New Delhi, Sep 14: Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated with immense enthusiasm and religious fervour across India, particularly in Maharashtra, on Monday, as devotees welcomed beautifully crafted idols of Lord Ganesha into their homes and public pandals to mark the beginning of the 10-day festival.

Across cities, elaborate decorations, illuminated pandals, devotional rituals and cultural programmes have added to the festive atmosphere, with devotees offering prayers, flowers, sweets and other traditional offerings to Lord Ganesha.

Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha, who is revered as the deity of wisdom, prosperity and new beginnings and is traditionally invoked before important undertakings.

The celebrations will culminate in Anant Chaturdashi on September 25, when devotees traditionally bid farewell to the deity through immersion processions.

The origin of Ganesh Chaturthi in its present public form in Maharashtra is traced to Keshavji Nayak Chawl in Girgaum, Mumbai, where freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak began the first ‘sarvajanik’ Ganeshotsav in 1893. The initiative was aimed at bringing people together and garnering public support for India’s freedom struggle.

However, the Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust maintains that the public celebration of Ganeshotsav in Pune was started by Bhausaheb Rangari in 1892, making the origins of the public festival a matter of historical significance for both Mumbai and Pune.

In Pune, the arrival ceremony of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati, regarded as Hindustan’s first public Ganpati, began amid the rhythmic beats of dhol-tasha and witnessed the participation of a large number of devotees.

Special prayers were also performed at the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple as part of the celebrations.

In Mumbai, dazzling lights and elaborate decorations have given a festive appearance to several prominent Ganesh pandals and temples, including Lalbaugcha Raja at Lalbaug, Tejukaya Mandal in Lalbaug, Ganesh Gully in Lalbaug, GSB Seva Mandal at Matunga-Kings’ Circle, Andheri-cha-Raja, Shri Bal Gopal Ganesh Utsav Mandal at Marine Lines, Kethwadi 11th Lane, Kethwadi 12th Lane, GSB Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Samiti in Wadala, Sahyadri Mandal in Tilak Nagar-Chembur, and Fort Vibhag Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Mandal in Fort.

Thousands of devotees are visiting the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Long queues of devotees were seen outside the famous pandal as people patiently waited for Bappa’s darshan.

The renowned Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai has also been magnificently decorated for the festival, adding to the festive and devotional atmosphere in the city.

In Nagpur, a large number of devotees gathered at the famous Ganesh Tekdi Temple. Devotees stood in long queues to offer prayers and seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha for happiness, prosperity, peace and overall well-being.

The temple premises have been witnessing a deeply devotional atmosphere since morning, with the surrounding area echoing with chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ as devotees arrived to pay obeisance to the deity.

A devotee, speaking to media, said, “This 10-day festival is ongoing, and there is a huge rush. Our main intention is to ensure that every devotee gets proper darshan, and we have made arrangements accordingly. We have set up separate queues for men and women. For elderly people, we have arranged e-rickshaws and EV vehicles so they can be transported from there to here.”

Another devotee spoke about the spiritual significance of the festival and the joy surrounding the celebrations.

“We came here for Ganesh Chaturthi and had darshan at the temple. The atmosphere here is so joyful and pleasant. The true essence of Ganesh Chaturthi is that Lord Ganesha relieves us of our troubles and brings us happiness. Similarly, in our own lives, we should aim to spread happiness to others rather than causing them pain,” the devotee added.

Rais Shaikh, the Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East, has lodged a complaint with the State Chief Electoral Officer regarding numerous flaws in the Election Commission’s ‘Special Summary Revision’ (SIR) campaign for voter lists. He pointed out that the names of lakhs of eligible voters are missing from the recently published draft list. In a letter, MLA Shaikh has demanded a two-month extension for the process of rectifying these errors.

Elaborating on the issue, MLA Shaikh stated that voters had submitted registration applications with valid documents during the SIR campaign and possess acknowledgment receipts; however, their names are not included in the recently published draft voter list. The online system indicates that lakhs of applications—ranging from new voter registrations (Form 6) to name corrections or address changes (Form 8)—are pending at the Booth Level Officer (BLO) level.

Affected voters have not received any notices, SMS alerts, or phone calls from the Election Department regarding discrepancies in the voter list or ‘no-linkage’ issues. Thousands of eligible voters are confused about whether they will be included in or excluded from the final voter list. MLA Shaikh noted that this sentiment prevails among voters in the areas of Bhiwandi, Madanpura, Mankhurd, and Govandi.
Persistent server issues on the Election Commission’s website and mobile app have made it extremely difficult for citizens to fill out new forms or check the status of their existing applications. BLOs are unwilling to work during the festive holidays. Consequently, MLA Rais Shaikh has demanded a two-month extension to the September 30 deadline for the SIR process. In his letter, he urged that the names of citizens holding SIR acknowledgment receipts be included in the final electoral roll. He also called for immediate orders to process pending applications held by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and suggested launching a campaign to accept applications via offline (physical) methods to overcome online server issues. Exercising the right to vote is a constitutional right for every eligible voter. Through this letter, MLA Rais Shaikh has directed the State’s Chief Electoral Officer and the Thane District Collector to ensure that no voter is deprived of their right to vote during the SIR process.

Mumbai, Sep 13: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the inaugural session of Hindi Diwas 2026 and the sixth All India Official Language Conference in Mumbai on Monday, an official said.

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, the event will highlight the vibrant relationship of Hindi with Maharashtra’s rich linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions, the official said in a statement.

On this occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, several Members of Parliament, distinguished guests from various fields, scholars, litterateurs, educationists, and senior officials from various departments and Ministries of the Central government will also be present.

The Department of Official Language of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been organising All India Official Language Conferences every year since 2021.

This journey, which began from Varanasi, has reached Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra this year, passing through Surat, Pune, New Delhi and Gandhinagar.

During the inaugural session of the two-day programme, the ‘Rajbhasha Gaurav’ and ‘Rajbhasha Kirti’ Awards for the year 2025–26 will be presented by the Union Home Minister, the statement said.

The institutions and individuals who have undertaken outstanding work and made noteworthy contributions in the field of Official Language will be honoured with these awards, it added.

Several important books and publications will also be launched during the inaugural session and other sessions. These include a special commemorative issue of the Department of Official Language’s journal ‘Rajbhasha Bharati’, centred on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’; ‘Bharatiya Gyan Tantra: Srot aur Swaroop’; ‘Shiv Anadi Hain, Anant Hain’; and ‘Andheron Se Ujalon Tak’, a compilation of writings by prison inmates.

A special attraction of this year’s conference will be a special discussion session centred on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’.

Joydeep Chattopadhyay will also have a special presence at the programme. He is a fifth-generation descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the author of ‘Vande Mataram’.

A special session will also be organised at the Conference on the role of Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs/NARAKAS).

NARAKAS is a strong and empowered unit that takes forward the implementation of Official Language Hindi at the grassroots level.

A special exhibition is also being organised at the conference venue, in which stalls will be put up by various institutions, organisations, banks and ministries, the statement said.