With municipal elections round the corner, Ganesh mandals across Pune have once again emerged as crucial political platforms.
Aspiring candidates from all parties are using the 10-day festival to reach voters, funding mandals in their wards, and putting up banners near pandals and main roads.
As civic elections were delayed for the past three years, the number of aspirants has swelled. While established corporators already enjoy strong voter connect, first-time hopefuls are increasingly turning to smaller mandals for visibility and grassroots outreach.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Hemant Rasne said, “Pune’s Ganesh festival is well-known across Maharashtra and India. Many leaders, including me, began our political careers through this festival. It is a training ground for workers who also engage in social work during the celebrations.”
Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said, “I started my career with Ganesh mandals and continue to work with them even today.”
Congress leader Arvind Shinde said the festival has long provided a platform for political workers. “Earlier, people collected small donations and managed expenses themselves. But nowadays, with rising costs, mandals depend more on financial support. Aspiring candidates contribute based on their capacity, and even established leaders donate, as mandals expect it,” he said.
A Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) aspirant, requesting anonymity, said, “I plan to contest the election for the first time. To reach more voters and get people to work for me during the campaign, I have donated to eight mandals and put up banners near pandals. It’s the easiest way to send out the message that I am in the fray.”
{{/usCountry}}A Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) aspirant, requesting anonymity, said, “I plan to contest the election for the first time. To reach more voters and get people to work for me during the campaign, I have donated to eight mandals and put up banners near pandals. It’s the easiest way to send out the message that I am in the fray.”
{{/usCountry}}A BJP aspirant also shared his experience: “I sponsored a few mandals for Dahi Handi and Ganeshotsav. But after giving sizeable money for Dahi Handi, expectations increased and more mandals approached me. Now I restrict funding only to those within my ward.”
BJP leader Ujwal Keskar observed that newcomers are more generous than incumbents. “It is natural for political workers to fund mandals. Sitting corporators generally donate less compared to aspiring candidates,” he said.
A senior BJP leader said that sometimes donations are given to avoid friction. “Many workers know mandal members may not vote for them. But to prevent negative publicity, they still give small contributions.”
Senior NCP leader Ankush Kakade underlined the wider political importance of the festival. “All parties participate in Ganeshotsav. Leaders often sit together on immersion day. Almost all state-level leaders visit major pandals during the festival, and this year, with civic elections approaching, even more leaders are expected to make their presence felt,” he said.