Politicians reach out to Gen Z at Dahi Handi events

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited more than a dozen dahi handi events, from South Mumbai to Thane and Navi Mumbai

MUMBAI: For political leaders touring the dahi handis across Mumbai on Saturday, Gen Z was the flavour of the day. The Janmashtami celebrations lacked the political overtones of last year. In 2025, the festival was leveraged as a platform to campaign for local body elections held across the state.

Mumbai, Sept 05 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis celebrates the'Dahi Handi Utsav 2026' (West) organised by MLA Ram Kadam at Ghatkopar, in Mumbai on Saturday. (@Dev_Fadnavis X/ANI Photo) (@Dev_Fadnavis X)

But on Monday, the speeches took a very different turn. Urging the Govindas to stay safe, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said, “You have families waiting for you at home. So while building the human pyramid, stay alert and stay safe. I salute the skills, courage and unity of our young Govindas who build human pyramids of up to ten tiers.”

At the Sankalp Dahi Handi organised by Shiv Sena legislator Ravindra Phatak in Thane, Shinde used a smart quip to defuse a politically charged moment after the emcee said that next year, people would want Shinde to attend this dahi handi as “chief minister of Maharashtra”. Shinde told the media, “I have broken many political dahi handis already. You will get to know when I break more of them next time.”

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited more than a dozen dahi handi events, from South Mumbai to Thane and Navi Mumbai. At an event organised by the BJP’s Worli unit and the Rajyog Pratishthan, Fadnavis spoke about a “drug-free Maharashtra”. Attempting to strike a chord with the youth, he underlined the importance of unity, citing the example of Govindas, who build human pyramids to achieve a common goal. Fadnavis said, “The enthusiasm and discipline among young Govindas is admirable. The youth should stay away from addictions and contribute to the betterment of society.”

State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, however, could not resist using the dahi handi event organised by him as a plank to push his po-Marathi agenda. Sarnaik had invited actors Suniel Shetty and Sanjay Dutt, and cricketer Suryakumar to grace the ‘Sanskruti Yuva Pratisthan Dahi Handi’ in Thane. Shetty, who speaks fluent Marathi, said, “I have lived in Mumbai for a long time, so obviously I speak Marathi. To live in Mumbai, one needs to speak Marathi.” Actor Sanjay Dutt, however, spoke barely a sentence in Marathi and continued in Hindi.