Diwali will be different this year for the residents of the Chakdah village in West Bengal, as electricity has reached the village for the first time since Independence. It is located in the Hooghly district and is home to around 400 tribal families who have lived without electricity for decades. Hence, long-awaited access to electricity has brought relief and joy to residents.
The village falls under the Ashtaradattapur Gram Panchayat in the Tarakeswar Assembly constituency. According to locals, electricity poles were installed in the hamlet several years ago, but wires were never laid, leaving it without electricity despite the presence of the infrastructure. However, the work has progressed under the Suvendu government, paving the way for electricity connections to reach households in the area.
#WATCH | Hooghly, West Bengal: Chakdah village under Ashtaradattapur Gram Panchayat in the Tarkeshwar Assembly constituency receives electricity for the first time since Independence. Around 400 Adivasi families are set to celebrate the Diwali festival with a new ray of hope as their village gets its first-ever electricity connection. (05.11)
— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2026
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Santu Pan was also present at this crucial moment and stated, “The electricity poles were installed a few years ago, but because this village has consistently voted for the BJP, ever since 1997-98, it was denied electricity. During the election campaign, I took note of this and made a promise. I had pledged that my very first task after winning and becoming the MLA would be to address this. A month ago, the district electricity department installed meters; those belonging to the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category will receive electricity free of charge. This is an Adivasi (indigenous) village; all the families belong to the ST (Scheduled Tribe) category. They are all engaged in agriculture.” He informed that new meter boxes had already been put in 50 of these residences.
#WATCH | Hooghly, West Bengal: A local resident says, "Electricity hadn’t reached our village since independence; it’s arriving for the first time now. This is wonderful for us, and we are very happy. There were about 400 families living here without electricity. It was very difficult for the children. Because our village has consistently voted for the BJP, the previous government—the TMC—only installed the electric poles but didn’t lay the wires. That’s why electricity never reached us…" (05.11)
— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2026
A local likewise mentioned, “Electricity hadn’t reached our village since independence; it’s arriving for the first time now. This is wonderful for us, and we are very happy. There were about 400 families living here without electricity. It was very difficult for the children. Because our village has consistently voted for the BJP, the previous government, the TMC, only installed the electric poles but didn’t lay the wires. That’s why electricity never reached us.”
