Rahul to visit birthplace of Lord Parasuram and Ambedkar besides seeking blessings of Mahakaleshwar

New Delhi, Oct 25: Congress President Rahul Gandhi now has plans to visit Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh that has been the stronghold of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. But in his two-day visit to the region the Congress president will not only be offering prayer to Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain on October 29 before hitting the election campaign in the region but he would also visit B R Ambedkar's birthplace Mhow. Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Janapav the birthplace of Lord Parasuram to woo Brahmins.

Sources said that after a long time this region is showing some tilt towards the Congress and the BJP might loose its base in a big way. Rahul Gandhi has already visited Mahakaushal and Bundelkhand regions while he visited Gwilior-Chambal regions twice and now he is visiting Malwa region. So with this visit the entire MP will be covered.

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party is charging Rahul Gandhi with playing 'Soft Hindutva politics' by visiting temples in the poll-bound states but he seems unfazed. Rahul Gandhi is offering 'puja' at the important temples of the area wherever he is visiting.

Actually, the Congress has been struggling to oust the ruling BJP from power for the past 15 years in Madhya Pradesh where elections are scheduled for November 28. Party sources said that Rahul Gandhi will begin his two-day visit to the Malwa-Nimar region after offering prayers to one of the twelve Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva in Ujjain on October 29. After offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, he would address a public meeting in Ujjain. The Congress chief would also hold a road show in Indore the same day.

Party sources informed that the Congress president will visit BR Ambedkar's birthplace Mhow to pay his tribute at the memorial of the Dalit icon that is around 23 kms from Indore. Gandhi would address a public meeting there. Rahul Gandhi would address public meetings in tribal-dominated Khargone and Jhabua districts on the same day who is likely to visit Janapav near Mhow, which is the birthplace of Lord Parshuram.

Malwa-Nimar region is spread across Indore and Ujjain divisions of western Madhya Pradesh which the BJP had swept in 2013 Assembly elections by winning 56 out of 66 seats while the Congress was confined to nine seats.

The BJP took a dig on Rahul Gandhi for his visits to temples especially during the election time by dubbing it as a 'Temple Run'-- an allusion to a popular running video game while the Congress had proclaimed Gandhi as a 'Shiv-Bhakt' (a devotee of Lord Shiva) ahead of Assembly elections held in Gujarat last year. He started his campaign in Madhya Pradesh last month by offering prayers at the famous Kamta Nath temple in Chitrakoot of Satna district.