New Delhi – Thousands of devotees gathered across more than 1,000 ghats, canals and banks of the Yamuna River on Monday to celebrate the third day of Delhi Chhath Puja, worshipping the setting sun in what Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described as the grandest celebration in the Capital’s history. The massive Delhi Chhath Puja festivities reflected the city’s growing cultural unity and the significant influence of the Purvanchal community in the national capital.
Chief Minister Participates in Delhi Chhath Puja Celebrations
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta actively participated in the Delhi Chhath Puja celebrations, visiting multiple ghats throughout the day before concluding at Vasudev Ghat near Kashmiri Gate. She took a boat ride from Pushta to several locations including the Sports Complex, Ram Ghat and Shyam Ghat in Sonia Vihar, joining devotees at each site and offering prayers alongside families gathered for the festival.
“Today, while offering prayers to the setting sun on the banks of the Yamuna in Sonia Vihar, I wished that the light of happiness, prosperity and progress may always remain in the life of every Delhi resident,” Gupta said, emphasizing that the Delhi Chhath Puja represents not just faith but “a celebration of discipline, devotion and folk culture that have made Delhi a symbol of unity in diversity and modernity in tradition.”
Elaborate Infrastructure for Delhi Chhath Puja
The Delhi government facilitated the Delhi Chhath Puja celebrations by establishing 17 model Chhath ghats from Palla to Kalindi Kunj along the Yamuna, once again allowing temporary facilities on the floodplains. Officials reported that these ghats were comprehensively equipped with tents, lighting, sanitation facilities, drinking water, toilets and medical assistance to ensure devotees could perform rituals comfortably and safely.
Many ghats featured cultural performances, folk songs and dances during the Delhi Chhath Puja, with active participation from MLAs, MPs and ministers who joined their constituents in the celebrations, demonstrating the festival’s political and cultural significance.
Political Leaders Join Delhi Chhath Puja Festivities
Public Works, Water, and Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Verma hosted a Delhi Chhath Puja ceremony at his official residence at Windsor Place, where a ghat was specially set up within the premises to provide space for devotees from nearby areas.
“Chhath Puja is not just a ritual, but a symbol of faith, discipline and gratitude toward nature. I wanted to celebrate this sacred festival with the people of my constituency, like one big family. That is the true spirit of our festivals,” Verma said, attending the ceremony with his family.
Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Virendra Sachdeva joined the Delhi Chhath Puja celebrations at Bapudham, Mangolpuri, while party MPs, MLAs, councillors and office bearers across Delhi marked the festival in their constituencies and extended greetings to the Purvanchal community. MP Manoj Tiwari visited Sonia Vihar Pushta, while South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri met devotees at ghats in Rajnagar, Kailashpuri Chowk (Sadhnagar Palam), Badarpur and Tughlakabad.
Yamuna Water Quality Improvements for Delhi Chhath Puja
This year’s Delhi Chhath Puja festivities were accompanied by notable improvements in Yamuna water quality. Political discussions emerged over the use of a defoaming agent to reduce froth at Kalindi Kunj, where significantly lower pollution levels were observed compared to previous years.
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Officials attributed the improvement to better coordination with the Haryana government, which released a larger volume of fresh water into the Yamuna to flush out pollutants instead of diverting it to the eastern and western canals. According to Central Water Commission data, since last Tuesday minimal water had been diverted to either canal, with canal flow increasing from zero to 14.4 cumecs on Sunday, rising further to 34.2 after two gates of the WJC canal were reopened.
Political Significance of Delhi Chhath Puja
With an estimated four million Purvanchali voters in Delhi, the community has evolved into a major cultural and political force over the past decade. Public observance of Delhi Chhath Puja—held six days after Diwali—has expanded proportionally, and the festival has frequently become a flashpoint between political parties, each seeking to appeal to this sizable vote base.
Political Exchanges Intensify Around Delhi Chhath Puja
With Bihar polls on the horizon, political exchanges intensified during this year’s Delhi Chhath Puja. The Aam Aadmi Party accused the BJP government of using the same defoamer solutions it had earlier opposed while in Opposition, flagged high faecal coliform levels in the Yamuna, and alleged that an “artificial” Vasudev Ghat had been created, disconnected from the river.
On Monday, AAP’s Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticized the Delhi government for not declaring the festival a dry day, adding another dimension to the political discourse surrounding the Delhi Chhath Puja celebrations.
Cultural Unity and Tradition
The grand scale of this year’s Delhi Chhath Puja underscores the festival’s importance in the Capital’s cultural landscape. Chief Minister Gupta’s assertion that this was the first time the festival was being celebrated on such a grand scale in Delhi reflects the growing recognition of the Purvanchal community’s cultural contributions and the city’s commitment to accommodating diverse religious traditions.
The presence of thousands of devotees across 1,000 ghats, the elaborate infrastructure arrangements, and the participation of political leaders from various parties all demonstrate how the Delhi Chhath Puja has become an integral part of the city’s festive calendar. The festival serves as a powerful reminder of Delhi’s character as a melting pot of cultures, where traditional festivals from different regions of India find expression and celebration, bringing communities together in shared devotion and cultural pride.
