New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Union Minister and BJP National President, JP Nadda, is set to visit Maharashtra on Saturday as part of his participation in the ongoing Ganeshotsav festivities. During his visit to Pune, Union Minister Nadda will offer prayers and perform pooja at several iconic Lord Ganesh idols established by renowned public Ganesh Mandals.

As per the official itinerary, JP Nadda will visit four prominent Ganpati Mandals in Pune on Saturday. These include: The Shri Sai Mitra Mandal, Kothrud, Sane Guruji Tarun Mandal, Sadashiv Peth, Shri Kasba Ganpati Mandal, Kasba Peth and Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust, Belbagh.

These mandals are among the most iconic and revered in Pune, drawing lakhs of devotees each year during the Ganesh festival. The visit is expected to garner attention from party workers, local leaders, and citizens alike, showcasing BJP’s cultural outreach during key Hindu festivals.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations continue with fervour across Maharashtra. For the first time, the Maharashtra government has formally declared Ganeshotsav a state festival.

In July, the Maharashtra government declared the public Ganesh Chaturthi festival as the ‘Maharashtra State Festival.’

The state’s culture department has lined up cultural programmes, competitions, and awareness drives for the next ten days. Public Mandals have also been urged to promote heritage awareness about Shivaji Maharaj’s 12 UNESCO-recognised forts, ‘Operation Sindoor’, and the spirit of swadeshi, blending tradition with state pride.

Meanwhile on Friday, Nadda was in the spotlight over his strong condemnation of the abusive slogans and remarks allegedly made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during the Congress-RJD’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga, Bihar.

In a sharp video message posted on social media platform X on Friday, Nadda said, “The so-called Vote Rights Journey of the Congress, in which the late mother of the country’s illustrious Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji was abused from the Congress-RJD platform, is highly condemnable and reprehensible.”

–IANS

rs/rad