The BJP-led West Bengal government officially celebrated June 20, 2026, as the first ‘West Bengal Day’. The date was chosen to commemorate the 1947 decision in the Bengal Legislative Assembly that led to the partition of Bengal and the western region’s integration with India. The previous Trinamool Congress government had rejected the idea of celebrating the partition, instead designating the Bengali New Year’s Day as West Bengal Day.

According to the BJP, June 20 symbolizes the creation of West Bengal and its union with India. Party leaders and affiliated historians describe it as the day marking the homeland for Bengali Hindus, crediting Syama Prasad Mookerjee for opposing the United Bengal Plan and ensuring a separate state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the celebrations in Kolkata, which included floral tributes to Mookerjee across districts.

However, some historians, including Harvard professor Sugata Bose, criticized the observance, arguing that the partition was already determined by the Mountbatten Plan and that June 20 should be remembered as a tragic day rather than a day of pride.