BJP takes voters on pilgrimage

Mumbai: Keeping an eye on the forthcoming local body and general elections, Bharatiya Janata Party has started taking its voters, especially north Indian citizens on pilgrimage

Mumbai: Keeping an eye on the forthcoming local body and general elections, Bharatiya Janata Party has started taking its voters, especially north Indian citizens on pilgrimage. A special train with more than 2,000 devotees left for the seven-day Kashi-Sarnath Yatra from Tilak Terminus on Saturday. The party is aiming to organise more such pilgrimage tours in the next one year until Lok Sabha elections are held.

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“Though the number of people whom we are taking on the pilgrimage has not been decided but we want the maximum number of people to participate. It is part of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat drive being implemented on a national level,” said Ram Kadam, who has been appointed as head of the drive, which has been called Sneha Yatra in Maharashtra.

Kadam added he has taken 1.75 lakh voters from his Ghatkopar East constituency to various pilgrim places in the state in the last 10 years. “The Sneha Yatra will see the participation of devotees from across the state,” he said.

Besides Kashi-Sarnath, devotees will be taken to Ayodhya, Ajmer and Shirdi among other spiritual places. The party is probably eyeing the votes of north Indians who have been traditionally supporting the party.

“It has nothing to do with the elections. During the two-and-half year stint of Uddhav Thackeray, the temples were shut down. The Yatra we have started will culminate in our victory in Mumbai civic polls,” he added