Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s announcement that Dahi Handi will be recognized as an adventure sport has drawn criticism, but it is also being seen as an attempt to cut into the base of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena ahead of Mumbai civic polls.
With Dahi Handi being recognized as a sport, its participants, popularly called ‘Govindas’, will become eligible for a quota in government jobs. Activists and political commentators ridiculed the move on Friday while political parties were muted in their opposition.
But the decision puts the Thackeray faction of the Sena in a quandary, because the Govinda troupes, made up predominantly of lower-middle class Marathi-speaking youngsters, come from its traditional support base.
