Sangh push: RSS emerges from shadows to lead unprecedented Hindutva mobilisation campaign for BJP
Telegraph | 20 April 2026
As Narendra Modi and Amit Shah grab the headlines with their high-decibel election speeches, the RSS has been quietly engaged in a grassroots campaign towards a Hindu consolidation ahead of the Bengal Assembly polls.
The BJP’s ideological fountainhead, which has for long publicly dissociated itself from the political activities of the party and had largely remained dormant in the 2021 Assembly polls, has activated its affiliates to penetrate every social layer among the Hindus, and dozens of Hindu social and religious outfits have been mobilised in the project to paint the electoral contest as a “battle for existence”.
Hundreds of volunteers — swayamsevaks, other activists and monks — have been trying to drive home a single, urgent message: This election is the last chance to safeguard the future of Bengal’s Hindus.
“Unlike Trinamool’s paid poll strategist, I-PAC, we are working through our volunteers to awaken Hindus and make them aware of the role they should play this election,” a top RSS leader in Bengal said.
“They are reaching out to every family, maintaining connections over the phone and reminding them that a change of government alone can protect the Hindus of Bengal.”
Saffron activists have held 1.75 lakh “voter awareness” meetings across roughly 250 of the state’s 294 constituencies, pushing the Hindutva ideology in a state with a largely inclusive and pluralist socio-political ethos and also involving itself with unusual vigour in a political bid for power.
Senior RSS leaders said the Sangh Parivar, which has 35 affiliated bodies, has been just a small part of the larger programme aimed at reaching every Hindu household.
“The RSS is playing a minor role in the broader movement to uproot the corrupt Bengal government. Religious and social organisations are participating actively,” said Jisnu Basu, the Sangh’s Purba Kshetra Prachar Pramukh.
However, a phalanx of 14 Sangh-affiliated organisations, ranging from student arm ABVP to labour wing Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, has thrown itself behind the initiative. In the border districts, the Seemanta Chetana Mancha is curating the campaign, ensuring that the narrative of national security stays in the foreground.
For the purpose of the grassroots drive, the Sangh has divided Bengal into three strategic zones: north, central and south. The RSS holds at least 4,300 shakhas across the state, in contrast with just 530-odd around 15 years ago, the most visible marker of the change being the bellicose Ram Navami celebrations of recent years.
Small is smart
The saffron poll initiative relies on the so-called “jagaran” (awakening) of Hindus. Instead of public rallies, the organisers focus on small gatherings at homes, tea stalls and temple courtyards. When a message arrives through the neighbours rather than directly from politicians, it feels like a shared recognition.
A source said two developments were driving the intensified outreach.
First, the Bengal elections have coincided with the Sangh’s centenary celebrations. During this period, thousands of swayamsevaks have reached out to people across the state.
Many volunteers who had become inactive have been reactivated. They have been visiting households with messages that are not directly political but aim to promote “Indian cultural values” and a Hindutva-oriented lifestyle.
“This has built a direct connection with lakhs of voters in Bengal. The swayamsevaks have collected contact numbers and are maintaining regular communication,” an RSS leader said.
“In many areas, small social media groups have been formed to highlight what they describe as the ‘high-handedness’ of Muslims on Mamata Banerjee’s watch, while sending out a quiet message about the duties of Hindus in Bengal.”
Second, and more important, nearly 38 ashrams and several Hindu social and religious organisations have joined hands with the RSS in the run-up to this Bengal election.
They have not only intensified their ground-level activities but mobilised hundreds of monks, spiritual leaders and activists into the project of polarising Hindu voters.
“In 2024, the polarisation in Bengal was the second largest after Gujarat,” an RSS source said, flagging the political turmoil and attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.
Saffron outfits have organised thousands of “Hindu conferences” in Bengal since early 2026, highlighting the Panch Parivartan (Five Changes) framework: Samajik Samarasata (social harmony), Kutumb Prabodhan (strengthening family values), Paryavaran Suraksha (environmental protection), Swadeshi Swabhiman (national self-reliance), and Nagrik Kartavya (civic duty).
“You cannot imagine... four large Hindutva organisations are working with us, each with vast networks across the country,” an RSS source said.
Morning-vote push
Asked whether these activists were directly asking people to vote for the BJP, sources said they were not. Instead, they were promoting three “mantras” that could influence the electoral outcome.
“If the weather worsens, they may not go at all. In some cases, false voting is reported before they reach the booths. If all Hindus vote early in the morning, such issues can be avoided,” the source said.
“Given the level of Hindu consolidation this time, if they avoid Nota, they are likely to vote for the BJP. In many seats, Nota votes exceed the victory margin. So this campaign could benefit us significantly,” he said.
The RSS has also stepped in to help the BJP avoid the sort of organisational friction that had blighted its 2021 campaign. At many a samanway baithak (coordination meeting), the Sangh has played a proactive role in bridging the divide between the “original” BJP leaders and the newer arrivals like Suvendu Adhikari.
In the northern districts, the effort has been the most granular. Following RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to Siliguri, where he galvanised some 7,500 youths, the organisation has been involved heavily in community engagement in the tea estates and tribal belts.
There, the focus has been on long-term social work — education and local interventions — designed to cement the BJP’s influence.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been targeting the RSS directly, warning voters against its activists.
This election seems to be shaping up as a contest between Trinamool’s welfare-driven, secular-liberal machine and the saffron ecosystem’s silent polarising drive.
The high-voltage rhetoric at the politicians’ rallies may dominate the headlines, but the outcome could well hinge on the success of the Sangh’s innumerable small, quiet meetings with voters and its push for a consolidated, early morning “Hindu vote”.