After ban, Yogi on religious pilgrimage

Facing a ban from the Election Commission (EC) for his 'Ali vs Bajarang Bali' remark, BJP's star campaigner and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seems to have embarked upon a religious pilgrimage and on a silent campaign.

A day after paying obeisance at the famous Hanuman temple in the state capital, Adityanath on Wednesday visited Ayodhya, where he had a 'darshan' at the makeshift Ram temple and also at the Hanumangarhi temple.

The chief minister also held meetings with the chairman of the Ram Janambhoomi Trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, and other prominent seers in Ayodhya.

He will also be visiting the famous Hindu shrine at Devipatan in Balrampur district, about 300 kilometre from here.

Adityanath had lunch with a Scheduled Caste family, which had been a beneficiary of the prime minister's housing scheme, in Ayodhya.

BJP sources claimed that the family members had invited Adityanath for lunch.

Sources said that the chief minister will also be visiting Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, the last day of the ban.

He would be paying obeisance at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and also at Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi.

The chief minister will also be holding meetings with local BJP workers and office bearers in Varanasi and will review poll preparations, sources said.

"Adityanath wants to send out the message that no power on the earth can shake his faith in Bajarang Bali (Hanuman)," remarked a state BJP leader here.