<p>Bengal BJP has decided to organise a Durga puja in Kolkata. This is arguably for the first time in state when the puja event will be hosted by a political party.</p>.<p>This apparently is seen as a bid to connect with the electorate in the poll-bound state.</p>.<p>The state BJP leadership said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address the people of the state on October 22 on the occasion of Durga Puja.</p>.<p>“Consider this as BJP’s family puja. We are all looking forward to it,” said BJP MP and state Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee.</p>.<p>State BJP leadership said that the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), an auditorium owned by the Ministry of Culture was chosen as the venue for the puja to avoid any potential obstruction by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.</p>.<p>State BJP vice president Jay Prakash Mazumdar said that over the last few years narrow-minded politics over Durga Puja was going on in Bengal and several BJP leaders were excluded from big-ticket puja committees.</p>.<p>“So this year we will do our own Durga Puja. It will be conducted in accordance with the Bengali tradition,” said Mazumdar. State BJP leadership said that social distancing norms would be strictly followed at the venue.</p>.<p>Dubbing the decision as “ridiculous” the TMC MP Saugata Roy said that “everyone knows BJP as a party of non-Bengalis. They are doing all this to woo Bengali voters.”</p>.<p>There would not be any themes and the idol would be a traditional one.</p>
<p>Bengal BJP has decided to organise a Durga puja in Kolkata. This is arguably for the first time in state when the puja event will be hosted by a political party.</p>.<p>This apparently is seen as a bid to connect with the electorate in the poll-bound state.</p>.<p>The state BJP leadership said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address the people of the state on October 22 on the occasion of Durga Puja.</p>.<p>“Consider this as BJP’s family puja. We are all looking forward to it,” said BJP MP and state Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee.</p>.<p>State BJP leadership said that the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), an auditorium owned by the Ministry of Culture was chosen as the venue for the puja to avoid any potential obstruction by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.</p>.<p>State BJP vice president Jay Prakash Mazumdar said that over the last few years narrow-minded politics over Durga Puja was going on in Bengal and several BJP leaders were excluded from big-ticket puja committees.</p>.<p>“So this year we will do our own Durga Puja. It will be conducted in accordance with the Bengali tradition,” said Mazumdar. State BJP leadership said that social distancing norms would be strictly followed at the venue.</p>.<p>Dubbing the decision as “ridiculous” the TMC MP Saugata Roy said that “everyone knows BJP as a party of non-Bengalis. They are doing all this to woo Bengali voters.”</p>.<p>There would not be any themes and the idol would be a traditional one.</p>