Political buzz on Janmashtami festivities in Mumbai ahead of local body polls

Mumbai: With the 2025 Maharashtra local bodies polls just months away, top politicians criss-crossed Mumbai and parts of the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Saturday on the auspicious occasion of Krishna Janmashtami-Dahi Handi - in what was seen as a massive outreach programme.

The heavy rains in Mumbai failed to dampen the spirit - and the festivities came as a sort of perfect setting to launch a high-voltage campaign for the elections.

For the ruling Maha Yuti comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), the elections are of high-stakes.

The top leaders including MPs, MLAs and MLCs hut the streets of MMR - comprising the twin districts of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban and neighbouring districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad - trying to reach as many mandals as possible.

There are an estimated 800 to 1,000 big Dahi Handi mandals in the MMR.

During the festival, Govindas, as the participants or revellers are known, re-enact the myth of Lord Krishna stealing butter from a hanging pot, known as the Dahi-Handi. They form human pyramids to reach out to the earthen pot filled with curd and break it.

Songs like – Govinda aala re, Mach gaya shor sari nagri re, Shor mach gaya shor, Go go Govinda -- rent the air as teams of Govindas moved from colony to colony breaking earthen pots.

In fact, Mumbai-MMR houses nine municipal corporations including the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, the richest and one of the biggest civic bodies of India. Besides Mumbai, other municipal corporations are Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar, Navi Mumbai, Panvel and Ulhasnagar.

From Worli, which is part of the Marathi heartland, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the BJP’s celebrations. “The handi of sins in Mumbai’s civic body has been broken and people will replace it with a handi of development….change in the BMC is inevitable…the butter from handi of development will be distributed to the people,” Fadnavis said at Parivartan Dahi Handi Utsav 2025 at Jambori Maidan in Worli, organised by Santosh Pandey.

Incidentally, Worli is the seat of Aaditya Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), which as undivided Shiv Sena has ruled the BMC for quarter of a century. “The thrill of towering human pyramids and the enthusiasm of young Gopals and Govindas can be seen across Maharashtra today,” he said.

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya personally took part in human pyramid formation at the Jangal Mangal Road in Bhandup.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the chief leader of Shiv Sena joined the festivities in Tembi Naka, his bastion in Thane City. “In Tembi Naka, the Dahi Handi celebrations were started by late Anand Dighe Saheb…the Thane City has become the hub of Dahi Handi celebration,” he said and hailed the Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev launched by Indian armed forces under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “This is new India…we will strike deep,” he said.

Mumbai Congress President and MP Prof Varsha Gaikwad said: “This auspicious day is not only a celebration of festivity but also a reminder of the message of unity, brotherhood, justice, and love. Shri Krishna, through his life, demonstrated that no matter how powerful injustice, arrogance, and evil tendencies may be, their defeat is inevitable in the face of truth, patience, and virtue. Each one of us should walk the path of Krishna’s teachings and light the lamp of equality, justice, and unity. On this Janmashtami, let us all come together, forget differences, and build a society that protects humanity and fosters harmony.”