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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.

Transparency key in trust betn developers, homebuyers

Correspondent
Sep 20, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

ransparency key in trust betn developers, homebuyers

MahaRERA Chairman Ajoy Mehta is retiring on Friday after an impactful tenure that began in February 2021. A 1984 batch IAS official, Mehta has held several key positions throughout his distinguished career. He has served as the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Chairman and Managing Director of Maharashtra State Power Generation Limited, and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, among others. At each of these roles, his work left a lasting impact. As the Chairman of MahaRERA, Mehta focused on enhancing transparency, accountability, and credibility in the real estate sector, empowering homebuyers through a series of landmark decisions that will shape the state’s realty landscape for years to come. ‘The Perfect Voice’ representative Anand Mishra caught up with him for an insightful discussion. Excerpts...


As you retire from the position of MahaRERA Chairman, how has been your journey since February 2021?

Excellent. It’s been a fulfilling journey. Our objective has always been to enhance transparency, accountability, and credibility in the real estate sector, ensuring that homebuyers feel empowered. I wanted to make a lasting impact, similar to my previous roles as Maharashtra’s Chief Secretary and Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.


One of your major initiatives was enhancing transparency through project information disclosure. Could you elaborate on how this has impacted homebuyers?

Transparency is key in building trust between developers and homebuyers. We insisted that developers share all important project details with the public. Now, crucial information about a project is available on the MahaRERA website, enabling homebuyers to make informed decisions. This initiative has empowered them to keep track of their investments and increased overall transparency in the real estate sector.


Other states have adopted some of MahaRERA’s decisions. Can you tell us more about this influence?

Yes, some of our decisions, such as setting up micro-control rooms for regulatory compliance, have been replicated by regulatory bodies in other states. We also mandated that developers submit Director Identification Numbers (DIN) and performance details on a self-affidavit during project registration. This system has been instrumental in enhancing accountability, and I’m glad to see other states following suit.


What were some other major steps taken to protect homebuyers and ensure the quality of projects?

We took several measures, such as requiring developers to issue a ‘Quality Assurance Certificate’ annually. This guarantees the construction quality of projects. For senior citizens and retirement homes, we implemented a detailed framework outlining minimum amenities. Additionally, developers are now required to open three separate bank accounts for each project to ensure proper transaction monitoring and prevent fund mismanagement.


MahaRERA has also implemented initiatives to address grievances and improve compensation recovery. Could you explain these?

To ensure timely resolution of disputes between homebuyers and developers, we created a Grievance Redressal Cell and appointed a retired Additional District Collector to oversee compensation recovery. The establishment of a conciliation forum has also helped resolve post-sale issues amicably. These steps have significantly improved our ability to address homebuyer concerns efficiently.


You’ve made it mandatory for developers to follow a standardized Agreement for Sale and Allotment Letter. What was the reasoning behind this decision?

Standardising these documents ensures that critical aspects, such as carpet area, defect liability period, and conveyance deeds, cannot be altered to the detriment of homebuyers. This provides legal clarity and protection for both parties, ensuring fair transactions.


What are your thoughts on the future of MahaRERA after your retirement?

I am confident that the foundations we have built will continue to strengthen the real estate sector. MahaRERA’s initiatives, such as the three-tiered scrutiny during project registration and the mandatory disclosure of information, will have a long-lasting positive impact. I believe these measures will continue to empower homebuyers and enhance transparency in the sector.

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