Delhi declares public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja celebrations

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has announced a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja, which is an important festival for the Purvanchali community.

In Short

• Chhath Puja is a significant for Purvanchali community
• The announcement by Delhi government comes before assembly polls
• Purvanchali community makes up roughly 42 per cent of Delhi's electorate

The Delhi government on Friday announced a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja, which is an important festival for the Purvanchali community.

"I am happy to inform you that the Delhi government has decided that there will be a holiday on 7 November for the festival of Chhath, 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

The announcement for the public holiday on Chhath came months before the assembly polls in the national capital.

According to government data, the Purvanchali community makes up roughly 42 per cent of Delhi's electorate and can sway results in nearly half of Delhi's 70 Assembly constituencies, including key areas such as Burari, Laxmi Nagar, and Dwarka.

The four-day Chhath festival, one of the most popular and biggest in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, is celebrated every year after Diwali.

During the festival, married women observe a fast for 36 hours and devotees offer wheat, milk, sugar cane, bananas and coconuts to the Sun.

Chhath occurs on the sixth day of the Kartik month as per the Hindu calendar, and is also known as Surya Shashti. The festival involves a four-day observance of ritual purity and fasting.

Last week, the BJP also started its outreach programme to connect with the Purvanchali community ahead of Chhath.

The BJP's outreach programme is part of a broader strategy to consolidate the Purvanchali vote, a key factor in their bid to reclaim political ground in Delhi, where they have not been in power for 26 years.