Shimla: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Shimla’s popular Jakhu temple of Lord Hanuman in the morning as the counting of votes in the Karnataka polls started today.

Priyanaka had reached Shimla only two days ago, after her whirlwind campaign in Karnataka assembly elections.

She surprised the devotees at the temple, during morning ‘aarti’ with her sudden arrival at the temple to take blessings of ‘Bajrang Bali’.

After the Congress promise in Karnataka elections to ban ‘Bajrang Dal’ boomeranged in the campaign, the Congress leaders are going the extra mile to show that they are also ‘Hanuman bhagats’

Kuldeep Sharma, a regular visitor at the temple, said there was no prior intimation about her visit. She was accompanied only by two PSOs and maybe the local Congress leaders were also unaware of her plans.

She arrived around 8 am and spent quite some time in the temple and also interacted with devotees and ‘Pujaris’, Sharma said as one of the oldest temple trustees Deepak Sharma also honoured her later with a photograph of the temple.

Last week, after the controversy on banning ‘Bajrang Dal” cropped p in the Karnataka polls, all newly elected councilors of Shimla Municipal corporation had reached the temple with sitting Congress MLA Harish Janartha. The pictures were tweeted by all Congress leaders including AICC incharge for Himachal Pradesh Rajiv Shukla, party spokesperson Alka Lamba and Karnataka Congress incharge Randeep Surjewala.

Needless to mention, the congress had won Shimla Municipal corporation polls winning 24 of 34 seats, a landslide win indeed after the party had returned to power in the state in the 2022 poll.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra owns a cottage in Shimla’s Chharabra area, 13 km from the town in the high security zone close to Rashtrapati Niwas—President of India’s summer Retreat. She was given relaxations under section 118 of the  HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act 1972 by the earlier Virbhadra Singh government in 2006-07 and later also during the BJP government.

On Friday Sonia Gandhi also arrived at Chharabra to stay with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu,who had gone to Chandigarh for an official function, received her at Chandigarh airport and two flew to Shimla in a state government helicopter.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had campaigned in the state assembly polls in Shimla and also had a key role in naming Sukhu as state’s Chief Minister.