MANGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday visited Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada and sought blessings of Lord Manjunathaswamy and Annappa Swamy. Later, he told reporters that he sought the blessings of both the deities in view of the Lok Sabha election, which he described as “Dharma Yuddha”.
“Sri Manjunatha and Gangadhara Ajja have been protecting me till now. I seek the blessings of Lord Manjunatha before starting any ‘Dharma Yuddha’. Lord Manjunatha is known for keeping his word and we have fulfilled our pre-poll promises and implemented the five guarantees. Now, it is up to the people. We will urge them to support us. The Shakti scheme of free bus travel for women has initiated a ‘dharma yatra’ for them. With the help of our scheme, women are visiting pilgrim centres, including Dharmasthala. People gave us strength to implement these schemes and I am confident that people who are benefiting will support us,” he said. He also visited Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade.
‘Maximum seats’
Later, Shivakumar visited Kukke Subramanya and offered prayers. Speaking to reporters, the DCM said, “The Congress will win the maximum seats in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls.”