Thousands of Shiv Sainiks are expected to accompany Eknath Shinde on his visit to Ayodhya on Sunday, his first such visit after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in June last year. Almost all hotels, guest houses and dharamshalas in the temple town have been booked to accommodate Shiv Sena ministers, MPs and MLAs who will arrive in Ayodhya on Saturday. Shiv Sainiks are also expected to reach Ayodhya in special trains a day before Shinde to welcome him. The Shiv Sena has prepared a plan to highlight Shinde's visit to Ayodhya across the country.
According to the official programme issued by the Maharashtra government, Shinde will reach Lucknow on Saturday evening and stay there for the night. On Sunday morning, he will reach Ayodhya by helicopter and land at the banks of the Saryu river. Maharashtra Chief Minister's spokesperson Viraj Mulaye told PTI, "The Maharashtra chief minister will be arriving in Lucknow on Saturday and will visit Ayodhya on Sunday, where he will offer prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple and the Ram temple. He will also see the ongoing construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple and perform the evening 'aarti' on the banks of the Saryu river."
"He will also meet the seers of Ayodhya and address a press conference. He will return to Mumbai on Sunday after finishing all his scheduled programmes in Ayodhya," Mulaye said. Shinde will spend about nine hours in the temple town. He had said on Friday that Ayodhya was a place of utmost faith for him and his supporters. Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray wanted to see a grand Ram temple come up in Ayodhya, the chief minister said as he flagged off a special train carrying Shiv Sainiks to the temple town amid chants of 'Jai Shri Ram'. The special train was beautifully decorated with a 'Chalo Ayodhya' board mounted in the front.
Another train carrying Shiv Sainiks left for Ayodhya from Nashik, Shinde told reporters. In all, more than 3,000 devotees have left for the temple town in these two trains, which will reach the final destination on Saturday, he had said. Earlier, Shinde had visited Ayodhya as a Shiv Sena leader on November 25, 2018, a year before the Supreme Court announced the verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute. He also visited Ayodhya in March 2020 and June last year.
