Delhi's fat dog election is over. Here's the winner

Delhi's viral 'Fat Dog of Delhi' contest saw 94,000 votes cast in the final round, with the late SDA dog Gola aka Rajpal Singh winning the title by a significant margin.Gola aka kebab aka Rajpal Singh from SDA, Hauz Khas, wins the viral 'Fat Dogs of Delhi' contest.New Delhi,Oct 1, 2026 22:12 ISTDelhi’s most paw-litical election has come to an end, with the late Gola, aka Rajpal Singh, winning the coveted Fat Dog of Delhi title.Hailing from SDA Market in Hauz Khas, the adorable neighbourhood dog beat Googoo of Saket and 62 other chonkies to clinch the much-talked-about title.Gola won with 66,952 votes - a whopping 71.2% of the 94,000 votes cast - beating runner-up Googoo by 39,904 votes.The beloved community dog and a familiar face at SDA Market, Gola had passed away unexpectedly while the tournament was underway. Despite her untimely passing, Gola went on to win the hearts - and votes - of Delhi’s dog-loving internet. Meet the winner. Dog lovers cast their votes online through the contest’s Instagram handle, while the organisers also took things offline with four polling booths set up across the capital. Over 1,000 votes were cast in person.It is raining prizesThe contest ended on a wholesome note, with donations and prizes pouring in for the participants. Brands and individuals lined up to spoil the contestants. District by Zomato, in collaboration with Sienna Made in Bengal, is giving every contestant a custom ceramic bowl, while also pledging Rs 50,000 to an animal shelter of the admin’s choice, Rs 50,000 towards a year’s worth of food, and another Rs 30,000 for beds and collars. Bearhugs has also set aside Rs 50,000 for the contestants’ medical expenses, along with treats, beds and reflective collars. There are cakes, gourmet meals, toys, jackets, deworming and supplements in the mix too. And since two of the top three contestants have sadly passed away, their prizes will be passed on to the next candidates. For caretakers who don’t need the goodies, those will instead go to street dogs and animal shelters — a pretty lovely way to end Delhi’s most ridiculous, and unexpectedly generous, election.How it all beganThe trend had humble beginnings. It all started when a Delhi University student (who wishes to remain anonymous) created an Instagram page to post photos of overweight dogs she spotted around the city. Soon, people began sending in their own submissions, complete with names and localities. Two weeks ago, she turned the page into a contest - and what started as a random Instagram account quickly snowballed into an internet phenomenon.The unusual election became a full-blown spectacle, with Delhiites of all ages turning up at the booths to cast their vote and crown their favourite fat dog.Fat Dogs of Delhi amassed nearly a lakh followers, with neighbourhood loyalties, campaign posters, fan clubs and even brands joining the frenzy. Mahakutteshwar, Chonki, Gajinder and Kutta Singh were among the doggos who vied for the coveted title. Some of the contestants. Over the past two weeks, photos and videos of Delhi’s most delightfully chonky dogs went viral, with fans creating dedicated pages, running campaigns and rallying behind their local favourites. The city found something wonderfully silly to obsess over: neighbourhood dogs with names, personalities and surprisingly devoted voter bases.Amid all the fun, concerns around the dogs’ health also came up. Many dog lovers called the contest “insensitive”, saying it glorified obesity and brushed aside possible health issues just for entertainment.Ironically, Googoo, the runner-up, has also been on a weight-management diet at an animal care centre for the past few days. Googoo, the runner-up! But supporters of the contest felt the attention could also work in favour of street and community dogs. They argued that the viral trend was making these dogs more visible, helping people see them as part of their neighbourhoods and, perhaps, making more people care about their well-being.The DU student behind the now-viral Instagram handle ‘Fat Dogs of Delhi’ has also used its growing reach to share adoption appeals and raise funds for NGOs and independent groups working for street animal welfare.- Ends