Modi's temple visits in Nepal will have message for Karnataka voter

Modi at Pashupatinath temple Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal during his maiden visit as PM in August 2014 | Narendra Modi's website

The political parties in Karnataka are engaged in a battle for one-upmanship over each other as election day draws closer. As the campaign will come to an end on May 10, the BJP's main campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will still be sending a message to the electorate of the state, albeit in an indirect way.

The prime minister will be hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal on May 11. During his two-day visit, Modi will be visiting two key temples associated with Hinduism: Janakpur and Muktinath. Janakpur is known as the birthplace of Lord Ram's wife Sita. There, along with Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Oli, Modi will also inaugurate Ramayana circuit. Later, Modi will travel to Muktinath Temple to pay his respects. Muktinath is one of the key temples considered sacred by the Sri Vaishnava sect.

While the campaign would have ended in Karnataka, Modi's temple visits are likely to be extensively covered by TV channels. The polling will be held on May 12. The current state elections have been dominated by both Congress and BJP leaders visiting the numerous mutts in the state in order to woo different communities. Modi's temple visits in Nepal will reinforce his image as a Hindutva icon.

As an astute politician, Modi has been carefully using his foreign visits for having an impact on domestic audiences. His Nepal visit is likely to send a message to the electorate in the state, which is facing a divide over the issue of separate religion status for the Lingayats. The BJP had termed giving of minority tag for Lingayats as a move to divide Hindus.

Will the optics of his Nepal visit have any last minute message for the Karnataka electorate? The jury is still out.