HYDERABAD: The auction of the Balapur Ganesh laddu set a new record on Tuesday, fetching Rs 30 lakh. The 21-kg laddu was secured by Kolan Shankar Reddy, a farmer and local BJP leader. In 2023, D Dayanand Reddy had won the auction with a bid of Rs 27 lakh.
“This laddu is dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He protected 140 crore Indians from Covid-19, provided vaccines to over 100 countries, resolved the Ram Janmabhoomi case and constructed the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, saw the successful launching of Chandrayaan-3, establishing India as a major player in the global space economy, and elevated India to the fifth-largest economy in the world from 11th position,” Shankar said.
The Kolan family has won the laddu nine times since 1994. This year, five participants, including many non-locals, paid Rs 27 lakh in advance. The Balapur Ganesh Utsav Committee (BGUS) started the bid at Rs 1,116.
Additionally, although there was potential for the bid to exceed Rs 35-40 lakh, the committee ended the auction at Rs 30 lakh, while participants were seen requesting members to continue the auction.
The BGUS committee has set an annual cap on bid increases for the laddu, limiting them to Rs 3-5 lakh, as a sudden surge of Rs 10-20 lakh might deter participation and lead to lower bids in future. In its 30th year, the auction was completed in less than 10 minutes. The laddu was presented in a two-kg silver bowl covered with golden foil.
BGUS members told TNIE that the auction funds will be spent on temple and village development, focusing on education. The Balapur Laddu remains a symbol of good luck and prosperity, attracting increasing attention each year since the auction began in 1994.