What's Nirmalaji Praying For?

IMAGE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeks blessings during her visit to the Shree Siddagangaa Mutt in Tumakuru. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party Lead Strategist and Home Minister Amit A Shah offers prayers at the Sri Chamundeshwari temple in Mysore, here and below. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar -- who hopes to be chief minister after the assembly election -- offers prayers at the Sri Mukambika temple at Kollur in Udupi. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Shivakumar during his visit to the Sri Sharada Peetham. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Nirmalanandanatha Swami visits Janata Dal-Secular leader and another CM aspirant H D Kumaraswamy who is in hospital after he complained of fever. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi greets former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who left the BJP last week and is now the Congress candidate from the Hubli-Dharwad-Central assembly constituency, in Hubli. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Janata Dal-United Supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar exchanges greetings with Trinamool Congress Supremo West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at Nabanna in Howrah as Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav looks on. Photograph: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Mamatadi with Nitish Babu and Tejashwi at a press conference after their meeting, here and below. Photograph: PTI Photo

IMAGE: Nitish Babu is welcomed by Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav at the SP office in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Akhilesh and Nitish Babu at a press conference. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Akhilesh with Nitish Babu and Tejashwi at the press conference, here and below. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who confronts another mutiny from his Congress colleague Sachin Pilot, seems in good spirits at the inauguration of the Mehangai Rahat Camp at Mahapura village in Sanganer near Jaipur, here and below. Photograph: ANI Photo