Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde was back in Guwahati on Saturday — this time to offer prayer at the Kamakhya temple here.

He headed a 172-member strong delegation of ministerial colleagues, MLAs and their family members and security, both from his faction of the Shiv Sena and the coalition partner BJP, a Shiv Sena source here said.

Shinde reached Guwahati airport around 2pm on a chartered flight and went straight to the temple to pay his obeisance.

The first-time chief minister stayed at the temple for about one-and-half-hour and then went to the hotel from where he had carried out his revolt to dislodge Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister in June.

Shinde said in Guwahati he came on the “invitation” of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to “visit” the Kamakhya temple.

He also expressed his “gratitude” to Sarma, local people and state ministers for the “welcome and love” accorded to the delegation at the airport and the temple, which was similar to the one accorded to him and his MLAs in June.

This trip is only to pay obeisance to Ma Kamakhya, Shinde said.

Delegation members, some of whom who came with their family members, security and staff offered their prayers at the temple in batches.

N.K. Soni, Shiv Sena leader from Assam belonging to the Shinde faction, told The Telegraph that the delegation led by the Maharasthra chief minister is 172-member strong.

Shinde’s engagements in Guwahati included visit to the Kamakhya temple, meeting representatives of the Sena faction from Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Bengal and attending the dinner hosted by Assam chief minister at the hotel which has been completely booked, he said.

Airport sources said there were 157 people on the chartered flight.

“There was a healthy turnout to receive him at the airport. He will return tomorrow morning by the chartered flight he came today,” Soni said.

Three Assam ministers were at the airport to welcome him on Saturday.

Shinde was camping in the city hotel along with his loyal band of Sena and Independent MLAs for eight days during the rebellion to topple the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government led by Thackeray, with the help of the BJP in June.

He became the chief minister on June 30 and subsequently won the floor test by bagging 164 votes in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

Shinde had prayed at the Kamakhya before leaving Guwahati. A Kamakhya priest told The Telegraph that he had come to offer prayer and seek the blessings of Ma Kamakhya.

“He had promised to return once everything related to the government formation settled down. He had even come once in March,” the priest said.

Maharashtra MLAs loyal to Shinde had donated Rs 51 lakh for flood relief and offered prayers at the Kamakhya temple before leaving Guwahati on June 29.

The state was witnessing one of its worst floods during the period.

Assam minister Ajanta Neog tweeted: “A team of Maharashtra ministers & MLAs, led by Hon CM Sri @ mieknathshinde Ji, is in Assam on a courtesy visit. Welcomed them at LGBI, along with Cabinet colleagues @ranojpeguassamand @BimalBorah119today.”