Ujjain, April 6: Cameras trained, they waited for the chief minister to take the holy dip in the Kshipra. But Uma Bharti did not.

Instead, she preferred a bath at the nearby Bada Udasin akhara even as the media kept a nightlong vigil on her movements at the Simhastha, Ujjain’s version of the Kumbh mela, that began yesterday.

If Uma avoided the media — as did her Rajasthan counterpart, Vasundhara Raje, who managed a quiet dip well past midnight — Sonia Gandhi had not when, three years ago, she took a holy dip at Triveni (Allahabad) in full view of television channels and photographers.

The BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had criticised her for taking only “half a dip”. But priests present at the Mahakumbh had expressed satisfaction that the Congress chief had indeed performed Ganga puja, Ganpati puja, kul devta puja and Triveni puja in accordance with Hindu rites.

Apart from the religious significance of the holy dip, Sonia had sought to blunt the attacks on her foreign origin as well as present a liberal-moderate face of Hinduism as perceived by the Congress. Sonia is likely to visit Ujjain on April 25.

But in the temple town, Uma’s “failure” to participate in the shahi snan (royal bath) raised eyebrows. A few days ago, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister had declared she would stay away as her visit could affect arrangements at the Simhastha. She had also “appealed” to all VIPs to avoid Ujjain during the month-long congregation.

Sources close to Uma said she avoided taking a dip in the presence of the electronic and print media. “As a sadhvi, Umaji is opposed to the idea of flaunting religious rites,” a source close to her said, claiming that she had come to the temple town to “oversee” arrangements.

Although Uma did spend the night in Ujjain, people questioned the timing of her arrival and also why she kept postponing her programme when the shahi snan was taking place.

Sources said she was first scheduled to go to Gujarat, then to Hoshangabad and then to Varanasi. Finally, at 7 pm yesterday, she took a train to Ujjain, reached the Simhastha site and headed straight to the Bada Udasin akhara where sadhus bluntly told reporters they were not welcome.

In nearby akharas, there was disquiet over Uma’s presence and her failure to “fulfil a religious obligation”. Sadhus and priests were heard whispering why the chief minister, a deeply religious person, was “reluctant” to take a dip on an “auspicious occasion”.

But some sadhus close to the BJP said what is necessary is holy water from the Kshipra. “I have confirmed news that at 4 am on Tuesday morning, the chief minister took a bath in accordance with religious rites at the Bada Udasin akhara on the bank of the river Kshipra that fulfils all religious obligation,” said a sadhu, who refused to be identified.

“Men of god do not need a worldly identity,” he added with a wink.

In political circles, Uma’s “hurried decision” to visit Simhastha is being seen in the context of rivalry within the BJP. It is an open secret that the Madhya Pradesh chief minister is not on the best of terms with her Rajasthan counterpart.

Official circles in Bhopal and Ujjain were agog with reports that Uma did not have prior information about the visit of Vasundhara, the first “VVIP” to take the holy dip in the Kshipra.

Sources close to Vasundhara, however, said there were several reasons for the “private visit”. Vasundhara, they added, went by the “family traditions” of the Scindias who, as rulers of the region, had always extended royal patronage to the Ujjain Simhastha.

The Simhastha had another visitor today. VHP chief Ashok Singhal arrived in the town to drum up support for a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

It is learnt that Singhal, who visited several akharas, was seeking from the sadhus a formal resolution with which he could pressure Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee into bringing a legislation paving the way for the temple’s construction.