Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was seen offering Ganesh Chaturthi prayers with his family in a video shared by his office. The 10-day celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi began today across the country.
A short 10-second clip shows the Chief Minister, wearing an orange kurta pyajama, his son - Aaditya Thackeray and wife - Rashmi Thackeray - offering prayers. All of them are seen wearing masks as a precaution to check the spread of coronavirus. His office also tweeted a video message by Uddhav Thackeray.
With over 6.5 lakh cases so far, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country by the outbreak. Amid the pandemic, the festival celebrations have been scaled down to check the spread of virus.
Mumbai's civic body - the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation- on Twitter urged people to follow all the guidelines while celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. The 10-day festival is celebrated across India, specially Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat.
The Mumbai Police have tightened security to keep a vigil across the city during the celebrations, news agency PTI reported. "Apart from the local police, a company of Rapid Action Force (RAF), three companies of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), local arms and riot control police have been deployed in the city," an official said.
A video from Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple this morning showed aarti being performed at the shrine. The Lalbaug Cha Raja this year won't be celebrating the festival in a traditional manner due to restrictions. Instead they, will be hosting blood and plasma donation camp
Social media was flooded today by the greetings for the festival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning tweeted: "Greetings on the auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. May the blessings of Bhagwan Shri Ganesh always be upon us. May there be joy and prosperity all over.
According to new guidelines of Home Ministry, large gatherings, including cultural and religious events, are banned amid pandemic. After a new record spike, India's coronavirus cases 29 lakh cases.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)
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