There’s more to Modi’s Punjab visit than just railway projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Jalandhar visit on July 17, his single stopover in Punjab in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections, especially after the BJP announced going solo, is an important strategic move given that the politics in the Doaba region is dominated by 33.34 per cent (one third) of the state’s Scheduled Caste population, making it electorally crucial for political parties, with Jalandhar being its nucleus.

Jalandhar is also home to Dera Sachkhand Ballan, one of the most influential religious centres of the Ravidassia community, which has a significant social and political presence in Doaba. Outreach to the Ravidassia community has increasingly become an important aspect of Punjab’s electoral politics.

According to the 2011 Census, of Doaba’s total population of 52.08 lakh, 19.48 lakh (around 37%) are Dalits. Of Doaba’s Dalit pollution, about 11.88 lakh people (around 61%) belong to the Ravidassia community. Also, Doaba is dotted with hundreds of deras.

The Doaba region, comprising the districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr), accounts for 23 of Punjab’s 117 Assembly segments and is home to the Ravidassia community’s largest dera (religious place), Dera Sachkhand, at Ballan village in Jalandhar.

Of the 23 segments, Doaba has eight constituencies (35 per cent) reserved for SCs, including Adampur, Kartarpur, Jalandhar West, Phillaur (all in Jalandhar), Sham Chaurasi, Chabbewal (in Hoshiarpur), Banga (Nawanshahr), and Phagwara (in Kapurthala).

In the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress won 10 seats in Doaba, AAP 9, while one each went to the SAD, BJP, BSP and an Independent.

Currently, the AAP has 12 Doaba seats after winning the Jalandhar South and Chabewal by-elections, and with SAD MLA Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi from the Banga Assembly segment joining the AAP.

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Given this arithmetic, Modi had visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan during the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Ravidas earlier this year and renamed Adampur Airport in Jalandhar district after Guru Ravidas. Also, the Centre honoured Dera head Sant Niranjan Das with the Padma Shri this year. Although the Dera has traditionally maintained that it does not endorse any political party, leaders across the political spectrum regularly visit the shrine to engage with the community.

Adding another layer of political significance to his visit, the Prime Minister will launch a new train service between Jalandhar and Varanasi, to be named “Shri Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj Express”. Varanasi, regarded as the birthplace of Guru Ravidas, is Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

Every year, devotees associated with Dera Sachkhand Ballan travel from Jalandhar to Varanasi to mark Guru Ravidas’ birth anniversary, traditionally through the Begumpura Express.

BJP leaders see the proposed new train service as symbolically significant in strengthening connectivity with a place of immense religious importance for the Ravidassia community.

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Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing at Jalandhar Cantonment ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, during which he is likely to inaugurate the renovated 110-year-old Jalandhar Cantonment railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for Rs 125 crore.

The Prime Minister is also likely to dedicate 75 other renovated railway stations across the country, including four in Punjab, virtually from the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station.

According to BJP leaders, the Prime Minister’s helicopter will land at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) ground in Jalandhar at around 3.50 pm. From there, he will proceed to the nearby Jalandhar cantonment railway station and is expected to remain there until around 4.30 pm. Modi will, meanwhile, address a public rally, which is expected to last for around 40 to 45 minutes, they said, adding that a pandal is being laid close to the railway station for the rally.

Railways and administration officials have intensified preparations at the venue. Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu recently reviewed the arrangements at the station.

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Jalandhar Police Commissioner Satinder Singh also visited the cantonment railway station to look into security arrangements.

While the visit is officially focused on development and railway infrastructure, its timing and location are unlikely to be viewed in isolation from the evolving political scenario in Punjab. With the BJP preparing to chart an independent electoral course in the state, outreach in the politically influential Doaba region is expected to remain a key element of its strategy in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections.