Public holiday on November 7 in Delhi for Chhath Puja; CM Atishi announces in a social media post
The Delhi government declared a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja, a significant festival for the Purvanchali community.
“I am pleased to announce that the Delhi government has decided that there will be a holiday on 7 November for the Chhath festival, so that all the brothers and sisters of Purvanchal can celebrate the festival with pomp and show,” Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said while announcing the holiday in a social media post.
The public holiday for Chhath was announced months prior to the assembly polls in the national capital.
Government statistics indicate that the Purvanchali community constitutes around 42% of Delhi’s voters, having the power to influence outcomes in about half of the city’s 70 Assembly zones, including important regions like Burari, Laxmi Nagar, and Dwarka.
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The Chhath festival
The Chhath festival, which lasts for four days, is widely celebrated in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, and takes place annually after Diwali.
Throughout the festival, married women fast for 36 hours and worshippers present wheat, milk, sugar cane, bananas, and coconuts to the Sun.
Chhath takes place on the sixth day of Kartik month in the Hindu calendar, also referred to as Surya Shashti. The celebration consists of four days dedicated to ritual purity and abstaining from food.
The BJP also initiated its outreach program last week to establish a connection with the Purvanchali community before Chhath.
The BJP’s efforts to connect with the Purvanchali voters is a key element of their overall plan to regain political influence in Delhi, where they have been out of power for 26 years.
