Amit Shah at Kumbh today, PM Modi coming next

PM Narendra Modi could soon visit the Kumbh in Prayagraj and this could be finalised after BJP President Amit Shah comes to the Kumbh on Wednesday. This would be Modi's seventh visit to Uttar Pradesh in February in the run-up to the elections as the PM may also visit Rahul Gandhi's constituency of Amethi.

Shah is expected to meet saints at the Kumbh and witness the installation of the country's highest 150-feet-high 'Trisul' dedicated to Lord Shiv at the Kumbh Mela on the banks of the Yamuna. Most Akharas at the Kumbh will be part of this ceremony.

During his visit, Shah is also expected to reiterate his stand on the issue of the Ram Temple and that the BJP wants construction of a temple at Ayodhya to begin at the earliest, and take a dip in the Sangam at Kumbh along with the saints. UP Deputy Chief Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya reached Prayagraj on Tuesday and will be along with Shah during his visit.


The political focus of the PM and Shah is clearly on Uttar Pradesh amidst the SP-BSP-RLD mega-alliance against the BJP and the Congress putting Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the general secretary in charge of East UP. The PM will also be Gorakhpur on February 24 to launch the PM Kisan Nidhi scheme, on February 19 he will be in his constituency, Varanasi on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti and will address a public rally there, while on February 27 he would be Kanpur for the 2nd UP Investors Summit.

On February 15, Modi will be Jhansi where he will lay the foundation stone of the ambitious Defence Corridor project. PM's visit to Amethi is also being planned for February 28, sources said. Shah has meanwhile just concluded six booth president-level meetings across UP and he will also be in Gorakhpur on February 23 for BJP Kisan Morcha's National Convention.

Akhilesh stopped by Yogi
Former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was stopped by the Yogi Adityanath government from flying to Prayagraj on Tuesday, citing that his visit to the Allahabad University for a Students Union function could cause a law-and-order problem, as per a letter by the University Vice-Chancellor to the administration. Yadav termed this as "nervousness" of the UP government to stop his movement while Adityanath said Yadav had been informed on Monday itself about the denial of permission and that Yadav was trying to cause unrest in Prayagraj with his planned visit. Students affiliated to the Samajwadi Party and ABVP have been on collision course there and the CM said no chances could be taken with peace as the Kumbh was on in Prayagraj. SP leaders however termed this as hypocrisy of the CM who had cried foul when Mamata Bannerjee stopped his entry to West Bengal.