'Shiv Bhakt' RaGa visits Mahakaleshwar Temple; begins two-day MP tour
Congress President Rahul Gandhi began his two-day tour of the politically significant Malwa-Nimar region in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh today by offering prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple. Clad in a cream-colored 'shola' (dhoti called in temple dialect), the politician performed 'puja' at the ancient temple, which is one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' (special shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva) in the country. Here's more.
Rahul was accompanied by Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by the MP Congress unit President Kamal Nath and the campaign committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, the 48-year-old Amethi MP performed the puja for around half an hour amid chanting of 'mantras' (hymns) by temple priests.
The shrine was visited by all of Rahul's family members
Rahul's grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, his father late Rajiv Gandhi, and mother Sonia Gandhi too had visited the temple in 1979, 1987, and 2008, respectively, to pay their obeisance to Lord Shiva, the State Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said. It was Gandhi's second visit to the Mahakaleshwar Temple. He had last visited the temple in 2010, said a party leader.
Amit Shah had also visited the Mahakaleshwar temple recently
The Congress party had said last year that Gandhi was an ardent 'Shiv bhakt'. This August, he also had undertaken the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to seek blessings of the lord. Not just Rahul, Mahakaleshwar temple was also visited by the BJP President Amit Shah on July 14, after which he had flagged off the 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Rahul will also visit Malwa-Nimar region
Apart from the temple visit, Rahul, during this two-day trip, will also visit Malwa-Nimar, a politically crucial region as it accounts for 66 of the 230 Assembly seats in the central Indian state. During the 2013 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 56 seats in the same region, while the Congress had managed to bag just nine seats, with one going to an independent.
Gandhi to address rallies in Indore, Dhar, Mhow
Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress is in opposition since 2003, will go to polls on November 28. During his tour, Gandhi would address rallies in Jhabua, Indore, Dhar, Khargone, and Mhow, and also take part in a road show in Indore.
