LS Speaker, Maha CM to attend Ahilyabai Holkar birth anniversary event

Agra: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will attend the 301st birth anniversary celebrations of Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar in Agra on June 30, Union minister and Agra MP SP Singh Baghel said on Saturday.

A grand statue of the 18th-century Maratha queen will also be unveiled at the event, to be held at the Model School ground in Etmadpur.Baghel said Ram Shinde, chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council and a descendant of Ahilyabai Holkar, will attend as the guest of honour. He added that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s participation would be decided during his proposed visit to Agra on June 28.Remembered for her administrative acumen, social welfare initiatives, and patronage of culture and spirituality, Ahilyabai Holkar ruled the Holkar dynasty in the Malwa region during the 18th century.Baghel said the event is expected to draw over 50,000 people, including MPs, MLAs, former legislators, and members of the Pal Baghel Dhangar community from across the country. To mobilise participation, he said he personally visited more than 125 villages across the Etmadpur, Tundla and Jalesar assembly constituencies, besides parts of Agra and Firozabad districts. Leaders and supporters of all political parties have also been invited, he added.