Fat dogs of Delhi: The unusual election gripping the Indian capital
An unusual election has gripped India’s capital, drawing thousands of voters and enthusiastic campaigners to crown Delhi’s “chonkiest” dog.
The knockout competition began after Fat Dogs of Delhi, an Instagram page dedicated to the city’s more generously proportioned canines, invited people to nominate their favourite neighbourhood dogs.
But what started as a joke quickly turned competitive, with supporters creating campaign posters, endorsement videos and memes to drum up votes for their favourites.
The contest has attracted thousands of votes and tens of thousands of new followers on Instagram as it approaches its grand finale on Wednesday after several rounds of intense online voting.
Many of the contestants do not have a single owner. Instead, they are neighbourhood fixtures, living on the city’s streets and cared for by networks of residents, shopkeepers and workers who feed them, give them names and keep an eye on their health.
Two of the dogs taking part died while the tournament was under way, prompting tributes from people who had been following and voting for them.
The person behind the page, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC the idea came after seeing people on X run similar knockout contests.
“Why not do it as a fun little thing for people to bond over?” she said.
The first 64 nominations were accepted – and the names were almost as colourful as the candidates themselves.
There is Dahi Bhalli, named after a popular north Indian street food of soft savoury donut soaked in yoghurt and tamarind sauce. Mahakutteshwar is a play on names associated with deities and temples, incorporating the Hindi word kutta, or dog. Others include Googoo, Rambabu and the formidably named Kutta Singh – literally, “Dog Singh”.
