Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Punjab’s Jalandhar on February 1 on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti is being viewed not merely as a gesture of religious outreach but also as a calibrated move aimed at wooing one of the state’s most influential, yet electorally elusive, constituencies – the Ravidassia Dalit community.
For the BJP, struggling to gain political traction in Punjab after its break-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the now-repealed farm laws, the PM’s visit marks a renewed attempt to engage with a group whose faith, identity and numbers intersect with unusual force.
Punjab has the highest share in population of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the country, that account for around 32% of the state’s population. Within this demographic, the Ravidassia group forms a substantial bloc, particularly in the Doaba region, long regarded as the nerve centre of Dalit politics in the state.
Dera Sachkhand Ballan, headquartered near Jalandhar, is the largest and most influential Ravidassia institution. Conservative estimates put its global following at over 20 lakh, with nearly 15 lakh adherents in Punjab, most of them concentrated in Doaba.
The Census 2011 data shows that Doaba’s four districts — Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr — have a Dalit population of about 37%. Of these, nearly 61% identify as Ravidassias, making the community decisive in at least 23 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha constituencies in the region.
What distinguishes Dera Sachkhand Ballan politically is its perceived neutrality. Despite decades of pre-election visits by leaders cutting across party lines, the Dera has never formally endorsed any party or alliance.
Its influence, however, is widely acknowledged. The Election Commission (EC)’s decision to reschedule the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections to accommodate Guru Ravidas Jayanti was seen by many as an institutional recognition of the community’s political weight.
For parties, Ballan presents a paradox: it offers no explicit backing, but disregarding it carries electoral risk.
The BJP has historically lacked organic social roots in the state, relying largely on urban Hindu traders and its alliance with the SAD. The alliance, while electorally useful, constrained the BJP’s independent growth. Since the 2021 split with the SAD, the party has been searching for new constituencies, and Dalits offer a possible opening.
“The BJP’s broader strategy has involved invoking figures like Guru Ravidas, foregrounding Dalit leaders, and emphasising symbolic inclusion. A visit by the PM to Ballan fits into this pattern, but at a much higher level of political messaging,” said a former Dera functionary.
“Unlike a rally or policy announcement, a visit to Ballan confers institutional legitimacy without overt partisanship. It allows the BJP to signal respect without demanding allegiance,” he added.
Modi’s visit does not guarantee electoral dividends for the BJP though, as voting among Dalits in Punjab remains fragmented across sub-castes, parties and leaders. However, it would provide the BJP with an opportunity to gain visibility within a powerful Dalit religious group.
The symbolism is further layered by Ballan’s long-standing association with Varanasi — Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency. Under Sant Sarwan Dass, and later Sant Niranjan Dass, the Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan Mandir at Seer Govardhanpur emerged as the theological centre of the Ravidassia faith. For decades, Ballan has organised large pilgrimages, including the Begumpura Special Train from Jalandhar to Varanasi on Guru Ravidas Jayanti.
Sociologist Santosh K Singh, author of The Deras: Culture, Diversity and Politics, notes that this Varanasi-Ballan axis lends additional symbolism to the visit, placing the PM at the intersection of faith, geography and political outreach.
Vienna connection
The Ravidassia community’s political consciousness sharpened after the 2009 Vienna attack, in which Sant Ramanand was killed and Sant Niranjan Dass critically injured. The violence triggered unrest across Doaba and brought issues of dignity and religious identity to the fore.
In 2010, the declaration of a separate Ravidassia religion — announced in Varanasi on Guru Ravidas Jayanti — marked a decisive break from Sikh religious structures. Since then, demands for a separate religious column in the Census, distinct cultural symbols and independent religious practices have gained momentum.
For Dera Sachkhand Ballan, headed by Sant Niranjan Dass, the engagement with parties reinforces national relevance while maintaining its non-partisan stance. For the BJP, it is a tentative but necessary step in its effort to shed the perception of being an outsider in Punjab politics. Interestingly, Dass was awarded the Padma Shri on the eve of Republic Day.
The significance of Modi’s visit to Dera lies less in immediate electoral returns and more in what it reveals about Punjab’s evolving political grammar, where faith-based institutions, demographic weight and identity increasingly shape its politics.
Ripple effects
The ripple effects of the PM’s proposed visit are already visible, with Punjab headed for the Assembly elections early next year.
The Congress’s Jalandhar MP and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has demanded that Adampur airport be named after Guru Ravidas, framing it as a gesture of lasting recognition rather than symbolic outreach.
The Congress leadership, while welcoming the PM’s visit, has sought to anchor it in a broader development narrative. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, said that while Modi deserved a welcome as the Prime Minister, the occasion must rise above optics.
“His (PM’s) visit to Dera Ballan on Guru Ravidas Jayanti is significant and should reflect the spirit of respect and inclusivity that Guru Ravidas ji stood for,” Bajwa said. “But it should also translate into concrete steps for the welfare and development of Punjab, going beyond symbolism to address the state’s economic and social challenges.”