By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun/Haridwar, 7 Aug: With the preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections gradually gathering momentum, the BJP has begun taking its youth outreach campaign to the grassroots. As part of this initiative, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) National President and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya today undertook a 26-km Kanwar Yatra from Haridwar to Rishikesh, an event that the party views as an important component of its efforts to connect with young people through faith, service and cultural traditions.
The Kanwar Yatra began from Haridwar in the morning and concluded at the Shiv Ganga Ghat in Swargashram, Rishikesh, where the participants performed Jalabhishek at the Veerbhadra Mahadev Temple. Youth workers from Uttarakhand as well as several other States participated in the Kanwar pilgrimage alongside BJYM office-bearers and party workers.
Surya reached Haridwar early this morning and took a holy dip in the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri before offering prayers in accordance with traditional rituals. After performing Ganga Pujan, he filled a Kanwar with the sacred Ganga water for offering to Lord Shiva and then began the foot march towards Rishikesh. BJYM State General Secretary Dipendra Koshyari, National Executive member Rohan Sehgal, Ravidev Shastri of Yuva Bharat Sadhu Samaj, Shivanand Maharaj and several other youth leaders and devotees accompanied him. Slogans of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bol Bam” reverberated through the Har Ki Pauri area as the procession set out for Rishikesh.
Interacting with the media before embarking on the Kanwar Yatra, Surya said that during the holy month of Shravan, crores of devotees undertake the Kanwar Yatra with immense faith and devotion. He recalled that for the past three to four years, whenever he had seen Kanwariyas carrying the sacred water, he had wished to participate in the pilgrimage himself and express his devotion to Lord Shiva. He said that by the blessings of Lord Shiva, that wish has now been fulfilled.
Describing the Kanwar Yatra as the world’s largest youth-led pilgrimage, Surya said it is unique because it is organised and sustained by the devotion of millions of people without any formal institutional structure. Devotees from villages and towns across the country travel to Haridwar to collect the holy Ganga water, carry it back with reverence and perform Jalabhishek at Shiva temples in their respective places.
He also described the Kanwar Yatra as the world’s largest pilgrimage involving youth participation, where crores of devotees come together without discrimination based on caste, region, language or social status, united solely by faith and devotion. Surya said that although he hails from southern India, he had long cherished the desire to undertake the Kanwar Yatra, which had finally become possible during the present Shravan season through the blessings of Lord Shiva.
He also claimed that his visit is not linked to any political programme, Surya said he has come to Haridwar as an ordinary devotee of Lord Shiva and not for any political activities. He appealed to the youth of the country to remain connected with Sanatan culture and India’s rich spiritual traditions and to preserve and promote the country’s religious heritage for future generations.
He added that the Kanwar Yatra rises above political differences and the social divisions, bringing together devotees through a shared spirit of faith. As part of the programme, BJYM volunteers also undertook cleanliness drives during the pilgrimage, while devotional singing and bhajan-kirtan programmes was organised on the banks of the Ganga at Swargashram in Rishikesh.
According to the BJYM leaders, the Kanwar Yatra is not merely a symbol of religious faith but also seeks to inspire young people with the values of service, discipline, social harmony and nation-building. The organisation believes that such initiatives help connect the younger generation with Indian culture, Sanatan traditions and nationalist ideals in the changing social environment.
However, the event is also being viewed as politically significant in the backdrop of the BJP’s preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections in Uttarakhand by many political observers. The party has intensified efforts to strengthen its connect with young voters, and the Kanwar Yatra is being seen as another step in that broader strategy of engaging youth through cultural and religious participation.
Several political leaders are participating in this year’s Kanwar Yatra. Uttarakhand Sports Minister Rekha Arya is also scheduled to undertake the pilgrimage from Haridwar on 10 August.
