On Tuesday, the Dahi Handi celebrations at Worli’s Jambori Maidan were touted as the city’s largest, blending cultural festivity with political signalling ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The ground was surrounded by massive hoardings from all major political parties but those of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) outnumbered most.

BJP’s deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis made a brief appearance, smashing the ceremonial handi on stage to an enthusiastic crowd. Shortly after, a dramatic re-enactment of the killing of Afzal Khan captivated the attendees, post which Fadnavis headed for the celebration in Dadar (Bhoiwada) without speaking much at the event.