CM Patel, Amit Shah Plant Trees Under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam'
Synopsis
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in a tree plantation drive in Ahmedabad's Sarkhej ward on 12 July 2026 under the national 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, linking local constituency outreach with the central government's afforestation push.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister Amit Shah jointly participated in a tree plantation drive on 12 July 2026 .
The event was held in the Sarkhej ward of the Vejalpur Assembly constituency in Ahmedabad .
The drive was part of the national Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam ('One Tree in Mother's Name') campaign, launched in 2024 .
Gujarat has conducted Van Mahotsav plantation programmes since the 1950s , reflecting a long-standing state afforestation tradition.
The event continues a pattern of senior BJP leaders combining national environmental campaigns with local urban constituency outreach in Ahmedabad .
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel joined Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 12 July 2026, for a tree plantation drive in the Sarkhej ward of the Vejalpur Assembly constituency in Ahmedabad, participating in the national Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam ('One Tree in Mother's Name') campaign.
Patel shared the event on X, writing in Gujarati: 'Prakrutima j Sanskriti' ('Culture lives in nature'), noting his participation alongside Amit Shah in the plantation drive under the hashtag #एक_पेड़_माँ_के_नाम. The post was accompanied by four images from the event.
Context
The Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign is a national afforestation initiative launched in 2024 by the central government, encouraging citizens to plant a sapling and dedicate it to their mothers as a symbol of environmental and emotional commitment. The campaign has since been adopted across states during the monsoon season, which is considered optimal for tree survival.
The Sarkhej ward falls within the Vejalpur Vidhan Sabha constituency in Ahmedabad district, an urban area that has seen significant residential and commercial expansion in recent years.
Policy Backdrop
Gujarat has conducted annual Van Mahotsav tree plantation programmes since the 1950s, making afforestation a long-standing pillar of state forest policy. The integration of a national campaign like Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam into this tradition reflects an effort to align state and central environmental messaging during the monsoon planting window.
Joint public outreach events featuring the Gujarat Chief Minister and Union ministers in Ahmedabad constituencies have been a recurring feature since the 1990s, combining policy visibility with local constituency engagement.
Stakeholders and Impact
Urban residents and environmental volunteers in Ahmedabad are the primary stakeholders of such drives, which aim to expand green cover in a city undergoing rapid urbanisation. Plantation events led by senior political figures are intended to encourage broader public participation and lend institutional weight to the campaign.
The presence of both a state chief minister and a senior Union cabinet minister at a ward-level event signals the political priority attached to the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam drive ahead of the 2026 monsoon season.
What's Next
Attention will now turn to the targets and outcomes reported by the Gujarat Forest Department for the 2026 monsoon plantation season, as well as any municipal announcements on urban forestry expansion in Ahmedabad. The scale of participation across the state's constituencies will be a measure of how effectively the national campaign has been localised.
Point of View
Reinforcing BJP's dual presence at the centre and state simultaneously. The choice of Vejalpur-Sarkhej — an urban Ahmedabad seat — underlines how environmental messaging is being used to maintain visibility in constituencies that matter electorally. The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign, with its emotive framing around motherhood, offers the BJP a politically neutral entry point into community engagement that transcends the usual policy debate. Tracking whether plantation targets translate into verified green cover will be the real test of whether these drives move beyond symbolism.
NationPress
12 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign?
'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('One Tree in Mother's Name') is a national tree plantation campaign launched by the central government in 2024, encouraging citizens to plant a sapling and dedicate it to their mothers as an act of environmental commitment.
Where did CM Bhupendra Patel and Amit Shah plant trees?
The plantation drive took place in the Sarkhej ward of the Vejalpur Assembly constituency in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 12 July 2026.
Why is Amit Shah involved in a Gujarat tree plantation event?
Amit Shah, as Union Home and Cooperation Minister and a senior BJP figure with deep roots in Gujarat politics, regularly participates in public outreach events in Ahmedabad constituencies alongside the Gujarat Chief Minister.
What is Van Mahotsav and how does it relate to this event?
Van Mahotsav is Gujarat's annual tree plantation programme running since the 1950s. The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' drive builds on this tradition by adding a national campaign framework to the state's existing monsoon-season afforestation efforts.
What is Vejalpur constituency?
Vejalpur is an Assembly constituency in Ahmedabad district, Gujarat, encompassing urban wards including Sarkhej, and is part of the city's expanding residential and commercial belt.
