R-Day: Akhilesh Yadav unfurls national flag in Lucknow

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 26 (ANI): Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday unfurled the national flag on the occasion of the 77th Republic Day.
Earlier, in a post on X, Yadav described the day as unique, noting that both the date and year mark 26. "This is a unique Republic Day in the history of independent India, when the date is also 26 and the year is also 26. That is why, special greetings and best wishes for this special Republic Day! Let us, on this special Republic Day, take a special resolve to protect the republic of our country, its foundation democracy, and its base 'Constitution'," he said.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath also paid tribute to the Tricolour after he unfurled the National Flag at his residence in Lucknow, and highlighted the "Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat" resolve and Constitutions's role in building the India we are witnessing today.
Speaking at the event, CM Yogi extended greetings, recalling the events of 1950 that led to the Constitution's formal adoption on January 26. "On the occasion of the 77th RepublicDay, I extend heartiest greetings to all the people of the state. On this day in 1950, India's Constitution came into effect. In this journey of 76 years, our Constitution witnessed a lot of ups and downs. But despite all of these, in line with our resolve of Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat, from north to south and from east to west, taking forward every Indian's pride, India's unity and integrity, today we are all witnessing a new India. Our Constitution plays a major role towards this", he said.
Republic Day, observed annually on January 26, marks the day India adopted its Constitution in 1950, officially becoming a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. The day holds immense historical significance as it represents the culmination of India's long struggle for independence and the establishment of constitutional governance based on justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. Celebrations of the 77th Republic Day at the Kartvya Path are based on the theme of the 150th Anniversary of the national song, Vande Mataram, a timeless mantra that awakened the spirit of Swadeshi, self-reliance, and freedom in India's national consciousness.
This year, Kartavya Path, stretching from Rashtrapati Bhawan to the National War Memorial, has been elaborately decorated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the national song (November 7, 2025) as a year-long commemoration. (ANI)