Why BJP is investing 7 months in a Sant Ravidas outreach before 2027 polls

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a public rally, in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh. (PTI Photo) 5 min readJul 27, 2026 11:26 AM IST First published on: Jul 27, 2026 at 11:21 AM IST From July 29 to February 20, 2027, the BJP will take the soil from Sant Ravidas’s birthplace in Varanasi, in 131 kalash (urns), across the country and conduct a Samrasta Yatra from Jalandhar in Punjab to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh as part of its celebration of the 650th birth anniversary of the 15th-century saint-poet. While party leaders are formally denying any connection of yatra with the five state Assembly polls in early 2027, with the party having celebrated Guru Ravidas Jayanti in the past too, sources said that this is first time a seven-month-long campaign has been designed to reach out to