Ayodhya: From UP to Maharashtra, a must-stop on poll pilgrimage

Raj Thackeray’s visit, coming as it does soon after he raked up the issue of loudspeakers in mosques in Maharashtra, is seen as an attempt to corner the Sena ahead of the BMC elections.

The proposed visits of the two Maharashtra politicians even triggered a poster war between the two sides.

Soon after posters featuring Raj Thackeray as “bhagwa dhari (saffron clad)” came up, there were others with photographs of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray. The posters read, “Asli aa raha hai, nakli se savdhan (The real one is coming, beware of the fake). Jai Sri Ram.”

The Sena, though, has distanced itself from these posters. Shiv Sena UP chief Anil Singh told The Indian Express, “The party’s UP unit has not put up these posters. We are trying to find out who did this.”

Singh also insisted that Aaditya’s Ayodhya visit wasn’t political. “Lord Ram doesn’t bless those who go with fake or political intentions. Aaditya Thackeray’s visit is completely spiritual. He is coming here for a darshan of Ram Lalla. Politics and devotion shouldn’t be mixed. Ayodhya is not a political issue for the Sena,” he said.

The Shiv Sena had contested on 37 seats in the UP elections earlier this year, drawing a blank. In Domariyaganj, where Aaditya campaigned for the Sena candidate, the BJP lost by a thin margin of 771 votes while the Sena candidate got 3,702 votes.

Aaditya’s visit assumes significance as the BJP, the Opposition party in Maharashtra, has been accusing the Sena of abandoning the Hindutva cause by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP.

Raj Thackeray’s scheduled visit has been met with criticism from BJP MP from Kaiserganj, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who said the MNS chief must seek a public apology for “humiliating north Indians in Maharashtra” in the past.

The BJP MP’s attack comes at a time when there’s talk of the party’s growing closeness to the MNS in Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray had even congratulated Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for removing loudspeakers from mosques and other places of worship.

During his visit to Ayodhya in 2018, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav, while still in alliance with the BJP, had taken on the Narendra Modi government over the delay in building the Ram temple at the disputed site and sought a legislation or ordinance to build the temple. The Sena, under its founder Bal Thackeray, had played a significant role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

In March 2020, as Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray had visited Ayodhya again, this time accompanied by son Aaditya, to mark his 100 days in office.

Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, leaders of all the mainstream parties, including SP, BSP, Congress and AAP, had visited Ayodhya, where they took part in religious programmes and addressed political rallies and gatherings.

BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Misra had kickstarted the party’s Brahmin outreach programme from Ayodhya after offering prayers with his family at Hanuman Garhi and the Ram Lalla temple.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav had campaigned in Ayodhya for his party candidates. He had also led a road show from Ram Ki Paidi and offered puja at the Hanuman Garhi temple.

In October last year, AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal offered prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi site and the Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya, after which he had announced a free pilgrimage to Ayodhya for senior citizens of Delhi.

With inputs by Vishwas Waghmod