RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in Varanasi on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year and will embark on a five-day tour of Purvanchal (Eastern Uttar Pradesh).
During this visit, he will meet with saints and spiritual leaders from various districts of the eastern region. With the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in its final phase and the date for the temple’s inauguration already decided for January, the RSS Chief’s interaction with spiritual leaders is considered significant. The Ram Temple has been a core agenda for the RSS, and the temple movement is based on the political support of its ally, the BJP. Sitting with saints in conjunction with the 2024 elections will therefore be crucial for the RSS Chief. Focus on Purvanchal
Purvanchal will be the main focus of Bhagwat’s tour this time. He reached Varanasi on the evening of 18 July. The RSS Chief will visit various districts of Purvanchal and engage in dialogues with saints. On Wednesday he will visit Hathiyaram Math in Ghazipur, where he will meet with Mahamandaleshwar Bhawani Nandan Yati Ji. On Thursday, he will receive blessings at Swami Adgadanand’s Ashram in Chunar, Mirzapur. On Friday, he will visit the ashram of Sant Kabirnagar in Devraha, associated with Sangh’s Chief Devraha Baba. Finally, on 22 July, he will hold a meeting with temple administrators and key executives at the Rudraksh Convention Center in Bhavghat Kashi. Bhagwat will also interact with RSS workers from the Kashi region. This time, the BJP’s focus is also on Purvanchal. Recently, the BJP formed an alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s party, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which is influential in Purvanchal. Furthermore, SP MLA Dara Singh Chauhan from Ghosi seat of Mau district has also been included in BJP. The BJP is also making efforts to assert its dominance on all seats in Purvanchal, as it aims to secure power in Delhi for the third time in 2024. Uttar Pradesh is the biggest contributor to their hopes. Therefore, every seat that slipped away in the previous elections in Purvanchal, including Lal Ganj, Ghosi, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, and Ambedkar Nagar, is now a priority for the BJP. Additionally, the BJP’s ally Apna Dal (S) has its MPs from Sonbhadra and Mirzapur. Pravin Nishad, the son of Nishad Party’s leader Dr Sanjay Nishad, is also an MP from the Sant Kabir Nagar constituency in Purvanchal.
The RSS is also working towards expanding its branches to every village and reaching Dalit and Adivasi settlements. The main objective of the Sangh is to spread its ideology to every Nyaya Panchayat (local judicial body) and Dalit basti (settlement). For this purpose, programs will be initiated in all Nyaya Panchayats and Dalit settlements. Recently, 250 facilitators were selected from the RSS education wing. The expansion of branches has started, with 2,667 branches initiated in 1,819 Nyaya Panchayats. These numbers will be further increased.
For those who cannot regularly attend the Sangh’s branch, weekly meetings or weekly teams will be formed. These teams will be separate from the main branches and will visit the branches once a week or once every fifteen days. In addition, they will work on social initiatives within the branch’s area.
