Mumbai Ganeshotsav 2026: Khetwadi Cha Ganraj wins Mid-Day’s best pandal contest

Khetwadi Cha Ganraj pandal has won the top spot bagging in MidDayrsquos Ganeshotsav 2026 Best Pandal Contest after securing the highest number of online votes from readersKhetwadi Cha Ganraj secured 785 votes followed by Girgaoncha Raja with 708 and Shree Siddhivinayak Krupa Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in Sion with 248 votesThe top three finishers were selected through MidDay Ganeshotsav 2026 readersrsquo voting with readers choosing pandals that stood out for their decorations themes cultural messaging and overall presentationThe contest received 2482 total votes with 14 pandals shortlisted for the final round Voting was open from September 14 to September 25Khetwadi Cha Ganraj takes the top spotKhetwadi Cha Ganraj one of Mumbairsquos prominent Ganeshotsav mandals finished as the winner after a closely contested voting process Its pandal at 12th Khetwadi Lane near Earth View Building Mumbai featured a journey through the Warkari tradition of Pandharpur The theme highlighted the centuriesold tradition of Warkaris undertaking the sacred Wari while focusing on devotion faith equality and their unwavering love for Lord VitthalSpeaking to MidDay after securing first place Viren Patel from Khetwadi Cha Ganraj said ldquo785 votes means 785 blessings for us For Khetwadicha Ganraj this is not just a number It shows peoples love and trustKhetwadi is known for its height and creativity and this award from MidDay and the people of Mumbai motivates our entire youth team to work even harderrdquoHighlighting the hard work and attention to detail involved in creating the Ganesh pandal Patel said ldquoIt is very hard work and a complete team effort People see only 10 days of Ganeshotsav but our work starts around threefour months before the festivalrdquo ldquoMore than 100 karyakartas work day and night to create this magic and since the last 15 days we all have been living in the pandalrdquoGirgaoncha Raja finishes secondGirgaoncha Raja grabs 704 votes File picIn a very tight race to the top spot Girgaoncha Raja remained close to Khetwadicha Ganraj in the readersrsquo contest making the race for the top position one of the closely watched contests of this yearrsquos competitionCelebrating its historic 99th year Girgaoncha Raja at Nikadwari Lane Khadilkar Road Girgaon featured a Krishna Templethemed pandal this year The design drew inspiration from the spiritual ambience traditional character and architectural grandeur associated with South Indian temple cultureThe theme complemented the mandalrsquos iconic 22foot ecofriendly Shadu Mitti Ganpati idol which weighs more than 35 tonnes creating a devotional setting while maintaining a visually imposing presentationSpeaking to MidDay after securing the second position in the contest Shreekant Kale from Girgaoncha Raja Mandal said ldquoReceiving more than 700 votes is very special for us because it reflects the love and appreciation of people beyond those who physically visit our MandalrdquoAsked what prompted the mandal to enter the competition Kale said ldquoWe came across MidDayrsquos Best Pandal Competition while following their Ganeshotsav coveragerdquoldquoSince Girgaoncha Raja is celebrating its historic 99th year we felt this was a good opportunity to present our journeyrdquo Kale addedGirgaoncha Raja pandal is located at Nikadwari Lane Khadilkar Road Girgaon MumbaiSion Pandal highlights Marathi languageShree Siddhivinayak Krupa Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav secures 3rd position File picLocated at Building No 13 Shree Siddhivinayak Krupa Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in Sion finished third with 248 votes The pandal featured a theme centred on the preservation and importance of the Marathi languageIts message emphasised that a mother tongue is more than just a language and described it as a connection to identity family and culture The theme also highlighted how understanding a local language can help people engage more deeply with their history and cultureNamdev Sathe president of Shree Siddhivinayak Krupa Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal said the recognition was particularly meaningful as it reflected the response to the pandalrsquos messageWe are extremely happy and grateful for this recognition Thank you to everyone who voted for our Bappa and to MidDay for giving us this opportunity to showcase our celebration to MumbairdquoHighlighting the significance of this yearrsquos pandal Sathe added ldquoOur theme this year was a tribute to the Marathi language and our cultural roots Seeing so many people stand behind our message through their votes has made this recognition even more specialrdquoHe added ldquoWe sincerely thank MidDay and every voter who supported our Bappa and our causerdquo