Coronavirus impacts Ganesh festival in Mumbai as Lalbaugcha Raja gets CANCELLED for the first time

The biggest Ganesh Chaturthi celebration, Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai has been impacted by COVID 19 pandemic as the organisers have cancelled it this year due to the Coronavirus.

Written By Pinkvilla Desk 28164 reads Mumbai Updated: July 1, 2020 08:09 pm

Coronavirus impacts Ganesh festival in Mumbai as Lalbaugcha Raja gets CANCELLED for the first time

Coronavirus impacts Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Festival in Mumbai as it gets CANCELLED for the first time

One of Mumbai’s biggest celebrations and crowd puller amid the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, Lalbaughcha Raja has been impacted this year due to COVID 19 as for the first time in the 84 year history, it has been cancelled. As per ANI, the mandal organisers have decided to not conduct the Ganeshotsav due to COVID 19. Instead a blood & plasma donation camp will be set up in its place. Lalbaugcha Raja celebrations are awaited by millions of followers in the city. However, this decision has been welcomed by netizens.

As per NDTV’s report, Sudhir Salvi, secretary of the Lalbaug Ganesh Mandal confirmed the news and said, “This year we will not be keeping any idol as people will otherwise throng to see it.” The Ganesh Idol that is at Lalbaug is one of the biggest crowd-pullers during the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai. Due to the increasing number of cases in Maharashtra, the government recently also extended the lockdown till July 31 in the state. Amid this, even the Lalbaughcha Raja celebrations were cancelled this year.

The Mandal decided to cancel the celebrations and hold a blood and plasma donation camp this year instead in its place. Two days ago, Maharashtra CM addressed the state and informed that the Ganesh Idols this year will be only 4-feet and that there will not be any religious procession owing to the COVID 19 pandemic. Most of the other mandals in the city also have decided to have low key celebrations of the festival amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

Mumbai's Lalbaughcha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal has decided not to hold Ganeshotsav this time in wake of #COVID19 pandemic. A blood & plasma donation camp will be set up in its place: Lalbaughcha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal (in the picture - last year's Ganpati idol at Lalbaughcha Raja) pic.twitter.com/1FiHg68QAX

— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2020