawali celebration along the ghats of the Hooghly. For the TMC, the festival carries more than religious or cultural significance. The move is being seen as a strategic outreach to the Hindi-speaking Hindu population of the state, a voter base that tilted significantly toward the BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections. Determined to reclaim that ground, the TMC leadership has decided to promote the North Indian festival on a large scale, with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and its Hindi-speaking councillors taking centre stage.

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Though the KMC had initiated the first edition of Deb Deepawali celebrations two years ago at Baje Kadamtala Ghat, this year’s festivities promise to be bigger and brighter. The principal organiser, TMC leader and Ward 20 councillor Vijay Upadhyay, said preparations are in full swing. “Nearly Rs 10 lakh worth of materials have been ordered, including over 10,000 electronic lamps worth R 5 lakh, which will illuminate the ghats alongside traditional rangoli and floral decorations,” he said. The celebrations will begin in the afternoon with Ganga Puja and a mahayajna, followed by an hour-long Ganga aarti at dusk. Over 10,000 devotees and visitors are expected to attend, where traditional bhog — including khichuri, pulao, alur dom, chutney, and payesh — will be distributed.

A cultural programme featuring devotional music and dance will add to the ambience. Simultaneous celebrations will be held at seven to eight ghats across the city, including Baje Kadamtala, Nimta, and Ahiritola. Large LED screens will display live visuals of the Ganga aarti, reminiscent of the Varanasi celebrations where Yogi Adityanath will himself participate this week. The festival, formally titled “De Deepawali Utsav and Maa Ganga Aarti”, will see the stretch from Nimta Ghat to Ahiritola Ghat decorated with 21,000 lamps.

The event is also supervised by senior TMC leader and councillor Tarak Singh in south Kolkata, while Upadhyay is coordinating the northern venues. Upadhyay, one of the most prominent Hindi-speaking faces in the TMC, explained the intent behind the initiative. “In north India, especially in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Dev Deepawali is a major festival. Many residents from those states now live permanently in Kolkata. Since they miss this celebration here, we decided to bring the experience to them,” he said.

“When Didi gave me the nomination, she told me to work for all communities in my area. This festival is part of that commitment.” To ensure authenticity, five Brahmins specially trained in Ganga aarti rituals from Varanasi have been brought in for the occasion. “They will perform the traditional aarti following the same sequence as in Kashi Vishwanath Ghat,” Upadhyay added. Explaining the religious significance, Swami Paramatmananda, Mahamandaleswar of the Sri Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhada, said, “Dev Deepawali marks the day when Lord Shiva defeated Tripurasura on Kartik Purnima. It is celebrated in heaven as a festival of light. Its growing popularity is a welcome sign.”

The BJP, however, has dismissed the move as politically motivated. BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato remarked, “The TMC knows its rule will end in 2026, so it has suddenly woken up to organise such festivals.” As Yogi Adityanath lights lamps on the ghats of Varanasi this week, the Hooghly’s banks in Kolkata will sparkle with thousands of diyas in a show of faith, politics, and cultural symbolism — signalling how Bengal’s ruling party hopes to blend devotion with electoral strategy.