Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive at Puri in Odisha on Tuesday to seek the blessings of Jagannath, the presiding deity of the Puri temple.
Though the state BJP leaders described Modi’s visit as “only a religious trip”, hectic preparations are on in the state party circles to extend the senior leader a grand welcome. This will be the Gujarat chief minister’s maiden trip to the state after his elevation in the party to the important post of chairman of the election campaign committee ahead of the 2014 polls.
“He is coming here only to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath and not for any political purpose. However, during his short stay, he may meet senior state party leaders,” one of the spokesmen of the BJP state unit Sajjan Sharma said. According to party sources, after arriving at Biju Patnaik airport, Modi will go to Puri and visit Sri Gundicha temple where Jagannath along with the two other deities of the Puri shrine are currently having their “nine-day annual sojourn.” He will visit the main Puri temple after which he will meet the Shankaracharya of Puri, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.
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