The race to crown the 'fattest dog of Delhi'

The race to crown the 'fattest dog of Delhi'

An unusual contest has taken hold in India’s capital, pulling in thousands of voters and eager campaigners to decide Delhi’s “chonkiest” dog.

The knockout tournament got underway after Fat Dogs of Delhi, an Instagram page devoted to the city’s more generously proportioned canines, asked people to nominate their favourite neighbourhood dogs.

What began as a joke soon became competitive, as supporters made campaign posters, endorsement videos and memes to win votes for their favourites.

As it heads toward its grand finale on Wednesday after several rounds of fierce online voting, the competition has drawn thousands of votes and tens of thousands of new Instagram followers.

Many of the dogs in the contest do not belong to a single owner. Instead, they are familiar figures in their neighbourhoods, living on the city’s streets and looked after by networks of residents, shopkeepers and workers who feed them, name them and monitor their health.

Two of the dogs entered in the tournament died while it was still under way, prompting tributes from people who had been following and voting for them.

The person behind the page, who asked not to be named, 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 nearly as colourful as the dogs 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”.

Voting started on 24 September.

In the opening round, the 64 contestants were split into 32 groups and voters had to pick one from each. The 32 winners moved on to the next stage and the losers were eliminated.

Further knockout rounds followed, and by Tuesday only eight were left in the final race for the crown.

Since the contest began, supporters have been choosing sides, creating their own campaign material, from elaborate posters to reels and memes, and asking friends and strangers alike for votes.

The scale of the reaction has surprised the organiser.

“I did not expect it to blow up to this extent for sure,” she told the BBC. “I love the sense of community that we have right now.”

Since the tournament began, the account has gained tens of thousands of followers. The enthusiasm has also spread far beyond Delhi, with supporters as far away as Kerala and Kolkata backing favourites and campaigning for them.

Some social media users have made online posters and illusrations to campaign for their favourite dogs

The finalists appear to be every bit as quirky as the competition.

Googoo is a 46kg (101lb) mixed-breed who is staying at an animal-care centre in Delhi where, somewhat ironically, he is trying to lose weight.

His meals are controlled and he receives regular medical checks. The teenager who entered Googoo in the competition told The Indian Express newspaper that he first saw him in a local park in 2021, when the dog was less than half his current size.

Googoo’s supporters have since made posters and social media campaigns urging people to vote for him, with some calling him the “GOAT” - or greatest of all time.

The organisers now hope the contest’s unexpected popularity can be turned toward helping stray animals. She said the page had started highlighting animal-welfare groups and individuals seeking donations.

The light-hearted contest comes at a time when the presence and management of community dogs is the subject of a far more serious debate in the capital.

Delhi’s stray dog population is estimated at one million, with suburban Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram also seeing a population rise, municipal sources say.

In many neighbourhoods, they are treated almost like community pets, fed by residents and cared for, while in others they are a source of fear, especially because of dog bites, aggressive packs and the risk of rabies.

Last year, India’s top court ordered strays in Delhi and its suburbs to be moved to animal shelters amid concerns over rising “menace of dog bites leading to rabies” - sparking outrage among animal-lovers and activists.

The order was later changed to allow sterilised and vaccinated dogs to be returned to their localities.

Many of those campaigning for the dogs say the contest has highlighted the more affectionate side of Delhi’s relationship with the animals.

For the final, the organisers plan to place ballot boxes at three locations across Delhi, staffed by volunteers, so people can vote for their favourite dog in person as well as online.

After weeks of campaigning and thousands of votes, Delhi will then have its winner - who will officially be its “chonkiest” dog.