CM Samrat Choudhary flags off Ekta Diwas train to Statue of Unity
Synopsis
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary flagged off the Patliputra–Ekta Nagar Special Train on Ekta Diwas, carrying 1,100 participants from the state's 22 Naxal-free districts to Gujarat's Statue of Unity — linking local development gains with a national unity celebration.
Key Takeaways
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary flagged off the Patliputra–Ekta Nagar Special Train on 29 October 2026 .
The train carries 1,100 participants drawn from 22 Naxal-free districts of Bihar.
Destination is Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Gujarat , home to the Statue of Unity — the world's tallest statue at 182 metres.
The visit is timed for Ekta Diwas on 31 October , Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary.
Bihar's initiative is part of a national pattern of state governments organising Ekta Diwas tours to the Statue of Unity, with a specific focus on districts that have achieved Naxal-free status.
A special train carrying 1,100 participants from Bihar's 22 Naxal-free districts rolled out of Patna on Thursday, 29 October 2026, as Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary waved the green flag to mark Ekta Diwas — the national unity observance held in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Patliputra–Ekta Nagar Special Train is headed for Kevadia, Gujarat, home to the world's tallest statue.
A Naxal-free Bihar boards a unity express
The symbolism is deliberate and layered. The 1,100 participants are drawn exclusively from districts that Bihar has officially declared Naxal-free — communities whose recent history was defined by insurgent violence and administrative neglect. Sending them to the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar is a statement about how far those districts have travelled: from conflict zones to citizens boarding a special government train to a national heritage site.
The Statue of Unity, inaugurated in 2018, stands at 182 metres on the banks of the Narmada river in Gujarat's Kevadia colony — now rechristened Ekta Nagar, or 'City of Unity'. It is the centrepiece of India's annual Ekta Diwas commemoration on 31 October, Sardar Patel's birth anniversary.
Ekta Diwas and the Patel legacy
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, is credited with the political integration of over 560 princely states into the Indian Union after independence in 1947. Ekta Diwas — Rashtriya Ekta Diwas — was established as an annual national observance to mark his birth anniversary and reinforce the idea of a unified India. The Statue of Unity at Kevadia has since become the pilgrimage point for these commemorations, drawing state governments and delegations from across the country every year.
Bihar's initiative fits a broader pattern in which state administrations organise special trains and curated tours to Ekta Nagar around 31 October — using the journey itself as civic education. Targeting Naxal-free districts specifically adds a development-dividend dimension: participants from areas once considered ungovernable are now part of a state-sponsored programme visiting a monument to national cohesion.
What awaits the delegation at Kevadia
The participants are expected to attend Ekta Diwas events at Ekta Nagar on 31 October, which typically include a unity pledge run, cultural programmes, and guided visits to the Statue of Unity complex. State authorities are likely to use the occasion to highlight Bihar's progress in eliminating Left-Wing Extremism — a milestone that national security planners have long tracked as a benchmark of governance in the region.
For the Chief Minister's Office of Bihar, the image of a packed train departing Patna — carrying residents of formerly Naxal-affected districts toward a monument built to celebrate India's integration — is a powerful political and administrative signal. Unity, it suggests, is not just a date on the calendar.
Point of View
The optics reinforce a governance narrative: that the state's development gains are real and lived, not bureaucratic. At a national level, it also sustains the momentum of the Statue of Unity as a soft-power institution — one that draws civic pilgrimages from state governments eager to associate themselves with Patel's integrationist legacy. Watch whether Bihar expands the programme in subsequent years as a metric of how many more districts achieve Naxal-free certification.
NationPress
29 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ekta Diwas and why is it celebrated on 31 October?
Ekta Diwas , or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day), is celebrated every year on 31 October to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister who unified over 560 princely states into the Indian Union after independence.
Where is Ekta Nagar and what is the Statue of Unity?
Ekta Nagar (formerly Kevadia) is a town in Gujarat on the banks of the Narmada river. The Statue of Unity , inaugurated in 2018, is a 182-metre tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and is the world's tallest statue.
Who flagged off the Patliputra–Ekta Nagar Special Train in 2026?
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary flagged off the Patliputra–Ekta Nagar Special Train on 29 October 2026 as part of Ekta Diwas celebrations.
Why were participants chosen from Naxal-free districts of Bihar?
The initiative targets residents of Bihar's 22 Naxal-free districts to link the state's internal security gains with national heritage exposure — symbolically connecting communities that have emerged from Left-Wing Extremism with a monument celebrating India's unity.
How many people are travelling on the Bihar Ekta Diwas special train?
A total of 1,100 participants from Bihar's Naxal-free districts are travelling on the Patliputra–Ekta Nagar Special Train to attend Ekta Diwas events at Kevadia, Gujarat.
