On a whirlwind tour to Mumbai, Union Home Minister and BJP troubleshooter Amit Shah visited the official homes of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and offered prayers to Lord Ganesh - coinciding with the fifth day of the 10-day-long Ganeshotsav.
Though there was no political event, the visit assumes significance in the wake of the political developments in the state.
On his arrival, he was received by Shinde, Fadnavis, Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar, along with ministers Chandrakant Deepak Kesarkar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
The Mumbai-born Shah and his wife Sonal Shah, who hails from Kolhapur, then visited Lalbaugcha Raja and offered prayer to Lord Ganesh.
Shah visits Lalbaugcha Raja every year during the Ganesh festival and offers prayers.
Shah, en route, also visited the Ganesh Mandal at Bandra West and offered prayers.
Thereafter, he drove to Varsha and Sagar, the official residences of Shinde and Fadnavis at the Malabar Hill in Mumbai, where he was accorded a traditional welcome.
Later Shah delivered the Laxmanrao Inamdar Memorial lecture at University of Mumbai. The lecture has been organised in association with Sahakar Bharati, a co-operative body founded by Inamdar, an RSS leader. Popularly known as Vakil Saheb, Inamdar was the political mentor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais and Speaker Rahul Narwekar were among those present at the event held at the Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Convocation Hall in Mumbai University’s Fort campus.
Published 23 September 2023, 14:27 IST