Maharashtra chief ministers, with their spouses, have been offering prayers on Ashadhi Ekadashi at the temple since 1985
Seven lakh warkaris (devotees) have converged at Pandharpur to offer prayers to Lord Vitthal on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi on June 29, by when the figure of pilgrims is expected to swell to 10 lakh. It is an appropriate opportunity for a leading politician, such as Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, who seeks to drive his party’s expansion in Maharashtra, to visit this holy place situated on the banks of Chandrabhaga river (popularly called the Bhima river), in Solapur district.
Pandharpur has drawn leaders of varying hues regardless of their political ambitions. Most recently, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, who is not known for any spiritual leanings, visited the Vitthal-Rukmini temple on May 7, after announcing his resignation (which he subsequently revoked). “I don’t normally visit temples but there are some religious places that have a special place in my heart — Pandharpur Vitthal-Rukmini temple is one such place where I feel fulfilled after a visit,” said Pawar at the time.
When he was appointed chief minister of the state in the early 1990s, then as a Congress leader, Pawar had visited the holy place; and when asked about it he had said: “Lakhs of people have faith in the deity of Pandharpur. A chief minister is a representative of entire Maharashtra and it is his duty to offer prayers here on behalf of the state.”