Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' in Varanasi on 17 September 2026, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, marking 25 years of Modi's public service that began with his oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on 7 October 2001. The event was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

What the Campaign Involves

The centrepiece of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is a 20-day bike yatra from Kashi (Varanasi) to Vadnagar, Prime Minister Modi's birthplace in Gujarat. A total of 10 yatras will depart from Varanasi, with participants carrying holy water from Kashi's sacred rivers to the Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Vadnagar via different routes. In the reverse direction, holy water from Gujarat's rivers will be brought back and offered at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. The campaign is scheduled to continue until 7 October 2026 — the 25th anniversary of Modi's first oath as Gujarat CM.

What CM Adityanath Said

Speaking at the launch, Chief Minister Adityanath credited the past 25 years of Modi's leadership with transforming India's global standing. 'Since then, he has been serving the nation with hard work and dedication. Today, his glorious years of public service have enabled us to witness a new India, one which we can be proud of. Today, India is safe and has prepared itself to take on the world,' he said.

Adityanath claimed that the journey is reflected in the lives of ordinary citizens — from villages that lacked houses and electricity since independence, to 60 crore Indians who can now access health cover of up to ₹5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He also cited the growth of the startup ecosystem, 'Digital India', and infrastructure development in roadways, railways, and emerging technologies including semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, drone technology, and robotics.

'Today, India is working in the fields of AI, quantum computing, drone technology and robotics. Moreover, today the nation is not counted among the bottom five economies but rather among the top four,' he added. He also highlighted the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya after 500 years, the redevelopment of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, and the hosting of the Kumbh Mela — including its UNESCO recognition — as 'visions of new India.'

Youth and Welfare at the Centre

CM Adityanath framed the yatra as a tribute to beneficiaries of welfare schemes launched over the past two and a half decades. 'This yatra is for those women who earlier could not access toilets within their houses and also for those youths who couldn't land jobs without bribery,' he said. He also pointed to the startup ecosystem as evidence of young Indians transitioning from 'job seekers to job creators.'

Context and Significance

The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is explicitly framed as a political and cultural celebration of Prime Minister Modi's quarter-century in elected public office, blending religious symbolism — the Kashi-Vadnagar corridor — with welfare messaging. This comes amid the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s broader effort to consolidate its grassroots narrative ahead of upcoming state electoral cycles. Notably, the presence of senior national figures including Rajnath Singh and Chandrababu Naidu signals the event's significance beyond a state-level occasion. The campaign's culmination on 7 October 2026 is timed precisely to Modi's 25-year governance milestone.