VIJAYPURA: A late-night incident unfolded at the Vijayapura Mahanagara Corporation when murti of Bhagwan Ganesh was installed at the first-floor entrance gate, in connection with the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Traditionally, the corporation has celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi every year by installing the deity’s murti, with all employees contributing a day’s salary toward the festivities. These celebrations have included the installation of the Ganapathi murti, the performance of Satya Narayan Puja, and the distribution of Anna Prasad. However, this year, controversy arose as allegations surfaced that the festival had been neglected by the city authorities.
Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused the city’s leadership, including Commissioner Vijayakumar Mekkalaki, Mayor Mehjabeen Horti, and Deputy Mayor Dinesh Halli, of failing to uphold the tradition of celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at the corporation office. According to the BJP, the leadership did not arrange for the installation of the Ganesha murti, as has been done in previous years.
In response to this perceived neglect, several members of the corporation, including Rahul Jadhav, Kiran Patil, Shivrudra Bagalkote, Mallikarjuna Gadagi, Rajasekhar Magimath, Bandenawaz Bilagi, Jameer Bangi, and Jawahar Gosavi, along with former member Rajesh Devgiri, took matters into their own hands. Late at night, they installed the Ganesha murti on their own and gathered to offer prayers. The group maintained that the murti’s installation was in line with the yearly tradition, and they chose to celebrate despite the absence of official involvement from the corporation’s leadership.
Following the installation, local police from Jalnagar were alerted and visited the site to assess the situation. The police inspected the area and ensured that there were no disruptions.
This year’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at the corporation have taught a lesson to officials who neglected culture of soil. This incident , coming on the heels of a decision made during the General Body (GB) meeting earlier this year to install the Ganesha murti at the entrance gate on the ground floor. However, a separate incident in July complicated matters, when pro-Dalit organizations installed a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on the same premises, leading to public debate. At the time, Commissioner Mekkalaki had promised that statues of Ambedkar and other prominent leaders would be erected in the corporation’s grounds, aiming to quell the controversy.
Despite this earlier incident, BJP members have emphasized that the Ambedkar statue issue should not be linked to the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. They argue that their actions were simply an effort to uphold a longstanding tradition. The installation of the Ganesha murti late at night involved members from both the BJP and Congress, highlighting the cross-party support for continuing the festival.
As the city grapples with these overlapping issues, the question of balancing civic duties with religious celebrations remains at the forefront of local political discourse.
