After Ayodhya, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to hold 'Dharma Sabha' of religious leaders at Pandharpur today

Mumbai: In an apparent bid to buttress his image as a Hindutva mascot, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will address a congregation of religious leaders in the temple town of Pandharpur in Maharashtra on Monday, a party leader said on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_5143141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. PTI[/caption] With the catch-phrase “Vithunamacha Jaijaikar, Pahele Mandir, Phir Sarkar” (praise lord Vitthal, first (Ram) temple, then Government), the Sena has asked all its 227 Shakhas (local offices) in Mumbai and its units elsewhere to mobilise crowds for the rally, a party leader said. It is part of Sena’s strategy to promote Thackeray as a true Hindutva leader, he added. “At least 30,000 Sena supporters from Mumbai are expected to attend the rally on Monday. Another one lakh supporters are expected to reach from rest of the state,” the Sena source said. Thackeray had last month visited Varanasi and Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, and addressed a ‘Dharma Sabha’ of religious leaders in Ayodhya.