A purification ceremony was conducted at the Vankhandeshwar temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on Saturday morning following a visit by Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Naseem Solanki.
On the night of Diwali, Naseem Solanki, the wife of former SP MLA Irfan Solanki and her supporters visited the temple and performed Jalabhishek (ritual water offering) to the Shivaling. Her visit sparked significant outrage among a group of Hindu priests who brought 1000 litres of Ganga water from Haridwar to purify the temple premises.
During her visit, Solanki touched the Shivalinga and closed her eyes in prayers, which some community members described as “disrespect” while citing her religious background.
The priests washed both the temple and Shivaling with holy Ganga water and recited hymns. They justified their actions and claimed that non-Hindus should not be allowed in Hindu temples. The priests said that they were performing their “Kartavya” (duty) to maintain what they perceived as the sanctity of the space.
Naseem Solanki
Naseem Solanki is the candidate of the Samajwadi Party in the Sisamau Assembly bye-elections in Kanpur She recently filed her nomination papers. Solanki is in the electoral battle for the legislative assembly seat while her husband, a former MLA, Irfan Solanki is in jail in connection with a criminal case relating to land dispute and arson.
Since Solanki’s nomination, she has actively participated in many community activities, including the visit to the Vankhandeshwar Temple. The Sisamau constituency has approximately 269,770 voters, out of which 110,000 voters are of Muslim religion, 60,000 voters of Brahmin caste and 60000 voters of scheduled caste.
The election is special as the Samajwadi Party has maintained a strong hold on this seat and the BJP has never won this seat since 1996.
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