Udupi: The Aradhanotsav of Lakshmivara Theertha Swamiji of Shiroor Mutt would be held at Shiroor Moola Mutt at Hiriyadka on August 25.

After homa, and other religious rituals, the priests would offer pooja to the Vrundavana. In the evening, Ranga pooja would be held for the presiding deity of the Shiroor Mutt. For the first time after the death of Shiroor seer, the general public are being allowed for this programme. In future, on every Saturday, devotees would be allowed to the Ranga pooja at the mutt, according Sodhe Mutt, the Dwandwa Mutt of the Shiroor Mutt.

Before all these programmes, the police who have put security measures would withdraw it. Since Vishwavallabha Theertha Swamiji of the Sodhe Mutt is in Chaturmasya vratha at Sonda Mutt near Sirsi, the Aradhana of Shiroor seer would be held under his guidance and the Committee appointed to the Shiroor mutt would conduct the religious programme, the press release said.



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Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.

The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.

"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.

Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.

The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."

Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.

"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.

Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.

He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.

"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.