‘We broke Handi of corruption’: Mahayuti sounds poll bugle

On Saturday, CM Fadnavis visited seven Janmashtami Dahi Handi events each, in Mumbai and Thane, organised by Mahayuti MLAs and other BJP and Sena leaders.

MUMBAI: Blazing a new campaign trail ahead of local body elections in the state, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is tapping into festivals deeply cherished by Maharashtrians, starting with Janmashtami on Saturday, to win hearts – and votes.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited a total of 14 Janmashtami Dahi Handi events in Mumbai and Thane. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)

With nine municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) up for elections, where the contest is expected to be fierce, the alliance cashed in on the Dahi Handi festival in a big way on Saturday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended as many as 14 Dahi Handi celebrations in Mumbai, Thane and Bhiwandi, while his deputy and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde attended nine, most of them in Thane.

Sounding the bugle for the polls, Fadnavis was blatant about the Mahayuti’s new and admittedly ingenious strategy. “Change is imminent in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation this year as we have broken the ‘Handi of corruption’ in the civic body,” said Fadnavis, in a veiled reference to the Shiv Sena-UBT, which has ruled the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for more than 25 years.

“With the help of ‘development Handi’ to be placed in BMC, we want to give a piece of development to the common people of Mumbai,” said the chief minister, at a Janmashtami celebration at Worli organised by BJP leader Santosh Pande.

On Saturday, Fadnavis visited seven Janmashtami Dahi Handi events each, in Mumbai and Thane, organised by sitting MLAs and other BJP and Sena leaders. He jointly presided over a celebration with Shinde at Tembhi Naka, organised by Sena MLA Balaji Kinikar. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar attended nine Dahi Handi events organised in party strongholds, including Ghatkopar, Borivali and Malad.

“Most of the big Dahi Handi mandals are linked to the ruling parties and their leaders such as Pratap Sarnaik, Prakash Surve and Ram Kadam. The presence of their senior leadership at the celebrations has helped the Mahayuti alliance reach out to lakhs of voters, especially Marathi-speaking people in the MMR,” said a BJP leader. “Political parties traditionally cash in on these festivals but the Mahayuti alliance is going all out this time as local body elections are around the corner.”

The strategy already appears to be paying rich rewards. The Konkan Nagar Raja Govinda Team in Thane set the record of a ten-layer Dahi Handi pyramid. The event was organised by the Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan Trust mentored by Sena leader and transport minister Pratap Sarnaik.

Up next, the BJP plans to use the upcoming Ganapati festival as part of its campaign strategy. The Mahayuti alliance recently gave it the status of a state festival and has announced prizes and funding worth ₹11.5 crore to Ganesh Mandals and people associated with the festival across the state. “Through this drive, the BJP aims to connect with thousands of Ganesh Mandals and the devotees associated with them,” a BJP leader said.