Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, after his visit to Puri on July 16, would depart Bhubaneswar for Ahmedabad at 4.45 pm on the day, said BJP State president KV Singh Deo here on Sunday.
However, Modi, who is the chairman of the BJP Election Campaign Committee, would meet around 230 State BJP leaders, including 216 members of the Executive Committee in the sidelines of his visit at Hotel Mayfair at Puri for about half an hour, said
Singh Deo, clarifying that there is no programme of Modi to come to the State party office in Bhubaneswar. He said Modi’s seven-and-a-half-hour visit would be limited to Puri only.
Terming his visit as religious and nonpolitical, Singh Deo said Modi is scheduled to meet two top Hindu religion figures Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb at his palace and Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati at the Gobardhan Pith.
“Since Modiji has been elevated as the Election Campaign Committee chairman of the party and also being projected as the Prime Ministerial Candidate of the BJP, he is coming to seek the blessings of the lords and Goddesses before embarking on his countrywide campaign,” Singh Deo said.
Modi is slated to arrive at the Bhubaneswar airport on July 16 at 9.15 am and leave for Puri by road en-route Sakhigopal, where he would pay tribute to the Panchasakhas at 10.30 am.
He will reach the Gundicha Temple at 11 am and remain there for about 45 minutes to have a Darshan of lords Jagannath and Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra.
He would leave for the Shreemandir at 11.45 am to perform puja of Goddesses Bimala and lakshmi. He would meet the Gajapati King at 12.30 pm and the Shankaracharya at 1.15 pm for around 15 minutes.
Then, he would stay at Hotel Mayfair from 2 pm to 3.30 pm, during which he would have Mahaprasad and meet State BJP leaders. From there, he would directly move to Bhubaneswar to leave for Ahmedabad.
Since Modi is a Z plus category protectee; the State police is making elaborate security arrangements for his safe journey, official sources said. KV Singh Deo said Modi has been requested to visit in October to start the election campaign for the 2014 general elections in Odisha.