NEW DELHI : Unesco’s inclusion of ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ in its World Heritage List has added another layer to the Centre’s push for Maratha heritage and identity, coming as Maharashtra heads for crucial local body elections later this year.The recognition of 12 Maratha forts — 11 in Maharashtra and one in Tamil Nadu — follows the Centre’s grant of classical language status to Marathi ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, a long-pending demand that became central to the BJP-led alliance’s victory, political observers said.The opposition has hit out at what it calls “headlinegrabbing cultural optics” designed to mask governance lapses. The cultural thrust was also evident when the Indian Navy dropped the colonial-era St George’s Cross in 2022 for an ensign inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji.PM Modi on Saturday described the Unesco listing as a moment of national pride. “Every Indian is elated with this recognition. These Maratha military landscapes include 12 majestic forts, 11 of which are in Maharashtra and one in Tamil Nadu. When we speak of the glorious Maratha empire, we associate it with good governance, military strength, cultural pride and emphasis on social welfare. The great rulers inspire us with their refusal to bow to any injustice. I call upon everyone to go visit these forts and learn about the rich history of the Maratha empire,” Modi posted on social media.Earlier, when Modi unveiled the Navy’s redesigned ensign in Sept 2022, he had said, “Till now the identity of slavery remained on the flag of Indian Navy. But from today onwards, inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji, the new Navy flag will fly in the sea and in the sky.”BJP’s calibrated emphasis on Maratha symbols reflects a larger strategy of cultural nationalism being woven into state politics. By granting Marathi classical language status ahead of the 2024 assembly elections and now amplifying Unesco’s recognition of Maratha forts, it has sought to embed itself in the emotive terrain of Maharashtra’s regional pride.For BJP, which has historically faced challenges in breaking the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress stronghold over the “Maratha pride” vote, these gestures are a bid to redraw the political map and secure urban and semi-urban Marathi voters. Yet critics argue such symbolism risks crowding out governance debates on agrarian distress, urban infrastructure gaps and unemployment, issues that resonate in local polls.The classical language status for Marathi, granted in early 2024, had been a longstanding demand from cultural bodies and political groups for over a decade. Earlier govts cited procedural hurdles, but NDA cleared the proposal months before state elections, helping it tap into a potent mix of linguistic pride and historical identity.With civic polls due, heritage and identity are again becoming political battlegrounds.