Ashtami ‘Dry Day’, Ban on DJs: BJP’s Durga Puja Rules in Bengal Allowing Rs. 1,00,000 For Low Budget Pujas.

West Bengal CM Urges Wealthier Durga Puja Committees to Forgo State Support, Announces Restrictions.

Sankirtan Das | HENB | Kolkata | Sept 9, 2026:: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday (September 7, 2026) urged big-budget community Durga Puja committees to voluntarily forgo financial assistance from the State government, while announcing a grant of ₹1 lakh for Durga Puja committees that have applied for the aid.

“I do not want to misuse the powers of the Chief Minister. I would request those who are capable [of organising pujas without government assistance] not to take the financial aid. Those who cannot organise the puja without this money will be given ₹1 lakh by the government,” Mr. Adhikari said.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government began providing financial assistance to community Durga Puja committees in 2018. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee increased the amount every year, with the grant reaching ₹1.10 lakh in 2025.

The BJP leadership, including Mr. Adhikari, had criticised the move, which costs the State exchequer nearly ₹500 crore annually.

“What the former Chief Minister was doing was not right. It started at ₹25,000 and reached ₹1.10 lakh. It did not help in elections. Many have become dependent on it,” the Chief Minister said.

Mr. Adhikari, who has maintained that the role of the State government is not to provide doles, has also introduced eligibility criteria for availing benefits under several Central government schemes.

Speaking at a gathering attended by representatives of various Durga Puja committees, the Chief Minister also announced a series of restrictions and arrangements for this year’s festival.

Under the new arrangements, cranes will not be allowed at the ghats to extricate idols after immersion. Puja processions will also not be permitted to block national highways.

No Durga Puja inauguration before Mahalaya

No Durga Puja inauguration will be allowed before Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of the auspicious Devi Paksha period. Unlike the previous regime, the State government will not organise a Durga Puja carnival this year, the Chief Minister said.

A government-organised Durga Puja programme will be held at Eden Gardens on Mahalaya, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend the event.

Mr. Adhikari also said that all idol immersions must be completed before Lakshmi Puja. The use of DJs (disc jockeys) will not be permitted during the Durga Puja celebrations.

All liquor shops and bars across the State will remain closed on Ashtami, the eighth day of the festival.

The government has also held discussions with State electricity authorities and the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation to ensure that Durga Puja committees across West Bengal, including those in Kolkata, receive electricity free of charge during the festival, he said.

The government will also organise Durga Puja programmes in Digha and six other cities as part of this year’s celebrations, the Chief Minister said.

The official press statements released by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari do not explicitly name the specific six cities where the two-day cultural programmes will be held.

Instead, news reports and government briefs simply state that alongside the signature festival launch at Eden Gardens and the special post-Mahalaya programme in the coastal town of Digha, the West Bengal Tourism and Information & Cultural Affairs departments will host two-day cultural events “in six cities across the state.”

In regional administration and tourism planning, these six locations typically correspond to Bengal’s primary urban agglomerations and major hubs for Durga Puja outside of Kolkata viz. Asansol, Durgapur, Siliguri, Malda, Kharagpur, Burdwan or Berhampore.

Ashtami ‘Dry Day’, Ban on DJs: BJP’s Durga Puja Rules in Bengal

In a significant set of restrictions announced ahead of Durga Puja, the West Bengal government has declared Ashtami a ‘dry day’, with all liquor shops and bars across the State required to remain closed on the eighth day of the festival. The government has also banned the use of DJs during Durga Puja celebrations, citing the need to ensure orderly and peaceful festivities. The restrictions are part of a broader set of arrangements announced by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for this year’s Durga Puja celebrations.


_Agency Inputs.