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With elections ahead, Political leaders likely to hop more Ganesh pandals in Pune
Top leaders from Maharashtra government including Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar will visit the prominent ganesh mandals in Pune
With Lok Sabha and Assembly elections slated in 2024, the 10-day Ganesh festival this year is likely to see some political influence as several parties plan to join in the festive fervour. Party leaders plan to reach out to maximum mandals to offer prayers to the deity.
Many big Ganesh Manadals in Pune, Mumbai, Thane and other big cities are considered politically powerful given the number of workers attached with them and their financial clout.
Besides corporates and traders, main sponsors for these mandals have been political leaders who donate money in large sums as a part of vargani.
With Lok Sabha elections expected to be held in April-March next year, many leaders have already chalked out plan to visit the pandals in the next 10 days.
Last year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had visited over 350 big pandals in Mumbai, Pune and Thane to offer prayers during Ganeshotstav. This year too, he plans to visit many big mandals in the city, said a key leader from Shiv Sena.
In the past too, political parties have used this festival to reach out youths who are big strength as political workers during elections. Many of the leaders too install the deity at their residence for 10 days.
Already the Dagdusheth Ganesh Temple which is mainly influential by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders such as Hemant Rasane had invited the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
While Yogi Aditynath’s Pune tour stands cancelled now, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was present for the starting the Ganesh Festival while other leaders such as Devendra Fadnavis may visit the temple in the coming days.
It is expected that all the top leaders from Maharashtra government Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar too visiting the prominent ganesh mandals in Pune. Even the opposition party leaders will try to visit maximum mandals during this festival.
The state government has also taken many decisions in favour of mandals as they would get support from them in future. Last year, government decided to give permission to mandals for five years unlike one year in the past.
Mohan Bhagwat performs Lord Ganesh puja at Dagdusheth pandal
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat offered prayers at the Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandir in Pune on Tuesday on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
The theme of this year’s decoration at the pandal is the replica of the under-construction Ram Mandir of Ayodya.Bhagwat performed “pran pratishta’ (auspicious installation) of Lord Ganesh’s idol at the Dagdusheth temple where the pandal is erected.
The Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple is said to be 130 years old.
According to the temple authorities, the deity of Lord Ganesha was incepted by Shri Dagdusheth Halwai and his wife Lakshmibai way back when they lost their only son to the plague epidemic and hence it is called Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati.
