Live: Congress VP Rahul Gandhi meets Mahant Gyandas, seeks blessings for UP assembly elections

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has met with Mahant Gyandas, the mahant of the Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya, to seek blessings for upcoming UP assembly elections in 2017. 

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday reached Ayodhya, as a part of fourth day of his mahayatra in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due early next year.

The visit makes Gandhi the first member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to visit Ayodhya since the demolition of the disputed structure in 1992.  No member of the Congress' first family has visited Ayodhya since 1992.

Here are the live updates

# Rahul Gandhi will take a two-day halt on September 12 and 13 during his month-long mahayatra in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in view of Eid and would recommence his march from September 14.

# The Congress Vice President met Mahant Gyan Das, who is known for his anti-Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) stance, before having 'darshan' at the temple.

# As a convoy of cars, buses and open trucks rolled into the temple town, people rushed out of their houses to have a glimpse of the Congress leader.

# Rahul also stayed away from the site of 'shilanyas', the foundation stone that had been laid there in 1989 for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Rahul Gandhi visits Hanumangarhi temple;becomes 1st in Nehru-Gandhi family to visit Ayodhya since'92 Babri demolit'n pic.twitter.com/2dnfBnxVTB

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 9, 2016

Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Hanuman Garhi temple is also immersed in symbolism.

Twenty-six years ago, Rahul Gandhi's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had planned to visit the Hanuman Garhi temple on a trip to Ayodhya, but could not because of a lack of time. He was assassinated the next year, on May 21, 1991. Rahul Gandhi was then 20.