BJP launches nationwide sant “Ravidas Samrasta Yatra”
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New Delhi, July 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to launch a seven-month-long Shri Guru Ravidas Maharaj Samrasta Sankalp Abhiyan from July 29, 2026, to February 20, 2027, to commemorate the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas. As part of the campaign, soil from the saint's birthplace at Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi will be carried across the country in 131 kalash (urns), culminating in a Samrasta Yatra from Jalandhar, Punjab, to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Although BJP leaders have dismissed any link between the campaign and the Assembly elections scheduled in five states in early 2027, political observers see the initiative as a major outreach programme aimed at the Ravidassia community, a Dalit sect with significant influence in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Focus on Dalit outreach
In Uttar Pradesh, Dalits constitute around 21% of the population, with 84 of the state's 403 Assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs). During the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) won 63 SC-reserved seats, while the Samajwadi Party-led alliance secured 20.
Punjab has one of the highest SC populations in the country, accounting for nearly 32% of the state's population, with 34 SC-reserved seats in the 117-member Assembly. The BJP failed to win any reserved seat in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
The Ravidassia community, numbering over 12 lakh in Punjab's Doaba region including Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts has traditionally celebrated Guru Ravidas Jayanti by travelling to Varanasi. In 2022, the Punjab Assembly elections were postponed from February 14 to February 20 to avoid a clash with the festival.
The campaign began with Maati Pujan at Seer Govardhanpur on July 27, followed by the collection of soil in 131 urns on July 28. The official launch will take place in Varanasi on July 29, led by BJP National President Nitin Nabin and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Samrasta Yatra from Punjab to Varanasi
One of the campaign's key highlights will be the Shri Guru Ravidas Maharaj Samrasta Yatra, scheduled from October 5 to November 5. The yatra will begin in Jalandhar, Punjab, and conclude at Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi, passing through villages and towns, particularly Dalit-dominated localities, along the route.
The BJP has not yet announced the detailed route of the yatra.
BJP leaders on the campaign
BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha National President Lal Singh Arya said the party has already conducted preparatory workshops in 18 states.
"Sant Ravidas worked for human welfare, equality and social harmony. He opposed religious conversion. Through the 650th birth anniversary celebrations, we aim to take his message and ideals to every section of society," Arya said.
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Uttar Pradesh BJP General Secretary Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, who is overseeing the campaign in the state, rejected suggestions that the initiative is linked to elections.
"The BJP has celebrated Sant Ravidas Jayanti in previous years as well. This time the programmes are being organised on a much larger scale. It should not be seen through the prism of elections," he said.
Background
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had participated in the 647th birth anniversary celebrations of Sant Guru Ravidas in Varanasi in 2024. During the event, he unveiled a statue of the saint at Seer Govardhanpur, adjacent to the Sant Guru Ravidas Janmasthali Temple, and laid the foundation stone for the Sant Ravidas Museum.