Uddhav Thackeray's Ayodhya visit on June 16

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is all set to visit Ayodhya again, and this time, along with the Sena's 18 newly-elected MPs. Mr Thackeray will visit Ayodhya on June 16 to seek Lord Ram's blessings, announced senior Sena leader and party spokesperson Sanjay Raut.

This will be Mr Thackeray's second visit to the temple town in Uttar Pradesh in the last seven months, and the first after declaration of the Lok Sabha poll results.

The party had announced earlier that Mr Thackeray and the new MPs will visit Ayodhya before the beginning of the Parliament session to make a fresh pitch for construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in the holy town.

Shiv Sena has won 18 seats in the state in the recently held Lok Sabha elections and its MP from south Mumbai, Arvind Sawant, has been made cabinet minister.

Mr Thackeray’s visit to Ayodhaya is considered crucial ahead of the state Assembly elections in October this year. The Sena chief had visited Ayodhya in November last year and reaffirmed his party’s commitment to constructing the Ram temple.

At that time, the Sena had not announced its pre-poll alliance with BJP for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra. The June 16 visit will also prove crucial for the seat sharing formula in the state.