Gangasagar

With the BJP's resounding victory in West Bengal, ending the 15-year rule of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, the party has secured the chief minister's post for the first time in nine states since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. The journey began with Haryana and Maharashtra in 2014, followed by Assam (2016), Arunachal Pradesh (2016), Manipur (2017), Tripura (2018), Odisha (2024), Bihar (2026), and now West Bengal. In Haryana, the party formed a government on its own for the first time and appointed Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister. In Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis became the state's first BJP chief minister after the BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the assembly polls and formed the government with allies in the Mahayuti alliance. The BJP expanded its footprint in the Northeast in 2016 by winning Assam, where Sarbananda Sonowal became the party's first chief minister in the state. Since then, the BJP has retained power in Assam

The annual fair at one of the oldest and leading prilgrimage sites in the country draws devotees every year, who also take a holy dip in the sacred waters of the Ganga at Sagardweep

Devotees and seers took a holy dip in the Ganges at the Gangsagar in the South 24 Parganas on Saturday, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be visiting the Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday to review the preparations for the Gangasagar Mela, officials said. Lakhs of people gather at Sagar Island from across the country to take a holy dip at the confluence of the sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'. While 15.5 lakh pilgrims visited Gangasagar Mela last year amid the threat of the coronavirus, the figure could reach as high as 60-70 lakh between January 8 and 16 when the fair would be held this time, an official said. During her two-day visit to the island, Banerjee will be meeting senior officers to review the preparations made for the congregation, the official said. "She will also be inaugurating three new helipads at the island," he said. Before leaving for Kolkata on Thursday, around 120 km away, she will be offering prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram. Banerjee is also expected to visit the Bharat Sevashram Sangh

Blind faith of thousands of pilgrims thronging to city's Babu-Ghat for the Gangasagar Mela, saw many of them discarding Covid safety protocol, turning virus containment a tough proposition for state

Over 350,000 pilgrims took the holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal here on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Friday

Every year, pilgrims from various parts of the country and abroad gather at Sagar Island, about 100 km from Kolkata, to take a holy dip

CM Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the Ganga Sagar Mela, which is held annually in West Bengal's Gangasagar

A two-member committee has been constituted to monitor adherence to COVID-19 protocols during the Gangasagar mela which began on January 8 this year, said the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday.

The stampede occured at around 6 pm when there was a huge rush of pilgrims