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By:

Rajendra Pandharpure

15 April 2025 at 7:55:54 pm

The BJP’s Ganesha Gambit

Pune’s Ganeshotsav has become an enormous civic and political stage, and the ruling party has proved adept at occupying it. Pune: The city’s Ganeshotsav is entering its final phase, but the festival has already demonstrated something beyond its extraordinary crowds and familiar spectacle: the extent to which it has become a political stage. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left a particularly visible imprint on the festivities, using an event that reaches deep into the city’s...

The BJP’s Ganesha Gambit

Pune’s Ganeshotsav has become an enormous civic and political stage, and the ruling party has proved adept at occupying it. Pune: The city’s Ganeshotsav is entering its final phase, but the festival has already demonstrated something beyond its extraordinary crowds and familiar spectacle: the extent to which it has become a political stage. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left a particularly visible imprint on the festivities, using an event that reaches deep into the city’s neighbourhoods as an opportunity for public outreach. The political appropriation of the festival has not, however, been without a counter-current. Demands were raised for curbs on noise pollution, loudspeakers and the volume of dhol-tasha performances. The argument was not against Ganeshotsav itself, but for moderation - notably, a complete ban on DJ music and limits on the number of dhol and tasha instruments used by performing troupes. Familiar Troubles The festival’s reality has been rather different. Major roads have been occupied by mandaps. Processions celebrating the arrival of Lord Ganesha have unfolded amid punishing noise. DJ music, while subject to restrictions, has continued. Traffic congestion has become a familiar feature of the festival, with the movement of political leaders adding another layer to the city’s already strained roads. The Peth areas have remained crowded deep into the night. The Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple has drawn enormous crowds for darshan from the opening day. From the old city to housing societies and neighbourhood mandals, Ganeshotsav touches virtually every part of Pune. For a political party seeking a direct connection with citizens, few occasions offer such a ready-made network of people, institutions and local influencers. The BJP enters this festival with an unusually formidable organisational base. It has two MPs, seven MLAs and more than 100 corporators in Pune. Murlidhar Mohol, one of the city’s MPs, is a Union Minister of State. Chandrakant Patil is a Cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government, while Madhuri Misal is a Minister of State. The party’s presence also extends into the festival’s organisational architecture. Its influence is visible across numerous mandals, large and small. BJP MLA Hemant Rasane is General Secretary of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust. Kunal Tilak, a member of Lokmanya Tilak’s family, is a BJP corporator. The political and cultural histories of Pune therefore intersect in ways that are difficult to ignore. The BJP’s senior leadership has also made the most of the occasion. National President Nitin Nabin visited Pune to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the city before and during the festival. Such visits are about more than religious observance. In a festival watched by millions and embedded in the city’s social life, political visibility comes almost automatically. There is also talk in Pune that the BJP provided substantial financial support to Dhol-Lezim troupes and their organisers, with claims that some major mandals received financial backing as well. These claims would require independent verification, but the perception itself points to the depth of the political contest around Ganeshotsav. BJP workers, according to local observers, have also sought to make their presence more conspicuous than that of festivities organised by housing societies. Useful Expedient The festival arrives at a politically useful moment for the BJP. The party has faced disquiet on several fronts. Young people have been agitated over the paper-leak controversy. Broader public dissatisfaction has been voiced over inflation and unemployment, while government policies relating to ethanol and charges associated with UPI transactions have also generated criticism. While a political party can defend a policy in a press conference and advertise its achievements, during Ganeshotsav, its workers can be physically present in neighbourhoods, among processions, mandals, cultural groups and devotees. Politics thus becomes less about argument and more about visibility. That is the BJP’s advantage in Pune. Ganeshotsav, after all, is not simply a sequence of religious rituals. It is an elaborate civic network involving local organisers, volunteers, cultural groups, businesses, residents and political representatives. Whoever has influence over that network acquires a powerful channel of communication with the city. The BJP appears to understand this particularly well. Its strength in Pune’s electoral politics has been reinforced by a presence that extends beyond elections and into the institutions and social spaces that organise public life. The irony is that the very scale of the festival that makes it politically attractive also magnifies the civic costs. The political value of Ganeshotsav and the civic burden it creates are therefore two sides of the same phenomenon. For Pune, the larger question is not whether politics has entered Ganeshotsav. It has done so for decades. The more consequential question is whether the festival’s extraordinary social capital will remain primarily a vehicle for political outreach or whether the same influence can be used to reconcile celebration with the ordinary civic needs of the city. For the moment, the BJP seems to have understood the first proposition better than most.

Colombia at Crossroads: The Politics and Economics of a Regional Power

Writer: Sumant Vidwans
Sumant Vidwans
Aug 17, 2025
3 min read

President Petro’s final year could determine whether Colombia consolidates its gains, tackles persistent challenges, and reinforces its role as a regional power.

Colombia, South America’s second most populous and fourth largest country, borders Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Panama, with coasts on both the Pacific and Caribbean, and is home to about 52 million people. Famed for coffee, emeralds, oil, and coal, Colombia is among the world’s most biodiverse nations, spanning the Amazon rainforest and Andean landscapes. As South America’s third-largest economy, it shapes regional politics, Amazon Basin governance, and security cooperation.


This country is at a decisive moment right now as President Gustavo Petro’s administration is entering its final year. Poverty figures are showing mixed progress, a long-standing border dispute with Peru has flared up, the energy sector is facing significant setbacks, and a former president has been placed under house arrest on corruption charges. Together, these developments underline the country’s current political and economic crossroads.


Political Landscape in Transition

President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader, came to power with ambitious goals: advancing a “paz total” (total peace) process to end armed conflicts, implementing social reforms to reduce inequality, and steering the country toward greener economic policies. His government has reduced poverty and resumed talks with guerrilla groups, but faces stalled reforms, political fragmentation, and ongoing rural security challenges.


Petro’s approval has fallen from over 50% to around 30%, reflecting public dissatisfaction. His tense relationship with Vice President Francia Marquez, a fellow environmental activist and presidential contender, stems from unresolved differences on environmental policies. Colombia’s one-term limit bars Petro from running again.


In a separate development, former President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years’ house arrest for corruption. Once one of Colombia’s most influential figures, his case underscores broader issues of political accountability, though it is unrelated to Petro’s government.


Border Dispute with Peru

A revived dispute with Peru over Santa Rosa Island in the Amazon near Leticia poses a key foreign policy challenge for Colombia. Peru’s recent unilateral designation of the island as a new district sparked protests, seen by Colombia as a sovereignty breach and a threat to Amazon access. Beyond territory, the island is vital for river transport, trade, and ecological preservation. The Petro government seeks a diplomatic resolution, possibly via the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation, highlighting how dormant border disputes can strain Latin American relations.


Energy Sector Setbacks and Policy Shifts

Colombia’s offshore oil and gas sector, once a major revenue hope, faces uncertainty. Despite heavy multinational investment over the past decade, recent drilling has disappointed, and Petro’s regulatory tightening, including a halt on new contracts, has dampened investor interest.


The impact is already visible: Petrobras’ promising Sirius project has been delayed until at least 2030, and several international firms are scaling back their operations. Supporters of Petro’s policies argue that transitioning away from fossil fuels is essential for environmental and climate goals, while critics warn that reduced hydrocarbon revenues could limit funding for social programmes and infrastructure.


Social Policy Outcomes and Poverty Trends

However, Colombia has also recorded some progress when it comes to economic and social policy. Official figures show that the national poverty rate fell from 34.6% in 2023 to 31.8% in 2024, which is the lowest since 2012. Extreme poverty has also seen a modest decline. However, the gains have not been uniform: income has declined for the poorest 20% of the population, and rural poverty remains stubbornly high. Critics also question the accuracy of official statistics.


The causes of falling poverty are debated, with some attributing it to higher remittances and rising sectoral wages rather than government action. Still, the figures will shape political narratives ahead of the 2026 elections, influencing perceptions of Petro’s legacy and his party’s prospects.


Regional and Global Significance

Colombia’s importance extends beyond its borders. It has been a close ally of the United States in security cooperation and anti-narcotics efforts, while also playing a key role in regional environmental governance through the Amazon Cooperation Treaty. In recent years, China has sought to expand its economic footprint in Colombia, mirroring broader trends in Latin America and adding a layer of strategic competition to the country’s foreign relations.


Domestically driven decisions on energy, social policy, and governance will inevitably affect Colombia’s ability to project influence regionally. In trade, climate negotiations, and security dialogues, its position as a relatively stable democracy in a turbulent region gives it both opportunities and responsibilities.


President Petro’s final year in office will be critical in determining whether the country can consolidate its gains and address persistent challenges. While Colombia may not dominate global headlines, its choices in the coming months could influence regional stability and certain global commodity markets. For a nation often overlooked in international discussions, this turning point offers a moment to shape its trajectory and reaffirm its role as a regional power.


(The writer is a foreign affairs expert. Views personal.)

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