Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, accompanied by members of his cabinet, performed Ganga Puja and Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar on Monday to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi completing 25 years as a head of government. The ceremony was organised to commemorate the milestone, which traces back to October 7, 2001, when Modi took oath as the chief minister of Gujarat. The religious observance brought the state’s chief minister and cabinet members together at one of Uttarakhand’s most prominent pilgrimage sites to mark the occasion. The event highlighted the intersection of religious observances and political commemorations, with the Ganga Aarti serving as the central feature of the programme.

Har Ki Pauri, situated on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar, is among the most recognised religious landmarks in Uttarakhand. The ghat attracts pilgrims and visitors throughout the year, with the evening Ganga Aarti drawing large gatherings for prayers and offerings to the river. Ganga Puja and Aarti are traditional Hindu religious observances in which devotees offer prayers and light lamps as part of their worship. The ceremony is particularly significant in Haridwar, a city regarded as an important destination for Hindu pilgrimage. By choosing Har Ki Pauri for the event, Dhami and his cabinet marked the political milestone through a religious ceremony at a site closely associated with the spiritual traditions of the Ganga.

Modi began his tenure as a head of government on October 7, 2001, when he was sworn in as Gujarat chief minister. He subsequently served as the state’s chief minister before becoming India’s prime minister in May 2014. His transition from state leadership to the country’s highest elected executive office marked a significant change in his political career. Since taking office as prime minister, Modi has led the Union government through multiple national elections and successive terms. The 25-year milestone therefore encompasses his tenure in both state and national executive leadership, rather than 25 years as prime minister alone. The anniversary has drawn attention to the length of his service in executive office and the different phases of his political career.

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Dhami’s participation in the ceremony also placed the event within the political context of Uttarakhand, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governs the state. The chief minister and his cabinet members took part in the prayers and Aarti as part of the commemoration. Such public observances provide political leaders with an opportunity to mark significant occasions while participating in religious traditions that hold importance for many residents and pilgrims. However, the available information did not specify whether the programme included additional official announcements, speeches or public events beyond the religious ceremony. Details about the number of attendees and the complete schedule of the programme were also not immediately available.

The event took place in Haridwar, a major pilgrimage centre where the Ganga holds deep religious and cultural significance. Har Ki Pauri is widely associated with ritual bathing, prayers and religious gatherings, particularly during major Hindu festivals and pilgrimage periods. The Ganga Aarti is one of the site’s most prominent daily observances, drawing devotees who gather to offer prayers and witness the ritual involving lamps, chants and devotional ceremonies. The location has also hosted visits by political leaders and public figures attending religious events. In this instance, the ceremony linked the spiritual traditions of Haridwar with the commemoration of Modi’s milestone in public office, as Dhami and members of his cabinet participated in the observance.

Modi’s completion of 25 years as a head of government marks a milestone in his political career, beginning with his appointment as Gujarat chief minister in 2001 and continuing with his tenure as prime minister from 2014. Dhami’s decision to mark the occasion through Ganga Puja and Aarti reflected the state government’s participation in the commemoration. The ceremony concluded the reported programme at Har Ki Pauri, although further details about other events planned to mark the anniversary were not provided. The milestone offers a point of reference for examining Modi’s years in executive leadership at both the state and national levels, while Monday’s observance brought the anniversary into the religious setting of one of Uttarakhand’s best-known pilgrimage destinations.

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