Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming birthday celebrations in Varanasi will see attendance from key BJP allies, including N Chandrababu Naidu, the chief of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Chirag Paswan, president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). However, it remains uncertain whether the BJP’s allies in Uttar Pradesh will join the event. This raises questions about the regional alliances and their current dynamics within the party framework as the celebrations approach.
BJP has planned an elaborate programme in Modi’s parliamentary constituency to mark his 76th birthday and 25 years in public life. The celebrations are part of BJP’s month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, which will run from Sept 17 to Oct 17 and is being projected by the party as a grassroots campaign centred on service, welfare and good governance. The party is also preparing for a larger programme in Prayagraj on Sept 20, focused on the constitutional rights of the Nishad community. The scheduling of these programmes effectively gives the party a separate platform to underline its community-specific political agenda at a time when BJP is seeking to project broad-based organisational outreach ahead of the 2027 UP assembly elections.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), too, has not confirmed its participation.
Party national vice-president and UP minister Ashish Patel said there had been no intimation about the participation of any senior leader from the party in the Varanasi programme. At the same time, Patel said party president and Union minister Anupriya Patel would attend the Vadnagar programme. Party national convener Praveen Nishad told TOI that the party had not received an invitation to Modi’s birthday programme. RLD state president Aeshwarya Raj Singh said the party had directed its local units to participate. “We are part of the NDA and will surely greet the PM on his birthday,” he said. Party national spokesperson Piyush Mishra said the party had not received an invitation and that its leadership was yet to take a decision on attending the Varanasi event.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Naidu and Chirag Paswan are among the leaders expected to attend the Varanasi programme. Apna Dal (S), one of BJP’s key allies in Uttar Pradesh, has indicated that no senior party functionary is scheduled to be present at the Varanasi event. Nishad Party was more explicit about staying away from the Varanasi event. Rashtriya Lok Dal , another important BJP ally with a strong presence in western Uttar Pradesh, has also indicated that no senior party leader will attend the Varanasi programme.
The party has instead planned its own event in Kanpur on Thursday, where its president, Sanjay Nishad, is expected to be present.