Maharashtra: Telangana CM KCR offers prayers at Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Solapur

Solapur (Maharashtra) [India], June 27 : Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who is on a two-day trip to Maharashtra, offered prayers at Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur, Solapur on Tuesday.

The KCR-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) previously known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi is seeking to expand its national base.

Meanwhile, leaders From Maharashtra are likely to join in BRS party in the presence of CM KCR at Solapur today.

Uddhav Thackeray faction MP Sanjay Raut "downplayed" the CM's visit.

"There will be no impact of Telangana CM KCR on Maharashtra politics. If KCR will do drama like this, he will lose Telangana also. Fearing loss, he came to Maharashtra but his 12-13 ministers/MPs joined the Congress yesterday," he told ANI.

"This is a fight between KCR and Congress. Maha Vikas Akhadi is strong in Maharashtra," he added.

Former Telangana minister Jupally Krishna Rao and several BRS leaders formally joined Congress in Delhi on Monday in the presence of Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge and its former chief Rahul Gandhi.

This switchover is seen as a major boost to Congress, buoyed by electoral victory in Karnataka, which is wrestling to return to power in the state where elections are due later this year.

In March this year, Telangana CM held a gathering at Maharashtra's Nanded and slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena over the advertisement featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Monday said that though Telangana Chief Minister KCR trying to expand his base in Maharashtra but he would not succeed to gain inroads in the state.