Howrah Bridge Blazes with Light for Durga Puja After 70 Years as Supreme Court and Elections Dominate Civic News
Howrah has been alive with both festive light and civic tension this week: the iconic Howrah Bridge was illuminated for Durga Puja for the first time in 70 years, while deleted voters moved the Supreme Court and the state government scheduled civic polls for the last week of November.
🪔 Howrah Bridge Lit Up for Durga Puja After 70 Years — A Sight to Behold
Kolkata's most iconic landmark, the Howrah Bridge, was illuminated for Durga Puja after a gap of seven decades, transforming one of the world's busiest cantilever bridges into a dazzling spectacle of light that drew thousands of revellers to the banks of the Hooghly river. The bridge's illumination during Durga Puja, which had not happened for 70 years, was a decision celebrated across West Bengal and among Bengalis worldwide as a restoration of a tradition that connects the bridge to the festival's festive spirit. Durga Puja in Kolkata and Howrah is one of the world's great public celebrations, drawing millions of participants over five days and transforming the cityscape with elaborate thematic pandals, artistic installations, and community events. The addition of Howrah Bridge to the visual pageantry of Puja added a new dimension to the festival's sensory landscape in 2026. Social media was flooded with photographs and videos of the illuminated bridge, with Bengalis from around the world sharing the images and expressing emotional connections to the sight. The bridge, inaugurated in 1943 and long a symbol of the region's industrial and human story, took on a joyful festive identity for the first time in living memory, creating a moment that residents and visitors alike will long remember. [2]
🗳️ SIR-Deleted Voters Approach Supreme Court for Expeditious Hearing Ahead of Kolkata-Howrah Polls
Voters whose names were removed from electoral rolls in West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision process have moved the Supreme Court of India seeking expeditious disposal of their appeals, with civic elections in Kolkata and Howrah drawing near. The deletions from voter rolls in a process known as SIR have been a source of significant political controversy in West Bengal, with opposition parties alleging that the process disproportionately removed opposition-leaning voters from the electoral register, particularly in urban areas. The affected voters who approached the Supreme Court argued that their right to vote in the upcoming Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporation elections was being threatened by the pending deletion of their names, and that the appeals process was moving too slowly to provide relief before election day. The Supreme Court's attention to this matter is significant: civic elections in India's major cities directly determine who governs urban infrastructure, sanitation, housing, and local services for millions of citizens. For Howrah, which is due for civic elections along with Kolkata and five other municipalities, the voter roll controversy adds a contested dimension to what should be a routine exercise in local democracy. Civil society organisations have been monitoring the SIR deletions and advocating for transparency and due process in electoral roll management. [4]
Calcutta and Howrah Civic Polls Expected in Last Week of November
Civic elections for the Calcutta Municipal Corporation and the Howrah Municipal Corporation, along with five other municipalities in West Bengal, are now expected to be held in the last week of November, according to official indications reported by the Telegraph India. The confirmation of a November election timeline provides a firmer schedule for political parties, candidates, and voters who have been waiting for clarity on when the urban local body elections would take place. For Howrah, which has been without elected municipal representatives for an extended period under administrator-led governance, the November elections represent an important return to democratic accountability in the management of the city's public services, infrastructure, and civic welfare programmes. Both the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition parties including BJP and Congress are expected to contest actively across Howrah's municipal wards. The election follows a period of significant civic transformation in Howrah, with ongoing infrastructure projects, urban renewal initiatives, and demographic changes that will likely be central issues in the campaign. With the Supreme Court case over deleted voters also active, the November timeline creates a compressed window for electoral preparations and legal processes to reach their respective conclusions. [7]
Sources: [2] Curly Tales · [4] Live Law · [7] Telegraph India