Lucknow, Sep 4 - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has now been painted in shades of divinity. A 25-year-old painter has projected Mayawati as a goddess in several paintings on display at Lalit Kala Akademi here.

Mahesh Tripathi, who is pursuing post-graduation in fine arts, said: 'I feel that she (Mayawati) in the last few years has done a lot for the poor and downtrodden, that in turn would enable her to acquire the status of a 'devi' (goddess) in near future.'

In one such painting titled Dalit Devi, Mayawati has been depicted as a goddess with a halo in her background, her hand held out as if she is blessing the viewer.

'Like Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ, she has been devoted to the cause of downtrodden. Considering this fact, I depicted her as a Dalit goddess,' Tripathi, a resident of Siddharthnagar district, told IANS.

In another painting, the artist has corelated Mayawati with Hindu goddess of wealth Laxmi.