Priyanka visits Hanuman temple even as Congress wants to ban Bajrang Dal

Politicians visiting religious places is not new, especially before or after elections. Today's temple visit of Congress leader Priyanka Vadra has certainly had its own significance given that her party is inching towards the majority mark in Karnataka Assembly polls.

Vadra was seen offering prayers at the Jakhu Hanuman temple in Shimla this morning even as the counting of votes is going on in Karnataka. The official reason assigned to her temple run on the results day is that she prayed for the peace and prosperity of Karnataka and the country at large.

However, Vadra's visit to the temple of Bajrangwali (Hanuman) is important because her party has promised in its manifesto that it will ban Bajrang Dal, the youth front of VHP, if it is voted to power and BJP had made it a major poll plank. Now, it is to be seen whether Congress would keep its poll promise and really ban the Hindutva outfit or not after forming the government in Karnataka.

Himachal's famous Jakhu temple houses the tallest idol of Lord Hanuman. Vadra is on a personal visit to Shimla along with her mother Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP leaders too had sought similar divine intervention before the elections. On the polling day, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had paid a visit to a Hanuman temple in Hubballi in Karnataka. A video of Bommai offering prayers at the Lord Anjaneya temple was shared by news agency ANI.

Similarly, party leaders Shobha Karandlaje, Gopalaiah and Malavika Avinash offered 'puja' at the Veeranjaneya temple in Mahalaxmi Layout of Bengaluru. Also, workers of the ruling party organised mass chanting of Hanuman Chalisa in various temples across Karnataka as a mark of protest against Congress proposal to ban Bajrang Dal.

Meanwhile, the gung-ho attitude of Congress at the moment is visible with its official Twitter handle declaring: "I'm invincible. I'm so confident. Yeah, I'm unstoppable today." The party making significant gains at the expense of the ruling BJP and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) is obviously the reason behind the grand old party dancing to the tune of the Sia chartburster.