Ganga Aarti, Sarnath, Ram Temple: How BJP CMs, Deputy CMs & Their Families Will Spend 3 Days in UP

Performing the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi, visiting Sarnath, paying tribute to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay at his memorial centre and finally a visit to the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya — this is how Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministers and their deputies will spend three days in Uttar Pradesh next week.

All BJP CMs and deputy CMs have been invited to Varanasi along with their families for the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13 and a closed-door sammelan (convention) with the PM as well as BJP president J P Nadda. The move underlines the importance of Uttar Pradesh with the ruling BJP putting up an unprecedented show of strength. There seems to be another message too.

It is for the first time that the party has invited CMs and deputy CMs with their families to participate in religious tours in the PM’s constituency. While the BJP has invited its CMs and leaders to electrify the election atmosphere previously too, the majority of those visits were for campaigning and without families. The latest move may charm women and young voters with spouses and children of top BJP leaders finding space in the religious programmes.

Besides the inauguration function, the chief ministers and deputy CMs along with their families will be taking part in the Ganga Aarti in Varanasi on December 13, visit the Buddhist holy site in Sarnath on December 14 and pay tribute to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay at his memorial centre in Varanasi. All these leaders with their families will wrap up their UP visit with a trip to Ayodhya: the Ram Janmabhoomi holy site and Ram Temple.

“A religious ceremony is always attended with family in our society and thus the decision to invite the CMs and deputy CMs with families to the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. The scene will resonate with the majority of the population in the poll-bound state,” said a BJP source.

The Ayodhya trip has been planned as the party does not want the temple to be overshadowed amid all the focus being on Kashi and the feeling that the entire nation has a connection with the Ganga and Ram Janmabhoomi.

Of 14.12 crores voters in UP, as per election commission data in 2017, 6.44 crores are women and had outnumbered men in voting in previous assembly polls. The BJP believes that the party has gained a foothold among women voters with many central schemes like Ujjwala, PM Awas Yojana, Saubhagya, tap water in households and making toilets. Another reason for involving CMs and deputy CMs of all BJP-ruled states is the fact that a significant number of migrants from UP reside in these regions.

“Migrants from Uttar Pradesh are residing in every state in significant numbers. They also influence and get influenced to see recognition given to their state by the CM of the state where they are residing. It’s a gesture and resonates well with the people,” a senior BJP leader told.