Final Bark: Gola vs Googoo battle for chonkiest dog crown moves from online polls to cafe booths

Delhi’s most unusual election has reached its final stretch, with supporters of two ‘chonky’ contenders taking the battle from social media polls to cafe ballot boxes, as youngsters, elderly residents and neighbourhood dog lovers queued up to choose between late Gola and Googoo.

Offline voting to choose the ‘undisputed chonky’ was held at cafes in Vasant Vihar, Kamla Nagar and Punjabi Bagh, turning the otherwise virtual contest into a more familiar polling exercise. Visitors marked their choices on paper ballots, got their fingers inked and some even received star stickers after casting their votes.

At the centre of the final contest are two very different canine candidates -- late Gola, also known as Kebab or Rajpal Singh from Hauz Khas, and Googoo from Saket. Gola is competing posthumously, while Googoo has reached the final after steadily building a sizeable online following.

Gola has emerged as a cult favourite during the contest. According to the ‘Fat dogs of Delhi’ page, her supporters have continued campaigning for her even after her death. She stormed into the final after defeating Hero by 69,638 votes.

Googoo, meanwhile, has had a rather unusual campaign journey. The brown-and-white mixed-breed dog has been working on losing weight even as he competes for the city’s chubbiest-dog crown. He entered the final after beating Tara by 4,873 votes, making the last round especially intriguing, the page mentioned.

What began on social media with 64 dogs on the ‘Fat dogs of Delhi’ page, has grown into a full-fledged campaign, with supporters making posters, sharing reels and memes and rallying people around dogs from their own neighbourhoods.

At a Kamla Nagar Cafe, the campaign looked less like a social media poll and more like a small community gathering. Young voters mostly comprised the queues, but elderly residents also joined in, showing that the unusual contest cuts across generations gaps.

“The vibe is especially nice, and it is a very unique idea to pit dogs in an election,” said Shreya, a visitor who cast her vote at the cafe, summing up the playful mood surrounding a contest that has turned ordinary neighbourhood dogs into unlikely local celebrities.

Taneisha, associated with the campaign, said the enthusiasm had also opened an unexpected conversation around animal welfare. “It is amazing how Gen Z is finding such unique ways to support animal welfare,” she said, as people gathered around the ballot box to back their favourite contender.

The contest began on September 24 after the page invited people to nominate chubby dogs from their neighbourhoods. From there, the competition moved through knockout rounds based on public voting, culminating in the grand finale on Wednesday, with results to be declared Thursday.

Another voter, Amit, said, “What makes this election special is that it has made people notice dogs they see every day, but otherwise overlook. Community dogs are part of our neighbourhoods and this kind of attention can help build greater empathy and encourage people to care for them.”

The contest has also opened a new space for NGOs and animal-welfare groups to connect with people.

If this excitement around Gola and Googoo encourages someone to volunteer, support a rescue group or help a community dog, then the campaign has achieved something beyond finding a winner, said Rupa, an elderly voter.