Mumbai: The last time when the Simhastha Kumbh Mela was held in Nashik in 2015-2016, the then government in Maharashtra, under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, had planned the event at a budget of Rs 2,500 crore. Now, the current Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government is planning the 2026-2028 Kumbh in the city at a budget that is 10 times higher.
Directly proportional to the rise in budget and scale of the event are Fadnavis’s ambitions to brand himself as a development-oriented Hindutva leader, cut of the same cloth as his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath under whose leadership UP hosted a grand Mahakumbh earlier this year, say analysts.
Prayagraj’s Kumbh was more than just a pilgrimage. It became a major tourism and economy driver with celebrities, young influencers and youth making a beeline for a dip in the Ganga. This is apparently what Fadnavis wants to capture with the Nashik Kumbh.
“There is no doubt that Fadnavis wants to match up to Yogi Adityanath in preparation for the Kumbh. The comparison is bound to happen, so he wants to organise the event in a better way and doesn’t want people to think that the Prayagraj one was better organised,” political analyst Abhay Deshpande told ThePrint.
“Thus, Fadnavis, whose image so far was of a development-oriented leader, is now slowly turning into a development-oriented man with a saffron shade, especially with elections round the corner,” he added.
The Kumbh Mela has been held in Nashik-Trimbakeshwar (a pilgrimage town) for many years. The 2026 event will be special as it marks the Trikhand Yog, a celestial event that occurs once in 75 years. The mela will run from October 2026 to July 2028.
It is thus evident that Fadnavis is looking to transform the city into a major pilgrimage and tourist hub.
The state has announced a budget of over Rs 25,000 crore for Kumbh infrastructure and logistical arrangements in Nashik. Projects worth Rs 20,000 crore have been approved for the mela, of which those worth Rs 5,000 crore are already under way. Fadnavis’s trusted aide, cabinet minister Girish Mahajan, has been designated as Kumbh Mela minister.
To oversee the event and associated projects, Fadnavis has also created a Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, which is divided into two bodies: apex body, led by Fadnavis, and ministerial body, led by Mahajan.
To attract the youth, Fadnavis has decided to have a “Green and Digital” theme for the mela. From use of AI to sanitation to green initiatives, the government is going all out to make the event a major success.
“Devendraji will look minutely into the entire preparations and instruct accordingly,” BJP district spokesperson Pradip Peshkar told ThePrint.
The last time the Kumbh was held in Nashik-Trimbakeshwar was 2015, and before that in 2003, when a stampede took place and more than 35 people were killed while around 100 were injured.
Also Read: Inside Elite Kumbh—no crowds, no chaos, only VIP Sangam, 5-star spirituality
From development to pro-Hindutva
Fadnavis became Maharashtra CM for the first time in 2014 and for the full term, he was known as a development-oriented leader. He focused on infrastructure and businesses, including getting FDIs into the state.
However, post 2019, he visibly began molding himself as a Hindutva leader too. For instance, in 2023, after a communal incident in Kolhapur, he referred to certain sections of society as “Aurangzeb ki Aulad” (Aurangzeb’s descendants).
As state home minister, he endorsed the love jihad law in Maharashtra. During the Covid pandemic, when temples were shut, as an opposition leader, he threatened to forcibly open the temples.
In May 2022, he reminded people that he was proud to be part of the Babri Masjid demolition.
Then, post the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he spoke about “vote jihad” and lack of unity, echoing the “batenge to katenge” (divided we fall) slogan of Adityanath.
Referring to Fadnavis’s attempts, Deshpande said that “Maharashtra and UP are different”.
“In UP, Hindutva is the narrative. Maharashtra doesn’t only work on Hindutva. And so, his pro-Hindutva image is more during elections. For instance, the recent formula he is using is polarisation and schemes like Ladki Bahin. His hardline Hindutva, I feel, is reserved for elections,” he added.
Grand Kumbh plans
According to the Maharashtra government, the amount set aside for the Nashik Kumbh will be divided between the state and Centre, and so far, over Rs 5,000 crore worth of tenders are in process.
For some projects, foundation stones have been laid. These include projects for a ring road and sewage treatment plants and work is currently under way.
“Ramkal Path is according to the guidelines of the Centre,” said Peshkar. It includes the entire “shobha yatra path” to beautify Kalaram Mandir, Tapovan, Goda ghat and Ramkund in order to display the Ramayana times in Nashik.
“This will be a Ramayana theme and decoration will be done accordingly with houses and huts. Road widening is planned here,” he added.
As part of digital initiatives, CCTVs and AI will be used to maintain security.
“In 2003, a stampede had taken place in which over 30 people had died. And so, to avoid such mishaps and control the crowd, AI tech will be used. Whichever location we want, we can identify how many people are gathered and it can be monitored in a digital room,” Peshkar said.
Local leaders said that importance will be given to keeping the event premises clean and safe. And for that, a Green Kumbh concept is being designed. There will be electric buses to take people form parking lots to ghats. There will also be EV bikes. Preparations will also be made keeping in mind the monsoon period (July to September).
The Kumbh has already run into controversy over tree felling in Tapovan area for the construction of a Sadhugram to host sadhus visiting the city for the event. The state plans to clear 54 acres for the same.
Speaking to the media this month, Fadnavis had said that space was a challenge as Nashik had only 300-350 acres available while the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela had about 15,000 hectares.
While alliance partner Ajit Pawar’s NCP has opposed the tree felling, Fadnavis, without naming anyone, said that some people were unnecessarily turning into activists and environmentalists.
On Tuesday, however, Mahajan and other state officials started a tree plantation programme across Nashik. “Tree planting and conservation will be carried out at various locations. For this, Nashikites should come forward and contribute,” Mahajan told the media.
Local leaders estimate that this time around, the number of Kumbh devotees may surge to 5 crore from last time’s 1 crore, and for that preparation has to be made accordingly and law and order have to be top-notch.
‘We will see a lot of crowd’
Speaking to ThePrint, Laxman Sawji, who has seen five Kumbh melas in his lifetime, said that earlier governments had looked at the Kumbh Mela as a religious gathering only and hence the funds dispersed were meagre. Sawji is a spokesperson of the BJP and former corporator of the Nashik corporation.
When Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the prime minister (in 1999), Sawji said, for the first time Nashik got funds of Rs 100 crore from the Centre. Then in 2015, when the Kumbh was held in Nashik, Fadnavis was Maharashtra CM and again the event was given importance. That time, the government gave Rs 2,500 crore for the mela, he added.
“That was the difference in governments. And now coincidentally, again Fadnavis is the CM and considering last time’s experience, Fadnavisji and Mahajan will take the benefit of being in the administration,” Sawji.
Besides, he asserted, the subject of religion has taken importance after (Narendra) Modiji became the prime minister.
“Pilgrimage sites from Kedarnath, Kashi Vishweshwar, Ujjain Mahakal, etc. have been looked after and pilgrimage tourism has gone up. So, we think this time we will see a lot of crowd,” Sawji explained.
Local leaders also said the mela authority meets every day and Fadnavis visits Nashik and takes stock of work at least twice a month.
The last time when the Kumbh was organised in Nashik, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was at the helm of the city corporation. Even then infrastructure work was done, such as work on Goda park, children’s play park, traffic islands, etc.
A former MNS corporator told ThePrint: “Even we had organised this mela. It is a very important event for Hindus. Our functioning was smooth and we had no hiccups. The stampede was in 2003. In our time, the event was conducted nicely. Even Raj saheb (Thackeray, party chief) praised us.”
He rued that the BJP was attempting to highlight it was the only party that cared for Hindutva. “They are cutting the trees unnecessarily. We did it without damaging the environment. But the BJP wants to show they are the only ones who care,” said the leader.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Maha Kumbh and India’s new-age sadhus—riding Bullets, making Reels