25-feet tallest bronze statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to be unveiled in Lucknow; 4 more coming up

Lucknow, Dec 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to unveil a 25-ft bronze statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lucknow tomorrow, which is also the veteran's birth anniversary. A meeting was also called by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and government officials to look into the preparations for the event.

According to reports, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had requested Modi to unveil the statue. Sculpted by famous sculptor Raj Kumar Pandit of Jaipur, this statue is going to be the tallest statue in the state.

It should be noted that earlier this year, a 12.5 ft bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda, made by Maharashtra's Uttam Pacharne, was also unveiled at the Raj Bhawan by the then governor Ram Naik and Adityanath.

It is also learnt that four more statues including those of Adityanath's revered gurus Mahant Avaidyanath and Mahant Digvijayanath, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and also Bhartendu Harish Chandra-all 12.5 ft high that are nearly ready and are being given a finishing touch.

It is said that the Harish Chandra's statue would be installed at the Bhartendu Natya Akademi in Gomti Nagar, however, the place and positioning of Bahuguna's statue, are yet to be decided.

Modi will be in Lucknow for a few hours on December 25 and will unveil Vajpayee's bronze statue at around 3.30 pm at Lok Bhawan. He will also lay the foundation stone of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University.

He is also expected to deliver a 25-minute speech on the occasion. Governor Anandiben Patel is also expected to be present on the occasion. The Prime Minister will leave for Delhi at around 4 pm.

A helipad at La Martiniere school ground has been finalised as the spot for the landing of PM's chopper from where he is expected to travel by road to Lok Bhawan.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha for a record five consecutive terms, which also included his three stints as prime minister.