BHOPAL: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will embark on a two-day tour of the BJP-dominated Malwa-Nimar region in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, where his party is hoping to make a comeback after nearly 15 years.
Ahead of that, the Congress chief will perform a 'puja' at the famous Mahakal temple in Ujjain on Monday.
"During his visit to the Mahakaleshwar temple (one of the 12 'jyotirlingas' of Lord Shiva), Rahul will worship the Lord Mahakal like a common devotee," according to Congress secretary Sanjay Kapoor.
Rahul's scheduled visit to the Mahakal temple comes several months after BJP chief Amit Shah visited the famous 'jyotirlinga' in Ujjain in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh,
Shah had visited the abode of Lord Shiva on July 14 this year before flagging off the "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
During his two-day tour, the Gandhi scion would address rallies in Jhabua, Indore, Dhar, Khargone and Mhow and also take part in a roadshow in Indore.
He is also scheduled to participate in a roadshow to be organised by the Congress in Indore on Monday evening and will address a public meeting at Rajwada.
On Tuesday, the Congress chief will interact with news editors and the business community in two separate programmes at Indore, the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. He will later address public meetings at Dhar and Khargone.
On Tuesday evening, the Congress chief would address a public meeting at Mhow after offering tribute at the memorial of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's birthplace. Mhow, about 23 kms from Indore, is the birthplace of Ambedkar.
Rahul began canvassing in Madhya Pradesh last month by offering prayers at the famous Kamta Nath temple in Satna district's Chitrakoot town.
Apart from Madhya Pradesh, assembly elections are also scheduled to be held in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan -both currently ruled by the BJP, and the north-eastern state of Mizoram, where Congress is in power, in the next two months.
Here's schedule of Rahul Gandhi's two-day MP tour
· 11:15 hrs: Visit to Mahakaleshwar Temple, District Ujjain
· 12:00 hrs: Public Meeting at Dussehra Maidan, District Ujjain
· 15:00 hrs: Public Meeting at College Ground, District Jhabua
· 17:00 hrs: Swagat at Indore City (Route: Bada Ganpati - Malharganj – Loharpatti - Itwaria Bazaar - Malganj- Narsingh Bazaar chowk - Bombay Bazaar Chowk - Jawahar Marg - Imlisaheb Gurudwara - Prince Yashwant Rao Road - Rajwada Chowk)
