Political heavyweights and their better halves have been visiting temples, seeking divine blessings for their spouses' victory in elections.

Sonal, the wife of BJP national president Amit Shah, on Monday visited a Puja pandal in Patna and Badi Patan Devi in Patna City, to seek blessings for her husband, who is facing a big challenge in the Assembly elections.

Sonal, married to Shah for more than 25 years, visited SK Purim Puja pandal on Boring Road on Monday accompanied by only Reshmi Mayukh, the wife of BJP MLC Sanjay and Sulekha Ranjan, the wife of BJP leader Santosh Ranjan.

Clad in a red salwar kurta, Sonal, along with other guests, reached the Boring Road Puja pandal around 11am. They were by BJP North East Delhi MP and Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari. Sonal and Manoj Tiwari performed rituals and opened the Puja pandal.

The lady spent over than 45 minutes at the pandal, performing rituals such as arti. The pandal samiti presented chunari to Sonal. Neither Sonal nor any other ladies spoke to the journalists but the pandal authorities said Sonal sought blessings from Goddess Durga for peace and prosperity of the entire country.

A Puja pandal organiser on Boring Road said: "Apart from seeking divine blessings from the Goddess, Sonal has come to see how Durja Puja was celebrated in Bihar, as the festival is not so popular in Gujarat." Sonal married Shah more than 25 years ago. She was born and brought up in Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Both in Gujarat and Maharashtra, Durga Puja is not popular neither in Maharashtra nor in Gujarat. After performing puja at Boring Road, Sonal and the others left for Bari Patan Devi temple in Patna City. The Badi Patan Devi is an important religious temple in Patna and it is said that the name Patna is popularly believed to be derived from Maa Patan Devi temples.

Though Amit Shah's family members follow Jainism, they have great faith in Goddess Durga much like Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi, an ardent follower of Mata Ambaji, regularly visits Ambaji temple in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat. Though Durja Puja is not popular in Gujarat, the Gujarati community observes the nine-day Navratri, observing fast. Even Modi keeps fast on Navratri taking only warm water during the nine days.

Wives visiting temples for success of their better halves is not new. Sources said Jashodaben, a retired school teacher and wife of Narendra Modi, had done a similar thing in April, 2014. She had proceeded on a Char Dhaam Yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri for fulfilment of her husband's wishes. Modi was then Gujarat chief minister and on May 26, 2014, the BJP candidate became Prime Minister.

Sources said Shah faces the biggest political challenge in Bihar after being appointed BJP national president last year. Though BJP gained power in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Jharkhand under his leadership, the party performed poorly in Delhi Assembly elections this year, with the party getting only three seats against 67 by Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.