The yatra had been announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in February. (File)
In an attempt to consolidate the 16% Dalit votes in Madhya Pradesh less than four months before the state goes to polls, the BJP will flag off the Sant Ravidas Samarasta Yatra this evening for the construction of a temple in honour of the 14th-century poet-saint.
The yatra will be taken out from five districts - Singrauli, Dhar, Sheopur, Balaghat and Neemuch - and will travel through 46 of the state's 52 districts. It will culminate in Sagar district's Badtuma on August 12, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the groundwork for the Rs 100-crore Sant Ravidas Temple.
Dalits make up 16% of the population in Madhya Pradesh and, of the state's 230 seats, 35 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Most of these constituencies are in the Bundelkhand, Gwalior-Chambal and Vindhya regions.
In the 2013 elections - when the BJP won a total 165 seats - it swept 28, or 80%, of the 35 SC seats. The Congress managed to win only four, followed by the Bahujan Samaj Party, which won three. In 2018, however, the BJP won only 18 of the 35 reserved seats, while the Congress' share more than quadrupled to 17.
When PM Modi travels to Madhya Pradesh for the foundation-laying ceremony, it will be his fifth visit to the poll-bound state in as many months.
The Sagar district in Bundelkhand, where the foundation ceremony of the temple will be held, has a Dalit population of 20-25%. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is also expected to address a mega rally in the district a day after the foundation stone is laid.
Organised by Madhya Pradesh government's Jan Abhiyan Parishad, the yatra will collect soil from 55,000 villages of the state, which will be used in the foundation and construction of the grand temple.
The yatra had been announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in February and chariots used for it will have the saint's photo, paduka (footwear) and kalash (pitcher). Slogans of social harmony will also be painted on the chariots' walls.
The Rs 100-crore Sant Ravidas Temple and Art Museum in Badtuma will have plaques with the saint's teachings and messages. The complex will also house a library.