Amit Shah to visit Allahabad: BJP chief to connect with seers, take stock of preparations ahead of Kumbh Mela 2019

BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Allahabad on Friday to take stock of the arrangements for the Kumbh Mela 2019. During his visit, he will meet with seers and collect their feedback ahead of the pilgrimage. Shah’s day-long itinerary will be also be packed with temple visits and religious functions,  Hindustan Times reported. [caption id=“attachment_4616311” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] FIle image of BJP chief Amit Shah. PTI[/caption] The visit comes a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lucknow trip, to meet various industry captains. According to a News18 report, Shah is scheduled to visit Maujgiri Ghat for ‘ganga aarti’ and ‘bhasma aarti’. He will also visit the Bade Hanuman temple and Juna Akhara. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will also join Shah on his visit to the Sangam city. While in Allahabad, Shah will also meet the saints of the Akhara Parishad, including its chief Narendra Giri. The Akhara Parishad is the apex body of saints from all the 14 akharas that participate in the Kumbh and whose feedback on Kumbh 2019 will be an important one, the report added. Meanwhile, experts claim that the timing of the Kumbh 2019 –  close to the Lok Sabha polls – will present a good opportunity for BJP to reach out to its electorate. “Kumbh will offer a stage, like no other, to the BJP to connect with the masses…It also fits in well with the larger line of Modi talking development and the party chief connecting with BJP’s core voters,” Athar Siddiqui of the Centre for Objective Research and Development was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying.