The BJP invoked divine intervention by holding prayers at Hanuman temples across Karnataka a day before the state polls following a hectic and bitter campaign to retain control of the only southern state that has a government led by the saffron party.

Party leaders, including chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and convener of the party’s election management committee Shobha Karandlaje, held prayers at Hanuman temples on Tuesday to cash in on the Congress’s promise of banning organisations that spread hate and naming the Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India (PFI) as examples.

The puja was conducted at temples across the 224 Assembly constituencies that would go to polls and verses were chanted from Sundara Kanda in which Valmiki narrates the adventures of Hanuman, a BJP functionary told The Telegraph.

“Our party held prayers and puja at Hanuman temples in all the constituencies in view of tomorrow’s election,” said the party functionary, who declined to be named.

The Congress had earlier wondered why the BJP is equating Bajrang Dal, a Sangh outfit, with Hanuman.

However, the BJP has turned the Congress’s promise into an election issue, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’ war cry. Modi had even urged Karnataka’s voters to chant ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’ while casting their votes.

Bommai prayed at the Anjaneya temple in Hubli while Karandlaje visited Sree Prasanna Veeranjaneya temple in Bangalore’s Mahalakshmi Layout.

Karandlaje later told reporters that the Congress sought “to create an atmosphere of fear” by proclaiming that it would ban Bajrang Dal.

Congress president D.K. Shivakumar too prayed at the Hanuman temple in K.R. Market in Bangalore on Tuesday morning. Shivakumar later joined P.C. Siddaramaiah to visit the Chamundeshwari temple in Mysore in a show of unity ahead of the election.

While there is nothing unusual about political leaders seeking divine blessings before and after elections, the visits to Hanuman shrines have more to do with the Bajrang Dal row.

The BJP functionary was confident of his party benefiting from the emotive issue since Hanuman is widely worshipped in the state. “We are sure this will help us increase our tally,” he said.

The Congress is confident the Bajrang Dal issue wouldn’t dent its numbers. “I am sure the BJP is not going to gain anything much from it since those who are making a noise about it are those who are their supporters,” a senior Congress functionary said.

“It has certainly not percolated to the grassroots where the main issues are price rise and social justice. Only a tiny segment of urban voters would have been influenced by the noises made in the name of Bajrang Dal,” he added.

“I feel we will get 118 to 130 seats and comfortably form a government riding on our five guarantees that the people have taken very seriously,” he said.

The Congress has promised 200 free units of power to each household every month under the Gruha Jyothi scheme; 10 kilos of free rice a month for every member of poor families under the Anna Bhagya scheme; Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a household each month under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme; free bus rides for women under the Sakhi scheme; and the Yuva Nidhi scheme that offers Rs 3,000 to graduates and Rs 1,500 to diploma holders every month for two years or until they find employment, whichever is earlier.

The party even resolved to take formal decisions and announce them in the first cabinet meeting after coming to power.

“The Bajrang Dal issue has, at best, helped us consolidate the votes of Dalits and Adivasis who suffer a lot at the hands of these Hindutva outfits. There is a clear minority consolidation in favour of our party,” the Congress functionary said.

Dalits and Adivasis form a quarter and Muslims around 13 per cent of the 5.2 crore electors eligible to vote.