It appears that making rules for giving Govindas jobs in the government quota could be more challenging than erecting a human pyramid. The BJP-led government had given the competition the status of (adventure) sports some six years ago, but couldn’t draft comprehensive rules for the final proposal, which buried itself under the carpet, till CM Eknath Shinde pulled it out on the eve of the Janmashtami festival which is synonymous with political show-offs, particularly in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area.

Political show-off

Over the years, the event has become popular in the constituencies of the leaders who know how to get political traction out of it. Identified with the Shiv Sena for several decades, the leaders from other parties had also entered the arena. Some quit organising it, some came back. The advent of the BJP saw a new tribe taking over. The Sena Shinde faction took it to the next level this year, beginning with the reiteration of its sports status, declaration of jobs in government and insurance against injury and death. The aim is more than obvious, with the vote banks in the sight. A two-year pandemic break added that extraordinary layer of enthusiasm this year. The number of accidents and injured players was more than in the previous editions.