Amit Shah to flag off BJP's Vadnagar-Varanasi Bike Yatra on PM Modi's birthday
Synopsis
The BJP is launching its most expansive birthday tribute to PM Modi yet — twin bike yatras spanning 40,000 km, 193 districts, and 10 states, with Home Minister Amit Shah flagging off the Vadnagar leg and Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath, and Chandrababu Naidu in Varanasi. The campaign concludes on 7 October, the day Modi marks 25 years as head of government.
Key Takeaways
Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the Vadnagar to Varanasi Seva Sankalp Bike Yatra at 9:30 am on 17 September from Vadnagar, Gujarat .
A parallel Varanasi to Vadnagar yatra launches simultaneously, with Rajnath Singh , Yogi Adityanath , and N.
Chandrababu Naidu attending.
The twin yatras will cover 40,000 km across 193 districts and 1,159 villages in 10 states , with around 1,000 participants .
The campaign is the centrepiece of the BJP's Seva Sankalp Abhiyan , marking PM Narendra Modi 's birthday and 25 years in public life.
The yatras are scheduled to conclude on 7 October 2026 , when Modi completes 25 years as head of government.
Shah's programme in Vadnagar begins with a Maha Aarti at Sharmishtha Lake at 8:15 am , followed by temple visits and a cleanliness campaign launch.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will travel to Vadnagar in Gujarat on Thursday, 17 September 2026, to flag off the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s 'Vadnagar to Varanasi' Seva Sankalp Bike Yatra — a nationwide campaign marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday and his completion of 25 years in public life. The flag-off is scheduled for 9:30 am from Vadnagar, Modi's birthplace in Gujarat.
Twin Yatras, One Campaign
The bike yatra is one half of a twin-route campaign. A parallel 'Varanasi to Vadnagar' yatra will begin simultaneously from Varanasi, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu among those expected to attend the launch there.
Together, the two yatras are the centrepiece of the BJP's Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, which commences on Thursday. The campaign is scheduled to conclude on 7 October, the date on which Modi completes 25 years as head of government.
Scale and Route
The twin yatras are expected to collectively cover approximately 40,000 km, passing through 193 districts and around 1,159 villages across 10 states. Around 1,000 young participants are set to take part — 500 riding from Vadnagar towards Varanasi and another 500 in the reverse direction.
Four preparatory sub-yatras have already been under way since 13 September, converging on Vadnagar from Somnath in Saurashtra, Shamlaji in north Gujarat, Pavagadh in central Gujarat, and Unai Mataji in south Gujarat.
Amit Shah's Programme at Vadnagar
Shah's day in Vadnagar begins at 8:15 am with a Maha Aarti at Sharmishtha Lake, followed by a padayatra, flag-off preparations, and the launch of a cleanliness campaign at the Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, State BJP President Jagdish Vishwakarma, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and other senior party leaders are expected to be present.
A notable ritual element involves water collected from rivers, lakes, and wells along the sub-yatra routes being carried to Vadnagar in a Jal Kalash Rath. Water from Sharmishtha Lake will be added before a Jalabhishek at the Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple. The Jal Kalash will then travel towards Varanasi, collecting water along the way for a Jalabhishek at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Party leaders said the collection will include water from the Narmada, Sabarmati, Mahi, Gomti, Vishwamitri, Tapi, Banas, Shetrunji, Aji, and Pamba rivers.
Shah's Ahmedabad Itinerary
After Vadnagar, Shah is scheduled to proceed to Ahmedabad. At 5:15 pm, he will offer prayers at the Shri Jagannath Temple in the Jamalpur area, followed by an appearance at the 'Aashirwad No Deewo' programme at the Kankaria Lake premises at 5:45 pm. He will then attend the Ganesh Mahotsav organised by the Sardar Patel Seva Dal at Sardar Patel Chowk in Vastrapur at 7 pm.
What the Campaign Includes
The BJP's Gujarat unit has outlined a broad civic programme alongside the yatras, covering tree plantation, cleanliness drives, the Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign, the TB Mukt Bharat campaign, and water-conservation awareness activities. The campaign will also feature interactions with beneficiaries of government schemes, women's empowerment programmes, and felicitations for sanitation workers.
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is part of a wider set of programmes being organised across states to mark PM Modi's birthday on 17 September and his quarter-century milestone in public office.
Point of View
And deploying four of the government's most visible faces across both ends, signals that the party is treating this anniversary as a brand event, not merely a civic programme. The civic activities — TB awareness, Nasha Mukt Bharat, sanitation felicitations — give the campaign a welfare optics layer that reinforces the 'Seva' narrative central to BJP's electoral communication. Whether the ground outreach translates into durable beneficiary connect, or remains a well-photographed mobilisation, will depend on follow-through beyond 7 October.
NationPress
16 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Vadnagar to Varanasi Seva Sankalp Bike Yatra?
It is a BJP-organised bike yatra starting from Vadnagar, Gujarat — PM Modi's birthplace — and travelling to Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, as part of the party's Seva Sankalp Abhiyan marking Modi's birthday on 17 September and his 25 years in public life. A parallel reverse yatra from Varanasi to Vadnagar launches simultaneously.
Who is flagging off the bike yatra and where?
Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the Vadnagar to Varanasi leg at 9:30 am on 17 September from Vadnagar, Gujarat. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu are expected to attend the simultaneous flag-off from Varanasi.
How far will the twin bike yatras travel and which states will they cover?
The two yatras together are expected to cover approximately 40,000 km, passing through 193 districts and around 1,159 villages across 10 states. About 1,000 young participants will take part, split equally between the two routes.
When does the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan conclude?
The campaign is scheduled to conclude on 7 October 2026, the date on which PM Modi completes 25 years as head of government.
What other activities are part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan?
Beyond the bike yatras, the campaign includes tree plantation, cleanliness drives, the Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign, the TB Mukt Bharat campaign, water-conservation awareness, interactions with government scheme beneficiaries, and felicitations for sanitation workers.
