BJP president Nadda prays at Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 26 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party President J. P. Nadda visited the famed Lalbaugcha Raja for a darshan of the imposing Lord Ganesh idol there on his trip to Mumbai and Pune for the ongoing Ganeshotsav festival, here on Tuesday.

Accompanied by state Party President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, city chief Ashish Shelar, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others, Nadda went to the Lalbaug, Parel area, performed aarti and offered prayers to the ‘Raja’, amidst tight security.

"I had the opportunity to take the darshan of Mumbai’s beloved ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’ and I have prayed for peace and prosperity for all the countrymen," said Nadda later.

He also visited the Lord Ganesh idol at Keshavji Naik Chawl in south Mumbai, which is Mumbai’s oldest at 131 years and was inspired in 1893 by the freedom fighter, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Nadda also took darshan at the homes of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Fadnavis, Shelar and will go around some Ganeshotsav mandals in Pune, including the Dagdusheth Halwai mandal, as the state’s cultural capital is also another major hub of the 10-day long state’s biggest public festival.