Out on hustings PM prays at Matua community's main shrine Kolkata's Thanthania Kali temple

    Kolkata, Apr 26 (PTI) Amid intense hustings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the main shrine of the politically influential Matua community in Thakunagar and at the historic Thanthania Kali temple in the West Bengal capital on Sunday, the penultimate day of campaigning for the state polls.
    Before taking part in a roadshow in north Kolkata in the evening, the prime minister visited the over 300-year-old Thanthania Kalibari in the heart of Kolkata.
    He bought puja offerings from one of the nearby stalls and offered it to the temple's presiding deity, Maa Siddheshwari, a form of Goddess Kali, as people jostled to catch a glimpse of the prime minister.
    Located on Bidhan Sarani, a major north–south thoroughfare in north Kolkata, the temple was established in 1703 by Uday Narayan Brahmachari on a piece of land, which was then a cremation ground.
    Earlier in the day, Modi offered prayers at Thakurbari, the main temple of the Matua Mahasangha at Thakurnagar in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, before his poll rally in the area.
    His visit to the headquarters of the community, housing the shrines of the sect's founders Hari Chand and Guru Chand Thakur, is seen as an outreach to Matua voters who influence at least 34 assembly seats directly and another two dozen along the Bangladesh border.
    Their backing had played a crucial role in the BJP's strong showing in the 2021 Assembly polls.
    Founded in the 19th century by Hari Chand Thakur, the Matua Mahasangha is a socio-religious movement that has historically worked for the upliftment of the Namasudra community through education and social reform.
    Modi had visited the Thakurnagar shrine in 2019 and also paid homage at Orakandi in Bangladesh in 2021.
    The prime minister addressed two election rallies on Sunday, before ending the day with an around two-kilometre roadshow in the northern part of the capital city.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)