Mandya: Just days after stone-pelting during a Ganesh immersion procession left the district on edge, Hindutva organisations staged a grand show of strength on Wednesday by conducting a large-scale immersion procession in Maddur, Mandya district.

Under tight police security, idols from 18 village groups and 10 town committees a total of 28 Ganesh idols were taken out in a joint procession and immersed in the Shimsha River.

The rally began at 11:45 am from the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Maddur town, moving through Holebeedi, Pete Beedi, TB Circle, and the old Bengaluru–Mysuru Road before concluding at Kolli Circle, from where the idols were taken for immersion.

What stood out was the strong political presence at the event. Leaders from both the BJP and JD(S) joined the rally, extending their support to Hindutva groups. Among the prominent attendees were BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Mysuru–Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, MLA Channabasappa, former ministers C.T. Ravi, Puttaraju, Dr. Ashwath Narayan, actor and MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, and former MLAs Preetham Gowda, Suresh Gowda, and Tamanna.

The participation of senior BJP leaders gave the event a strong political dimension, with the immersion rally turning into both a religious and political show of force.

The leaders did not miss the opportunity to lash out at the Congress government in Karnataka. Addressing the gathering, B.Y. Vijayendra, R. Ashoka, and C.T. Ravi accused the government of appeasement politics, claiming it had created conditions where Hindus could not celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi peacefully.

“Is this democracy or Taliban rule?” asked R. Ashoka, alleging that the state’s handling of communal tensions had emboldened miscreants. The BJP leaders alleged that the stone-pelting incident on the Ganesh procession earlier in the week was a direct result of the government’s “vote-bank politics” and “soft approach towards extremists.”

“Those who attack Hindu processions feel shielded by this government. They believe that whatever they do, the administration will protect them,” charged former Karnataka Road Infrastructure Development Corporation president M Rudresh

Though Wednesday’s event passed off without major incident, the atmosphere in Maddur remains tense. Local residents described the rally as both a religious celebration and a political counter-mobilisation, symbolising rising polarisation after the stone-pelting episode.

Police deployed heavy security to prevent any flare-up, with personnel stationed across sensitive points in Maddur town and adjoining villages.

The show of strength by Hindutva groups with open backing from the BJP and JD(S) has added a new layer to Mandya’s already fragile communal situation, signalling more confrontations ahead as political and religious identities increasingly overlap.