CM Dhami leads Ganga Puja at Har Ki Paidi for Modi's 25 years in public service
Synopsis
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami led his cabinet in a Ganga Puja and Aarti at Har Ki Paidi, Haridwar, on 13 October 2026, to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years of public service — combining political tribute with one of Hinduism's most sacred riverside rituals.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami performed Ganga Puja and Aarti at Har Ki Paidi, Haridwar on 13 October 2026 .
The ceremony marked 25 years of PM Narendra Modi's public service .
Dhami was accompanied by Uttarakhand cabinet colleagues .
Har Ki Paidi is one of the holiest ghats in India and the site of daily Ganga Aarti ceremonies.
Modi's public-service career began with his appointment as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 .
BJP-led state governments have periodically marked senior leaders' political milestones through religious ceremonies at prominent sites.
At the sacred banks of Har Ki Paidi in Haridwar, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stood alongside his cabinet colleagues on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, offering prayers and performing the Ganga Aarti to mark a milestone — 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public service.
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced the ceremony on X, stating that 'Pradhanmantri Shri Narendra Modi ke saarvajanik seva ke 25 varsh poorn hone par' (on the completion of 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public service), CM Dhami performed the Ganga Puja and Aarti at Har Ki Paidi along with his ministerial colleagues.
Why Har Ki Paidi — and what the ritual signifies
Har Ki Paidi is among the most revered ghats in India, drawing thousands of devotees daily for its iconic Ganga Aarti at dusk. Located in Haridwar — literally 'Gateway to God' — the ghat is considered the precise point where the Ganga descends from the mountains onto the plains, making it a site of singular spiritual gravity for Hindus. Choosing this location for a political milestone tribute carries unmistakable symbolic weight.
The ritual of river worship to honour a living leader or commemorate a civic milestone is a practice that weaves together devotion and public life in ways deeply familiar to northern India's political culture. For BJP-led state governments, organising such ceremonies at prominent religious sites has become a recurring mode of marking major moments in the careers of senior party leaders.
Modi's 25-year arc: from Gujarat to New Delhi
Narendra Modi was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, launching a public-service career that would span two and a half decades. He held the Gujarat CM's office until 2014, when his party's decisive general-election victory swept him to Raza Bhavan — 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi as Prime Minister. That unbroken stretch of executive responsibility — from state to nation — forms the backbone of the milestone being commemorated today.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has served as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand since 2021, has positioned himself as one of the BJP's most visible state-level loyalists. His decision to lead the cabinet in a public religious observance — rather than a press conference or institutional ceremony — signals the register in which this tribute was intended: solemn, devotional, and rooted in the landscape of Uttarakhand.
Similar commemorative events were being watched across other BJP-ruled states around the same period, as the party's state units found their own ways to mark the occasion. Uttarakhand's choice of the Ganga's holiest urban ghat makes its gesture one of the more visually arresting of the lot.
Point of View
Not merely an administrative record. For CM Dhami, leading the cabinet in a public religious observance reinforces his identity as a culturally rooted, centrally loyal state leader ahead of any future electoral cycle. The broader pattern of BJP state units organising simultaneous tributes suggests a coordinated, party-wide effort to build a celebratory narrative around the milestone. The ritual also reminds observers that in Indian politics, the sacred and the political are rarely fully separate.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did CM Dhami perform Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Paidi?
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami performed the Ganga Puja and Aarti at Har Ki Paidi in Haridwar to mark the completion of 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public service.
When did Narendra Modi begin his public service career?
Narendra Modi's public service career began in 2001 when he was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat. He held that post until 2014, when he became Prime Minister of India.
What is Har Ki Paidi and why is it significant?
Har Ki Paidi is a historic and sacred ghat in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, regarded as the point where the Ganga descends from the mountains onto the plains. It is famous for its daily Ganga Aarti and is one of Hinduism's most revered riverside sites.
Who accompanied CM Dhami at the Ganga Aarti?
CM Dhami was joined by his ministerial cabinet colleagues for the Ganga Puja and Aarti ceremony at Har Ki Paidi.
Is this the only tribute event organised for Modi's 25-year milestone?
Similar commemorative events by BJP-led state governments were observed around the same period, though the specific details of each vary by state.
