Kolkata, Sep 25 - As thousands of people thronged beautifully decorated pandals (marquees) across West Bengal Friday during the Durga Puja festival, the weatherman warned that rain may play spoilsport Saturday.

'There is a possibility of sporadic rain and thundershowers in Gangetic West Bengal as well as in northern districts in the next 24 hours. The sky would be partly cloudy for the next one day,' said an official of the Regional Met office, Alipur.

Hoards of people enthusiastically flocked to giant pandals in the state capital and the police said that no untoward incident was reported in the city.

'The crowds mainly started swelling after the evening. A large number of puja pandals in both southern and northern parts of Kolkata received huge footfalls on Mahasaptami,' a Kolkata police official said.

Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Bengali community, is being held with great enthusiasm at pandals with innovative illuminations all over the state. A surge of humanity rushes to these pandals to savour the best of Bengali craftsmanship, culture and cuisine.