Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata late Thursday night to inaugurate Puja pandals in the city. His visit comes days after the city was inundated by torrential rain, in which at least 11 people were killed, mostly from electrocution. Shah was welcomed by Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya and party leader Rahul Sinha.

The visit comes ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, scheduled for next year, wherein the BJP ’s state unit is seeking to connect with the people of Bengal during the Durga Puja festivities.

Shah will first inaugurate the Durga Puja at Santosh Mitra Square, whose theme this year is “Operation Sindoor” — the military offensive India launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attacks a

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