Chhath Puja and politics: never the twain shall meet, say devotees

New Delhi

As the first light of dawn broke over the Yamuna on Tuesday, chants of ‘Bhor Bhai’ and ‘Jai Chhathi Maiya’ rose from Vasudev Ghat, where thousands of devotees had gathered to end their fast and mark the conclusion of the four-day Chhath Puja festival.

Women draped in their best saris and adorned in gold jewellery, among them Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, stood knee-deep in the river, hands folded in reverence to the rising sun. Others sat patiently on the ghat steps, awaiting sunrise, while men stood guard behind them.

At Vasudev Ghat, arrangements of live music, hot chai, and other stalls added colour to the festival dedicated to the Sun god. The mood was devotional, and most people remained focused on the rituals. With Purvanchalis making up nearly a third of Delhi’s electorate and the Bihar election round the corner, political parties have sought to woo the community. But at the ghats, the sentiment was unanimous: Chhath and politics are two different things.

‘Visible improvement’

“I know the difference between showmanship and work. There has been some visible improvement in facilities this year, but the claims about the Yamuna’s cleanliness are far from true. Chhath is our Mahaparv (great festival) and these arrangements in Delhi won’t influence voters in Bihar,” said Rajendra Kumar, a businessman from Chandni Chowk who hails from Madhubani, Bihar. Mr. Kumar added that the barricades erected along the riverbanks left little room for devotees to enter the water comfortably. “One shouldn’t try to control a river. Devotees are not puppets you can manoeuvre at will,” he said.

By 6.30 a.m., some devotees had completed their rituals and begun their journey home. Others lingered, taking a final dip, sipping steaming coffee, or listening to musicians offer their last hymns to the Sun god as dawn spread across the water. Sushila, 53, originally from Araria in Bihar and now living in Haryana, shared her frustration at being removed from the electoral rolls during the special intensive revision. “Back home, we have our village and our people, and that is enough. No government truly puts women first. We get ₹500 in our accounts, but does that really change our lives?” she said.

AAP-Congress spat

The Chief Minister, after offering her prayers at Hathi Ghat, went to Vasudev Ghat to lead a safai abhiyan (cleanliness drive) once devotees had left. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and several BJP members joined Ms. Gupta in the effort.

The night before, at Hathi Ghat, the lines between faith and politics blurred. The BJP supporters cheered while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress sympathisers engaged in heated arguments. A few steps away, a group of elderly men sat quietly on the pavement and watched the commotion.

One among them was Dilip Paswan, who is originally from Patna. “I have been living in Delhi’s Moti Bagh for 20 years. Chhath should be left alone. Politicians can debate its electoral impact, but for me, it is just an opinion. Unless they address real issues like jobs, inflation, citizen safety, no ritual will change voter behaviour, ” he said.

A group of youngsters nearby chuckled at his remark. “It is going to make a huge difference,” said one of them. With over 1,500 police personnel deployed across 76 sites, including 17 major ghats, along with medical booths, civil defence volunteers, and helpline desks, this year’s celebrations were deemed a success by many devotees.