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KCR to visit Pandharpur, seeks to shower rose petals on warkaris
The administration in Solapur district till late on Sunday had not given permission to K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to shower rose petals on ‘warkaris’ (pilgrims) from a helicopter ahead of Ashadi Ekadashi
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and members of his cabinet will visit the renowned temple town Pandharpur in Solapur district in Maharashtra to pray at the Shri Vitthal Rukmini Mandir on June 27.
The administration in Solapur district till late on Sunday had not given permission to K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to shower rose petals on ‘warkaris’ (pilgrims) from a helicopter ahead of Ashadi Ekadashi.
A senior official said permission has not been given yet as several security issues are being considered. Sources said considering the drones deployed in the airspace, approval for a helicopter is unlikely even as the final decision was not taken yet.
Besides cabinet ministers, Rao will go ahead with his two-day visit with some MLAs starting Monday, his party colleagues in Maharashtra said. Warkaris, or devotees of Lord Vitthal, arrive in Pandharpur in massive numbers at the culmination of their pilgrimage on Ashadhi Ekadashi.
“We are planning to shower flowers from a helicopter on palanquins at Wakhri near Pandharpur. We have applied for necessary permissions in this regard from district administration,” said Shankar Dhondge, BRS Maharashtra in-charge.
The KCR-led cabinet will arrive on June 26 evening and meet BRS leaders in the state. Although there is no confirmation, Rao may also visit Tuljapur in the neighbouring Osmanabad district, where he will visit the famous Tulja Bhavani temple on Tuesday afternoon.
Members from BRS said, CM Rao along with his entourage of party leaders and cabinet ministers will perform puja at the 17th-century temple to pray for the BRS party’s hat-trick of wins in the forthcoming assembly elections, which are likely to be held in the year-end.
The KCR-led party is also planning to hold a public meeting in Solapur where some leaders including NCP’s Bhagirath Bhalke are set to join BRS. The BRS chief has been focusing on Maharashtra to make inroads into the neighbouring state and establish BRS’s presence. He has so far addressed public meetings in Nanded, Kandhar Loha and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in the recent past.
The party has poached various leaders from Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra so far with an office also being set up in Nagpur.
