With only two days left for the commencement of nomination process for the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana, Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday began a three-day “Raja Shyamala Yagam” at his farmhouse at Erravelli in Siddipet district for victory in the state polls and all-round development of Telangana.

The ritual is being conducted under the supervision of Visakha Sharada Peethadhipati Sri Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati. As many as 170 Vedic pundits from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are taking part in the Yagam, an official statement from the chief minister’s office said.

At the commencement of the Yagam, KCR, his wife Shobha and other family members took the pledge for performing the ritual – which was named as Raja Shyamala Sahita Subrahmenyashwara Yagam, after conducting prayers for Lord Ganesha and cows.

Speaking at the commencement of the Yagam, Swaroopanendra Saraswati said the Yagam was being performed not only for the success of KCR but also for the all-round development of Telangana. “It is the most powerful of all Vedic rituals and the chief minister has taken up the exercise to see that there is a continuity of the progress of the state,” he said.

He claimed that Hyderabad had grown into a world-class city only because KCR had performed Raja Shyamala Yagam in the past. “You cannot find a better Hindu than KCR. He has a deep knowledge of Hindu scriptures,” the seer said.

Known for his staunch belief in Hindu religious customs, KCR caught the attention of the entire country by performing the gigantic Ayutha Maha Chandi Yagam for five consecutive days at his farmhouse in Erravelli in Medak district from December 23 to 27, 2015.

More than 2,500 priests participated in the yagam performed in 101 homa kundams (pyre constructed with bricks) in the sprawling 40-acre yagasala without break. Several seers like Sankaracharyas, spiritual gurus like Sri Sri Ravishankar and a large number of VIPs and politicians attended the Chandi Yagam.

Even before coming to power in June 2014, KCR performed yagams like Chandi Yagam and Maha Mruthyunjaya Homam at the Telangana Bhavan, the headquarters of the TRS. He believes it had helped him in realising the dream of achieving a separate state for Telangana.