MP Pratibha Dhanorkar seeks Chandrapur immersion processions on Oct 22 and 24, not poll day
The MP has urged the district police chief to allow Navratri immersion processions on October 22 and 24, keeping clear of the October 23 graduates' constituency election.
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MP Pratibha Dhanorkar has demanded that immersion processions in Chandrapur be allowed on October 22 and 24. She submitted a memorandum to the district Superintendent of Police to press the demand.
The memorandum notes that the graduates' constituency election is on October 23, so no immersion should take place that day.
Devotees observe fasts on Navami and Dashami. According to Dhanorkar, this is why immersion and a mahaprasad on October 21 are not feasible. The letter says the Navami and Dashami tithis of this year's Navratri festival fall on fasting days, so most mandals had decided to hold the immersion between October 22 and 24.
Before the graduates' constituency election was announced, the mandals had already made advance preparations costing thousands of rupees, booked the mahaprasad and arranged supplies on the basis of this plan. The administration has now suddenly issued instructions to hold the immersion on the 21st itself. According to the letter, this has dealt a heavy blow to the public mandals, already under financial strain, and to the faith of devotees, and has created an unprecedented difficulty for the mandals. Many mandals have already made the spending arrangements, so the administration has also been urged to consider the matter sympathetically.
The mandals fully understand the importance of the October 23 election and of law and order for it. There has never been any discord between the police administration's responsibility and the citizens' cooperation. Dhanorkar underlined in the letter that, keeping a proper balance between people's sentiments and faith and leaving election day, the 23rd, entirely free, permission to hold immersion on October 22 and 24 is a legitimate demand of all the mandals and citizens.
She has asked the police administration to take all public festival mandals into confidence, to look closely and sympathetically at their emotional and financial difficulties, and to grant permission for immersion processions on the 22nd and 24th at the earliest. She also expressed confidence that the festival would conclude with peace, discipline and enthusiasm under this decision.
