No auction of Balapur Ganesh Laddu this year due to COVID-19

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 1 (ANI): The Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samiti decided not to auction the famous Ganesh Laddu due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it has decided to give it to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Kallem Niranjan Reddy, president of the committee, while speaking to ANI said, "Balapur Ganesh Laddu is not in action this year so it will be given to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao."
After conducting puja for 11 days, the committee held the procession for the immersion earlier in the day that started from Balapur village to Hussain Saga
Last year, the Balapur Ganesh Laddu was procured by Kolan Ram Reddy for Rs 17.60 lakh.
The practice of auctioning 'laddu', which is considered auspicious by people of the area, was started in 1994.
It was brought for just Rs 450 in the initial year and the tradition of auctioning the laddu continued each year and fetched Rs 10.32 lakh in 2010.
A portion of the amount from the auction is kept aside for the Ganesh Puja celebrations for the subsequent year, while the rest of the amount is used by organisers for developmental programmes in Balapur area. (ANI)