Who popularized Ganesh festival during the freedom struggle?

Bal Gangadhar Tilak popularized the Ganesh festival as a means to unite people against British colonial rule. He transformed a private religious celebration into a public event that fostered nationalist sentiment and community organizing. The festival became a platform for political discourse during the freedom struggle. Gokhale and Ranade were moderate leaders, while Savarkar was a revolutionary, but Tilak was specifically associated with this cultural mobilization strategy.