MP to light 5.8 million lamps on PM Modi's birthday on Sep 17
Synopsis
Madhya Pradesh is going all-out for PM Modi's birthday — 5.8 million lamps statewide, the Mahakal Mahalok in Ujjain as centrepiece, and a 30-day Seva Sankalp Abhiyan that frames Modi's 25-year journey from Gujarat CM to PM as a public-service milestone. It is the BJP's most expansive birthday-linked welfare drive yet.
Key Takeaways
Madhya Pradesh will light 5.8 million lamps across the state on 17 September to mark PM Modi's birthday.
The Mahakal Mahalok in Ujjain will be a key venue for the celebrations.
A month-long ' Seva Sankalp Abhiyan ' will run from 17 September to 17 October , focused on public welfare.
CM Mohan Yadav said the programme marks Modi's 25-year journey in public service, starting as Gujarat CM on 7 October 2001 .
The campaign extends the BJP's annual ' Seva Saptah ' concept to a full month for the first time in the state.
Madhya Pradesh will illuminate 5.8 million lamps across the state — including at the iconic Mahakal Mahalok in Ujjain — on 17 September to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced on Saturday from Bhopal. The large-scale lamp-lighting exercise will also kick off a month-long 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' running from 17 September to 17 October, aimed at foregrounding public service as a core element of political culture.
Marking 25 years of Modi's public service
Chief Minister Yadav said the celebrations are designed to mark PM Modi's 25-year journey in public life, which began when he took over as Gujarat Chief Minister on 7 October 2001. The lighting of millions of lamps, according to Yadav, would serve as an expression of public gratitude for Modi's quarter-century of governance.
'Throughout his journey from Chief Minister to Prime Minister, Shri Modi has worked to bring the poor, farmers, youth, women and marginalised sections into the mainstream of development,' Yadav said in an official statement.
Seva Sankalp Abhiyan: What it entails
The month-long 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' will feature activities centred on public welfare and community service across all districts of Madhya Pradesh. Religious, cultural, and other public venues — notably the Mahakal Mahalok, the sprawling corridor complex around the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain — will serve as focal points for the programme.
According to the Chief Minister, the campaign is intended to shift the emphasis from political office to the idea of service, underlining the importance of public welfare in governance. This comes amid the BJP-ruled state government's broader effort to link its development narrative directly to the Prime Minister's legacy.
Development agenda and broader context
Yadav reiterated that Madhya Pradesh's development agenda is being pursued in alignment with the goal of building a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India). 'Taking inspiration from Prime Minister Modi's 25-year journey of service, we are committed to building a developed Madhya Pradesh alongside a developed India,' he stated.
The Chief Minister added that the state government was focused on development, good governance, and self-reliance, with particular attention to improving outcomes for marginalised sections of society. Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has in recent years institutionalised large-scale celebrations around the Prime Minister's birthday — 17 September — branding the week as 'Seva Saptah' in previous editions. This year's Madhya Pradesh initiative extends the concept to a full month.
What comes next
Preparations for the lamp-lighting event and the launch of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan are reportedly underway across all 52 districts of Madhya Pradesh. With the programme combining symbolic celebration with a welfare outreach push, it is expected to set the tone for BJP's grassroots engagement in the state through October.
Point of View
And extending it to a month-long 'abhiyan' in Madhya Pradesh signals how deeply the party wants to embed the Modi narrative at the grassroots. Whether the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan translates into measurable welfare outcomes or remains largely symbolic will determine its lasting impact beyond the optics.
NationPress
13 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Madhya Pradesh lighting 5.8 million lamps on 17 September?
The state government is lighting 5.8 million lamps to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on 17 September. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav described the initiative as an expression of gratitude for Modi's 25 years of public service.
What is the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan announced by CM Mohan Yadav?
It is a month-long campaign running from 17 September to 17 October, focused on public service and welfare activities across Madhya Pradesh. It aims to foreground the idea of service over political office.
Where will the lamp-lighting celebrations take place?
The lamp-lighting will span locations across Madhya Pradesh, with the Mahakal Mahalok in Ujjain serving as a prominent venue alongside religious, cultural, and public sites statewide.
How does this relate to PM Modi's 25-year public service milestone?
CM Yadav linked the celebrations to Modi's journey in governance that began when he became Gujarat Chief Minister on 7 October 2001. The programme marks the approaching 25th anniversary of that appointment.
Has the BJP organised similar birthday celebrations for PM Modi before?
Yes, the BJP has institutionalised celebrations around 17 September in recent years, typically branding the surrounding days as 'Seva Saptah' (Service Week). This year's Madhya Pradesh initiative expands the concept to a full 30-day campaign.
