In 2026, public holidays in Bengal to add up to almost two months

The number of public holidays in West Bengal in 2026 reaches almost two months; While this brings a smile to the face of those who will be taking frequent (and long) breaks from work, it mostly raises the eyebrows of those who run businesses.

According to a notification issued by the State Government on Thursday evening (November 28, 2025), the number of public holidays for the coming year has increased from 47 to 51 in 2025. Mahalaya day was declared a public holiday and an extra Durga Puja holiday was also added to the list on a Saturday after the festival ended long after.

“During the Left regime, there were frequent bandhs in Bengal and Mamata Banerjee was opposing them. Even now she is opposing them, but in fact there are many more lockdown days in today’s Bengal than in the Left regime. The state’s work culture was never up to national standards, but now every year people in the government sector have more valid reasons not to work. By the fall of 2026, they will see Bengal virtually shutting down from Mahalaya to Chhath. Puja,” said one of Bengal’s oldest light makers. One of them is Shailendra Singh, director of Prakash Bulb Industries.

Arabinda Dasgupta, managing director of Dasgupta and Co., Kolkata’s oldest bookstore dating back to 1886, reiterated her recent social media post when asked what she thought about the numerous public holidays in the state.

“The increasing number of holidays has become a hindrance for businesses all over the world. While the privileged class is enjoying the holiday siesta, the unorganized sector is suffering greatly. Earlier Durga puja was for four days, that’s it. Now it has extended to almost half a month. From Durga Puja to Christmas, Saraswati Puja to Eid, we have so many holidays that half the people do not even know what the holiday is for.” Dasgupta said.

“It’s funny how we get calls on our store hotline number most mornings from people asking if we’re open or closed. At this rate, we’ll soon be printing calendars with red dates (holidays) interspersed with black dates (business days),” he joked.

Ishita Mukhopadhyay, senior professor of economics at Calcutta University, is also unimpressed by the increasing number of public holidays in the state. Prof. Mukhopadhyay said, “There is already unemployment. Schools and colleges are closed frequently. They will be closed more frequently next year. This will also harm the education of children and youth, who are already at risk. Declaring a holiday a day before or after festivals is pointless, it will only disrupt classroom discipline and work culture.”

Over the years, the Trinamool Congress government has added an extra holiday day to many festivals. Usually the holiday is given the next day. However, the year was also declared a holiday one day before some holidays. For example, for the 2026 Saraswati Puja, which falls on a Friday, this time an extra holiday was given the day before; As a result, beneficiaries will have a long break from Thursday to Sunday that week.

A State Government employee, who wished to remain anonymous, supported the idea of ​​having so many holidays. “Bengal has a strong tradition of honoring historical figures and reformers. Birthdays are often public holidays and this is part of Bengal’s cultural pride. Sometimes holidays are politically sensitive; skipping a holiday may offend a community or group. Bengal often adds holidays for multiple communities and regions to maintain inclusivity,” the officer said.

“Also, the issue is not always the number of holidays but their density. Bengal may see a large number of holidays in October – Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja and Deepavali, followed by almost no holidays in November. This would result in short-term administrative pauses rather than a year-round slowdown,” the officer added.