The influence of Dera Sachkhand Ballan extends across nearly 20 Assembly constituencies, particularly in Punjab’s Doaba region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Punjab on 1 February, a full year ahead of the next Assembly elections, in what is being seen as an early political outreach in the poll-bound state.
The Prime Minister is set to visit Dera Sachkhand Ballan near Jalandhar on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti. The timing of the visit has drawn political attention as parties begin laying the groundwork for the 2027 Assembly polls and intensify engagement with key voter groups.
The visit follows a recent interaction between the dera leadership and the Prime Minister, during which he was invited to attend the Jayanti celebrations. The outreach has gained added significance after the dera head, Sant Niranjan Dass, was recently conferred the Padma Shri, bringing national visibility to the religious institution.
Sachkhand Ballan is the most prominent religious and social centre of the Ravidasia community in Punjab and is widely regarded as its spiritual headquarters. Rooted in the teachings of Sri Guru Ravidas, the 15thcentury Bhakti saint and social reformer, the dera has, over the years, evolved into a powerful institution influencing religious life, social organisation and political consciousness among Ravidasias in Punjab and the diaspora.
Located in the Doaba region, the dera’s influence extends well beyond spiritual practices. It plays an active role in education, healthcare and community welfare, running institutions and charitable initiatives that have contributed to social mobility within the community. Every year, it organises large-scale religious events and facilitates pilgrimages of devotees to Varanasi, the birthplace of Guru Ravidas.
The dera also became a focal point of Ravidasia identity assertion after the 2009 attack on a Ravidasia congregation in Vienna, in which senior leader Sant Ramanand was killed and Sant Niranjan Dass was injured. The incident proved pivotal in strengthening the community’s demand for a distinct religious identity, which later found expression in the adoption of a separate scripture, Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji.
Politically, Sachkhand Ballan commands considerable influence in nearly 20 Assembly constituencies, particularly in Doaba districts such as Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and SBS Nagar. Ravidasias and Ad Dharmis together form a substantial segment of Punjab’s Dalit population, making the dera an important centre of engagement for political parties during election cycles.
The visit also comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party continues efforts to strengthen its independent footprint in Punjab after ending its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal in 2020. Dalits make up nearly one-third of Punjab’s population—the highest proportion in the country—but their voting patterns have historically remained fragmented, with support divided among the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Akali Dal and the BJP.
Against this backdrop, the Prime Minister’s visit is being viewed not just as a religious engagement but as a strategic political signal, as parties position themselves early in a tightly contested electoral landscape ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.
