Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar to visit temples in MP over two days

Bhopal: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will arrive in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday afternoon on a two-day tour of the state to pay obeisance at three revered shrines, including Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar temple, said the Congress.

The visit is being seen as a thanksgiving trip after the Congress pulled off an emphatic victory in the assembly elections in the southern state last month.

Shivakumar is expected to reach Gwalior airport around 2 pm on a special plane following which he will head for Datia district to offer prayers at the famous Peetambra Peeth, a complex of Hindu temples, according to his tour programme released to the media.

The 61-year-old Congress leader will return to Gwalior and fly off to Indore from where he will travel to Ujjain by road.

Around 4 am on Sunday, he will take part in ‘Bhasm Aarti’ at the Ujjain Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlings’ in the country. He will also visit the Kalabhairava temple in the city.

The Karnataka Congress chief, known for his troubleshooting skills in the party, will depart from Indore on Sunday morning.

In the elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly last month, the Congress won 135 seats. The BJP and JD(S) won 66 and 19 seats respectively.