Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Defence and relevant governments, all states and union territories will have an equal opportunity to present their tableaux during the Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path over the next three years. Senior government officials disclosed this information on Wednesday, also mentioning that the upcoming Republic Day parade will feature marching contingents with up to 75% women from the three defence services and other uniformed forces.
Amid criticism from states with opposition parties in power, such as Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (Congress) and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann (Aam Aadmi Party), regarding the rejection of their tableaux, officials clarified the new selection process. The officials highlighted that the selection of tableaux for this year’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26 was transparent and consultative, with 16 states and union territories chosen after a consultative process led by defence secretary Giridhar Aramane.
The MoU, signed by 28 states, including Karnataka, outlines a three-year plan for rotating the display of tableaux during Republic Day parades. This year, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Ladakh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, and Telangana will showcase their tableaux. Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Goa, Assam, and Uttarakhand will participate in Bharat Parv at Red Fort from January 23 to 31.
An expert committee, including artists recommended by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, was formed to select the tableaux. The three-year plan for the 2024-2026 Republic Day parades is currently in the drafting stage, with comments sought from the states on the draft MoU. Officials assured that the new three-year program would provide advance notice to all states about the selected tableaux, offering omitted tableaux from this year preference for display over the next two years.
Furthermore, officials mentioned that 30 agencies, selected through an open process, will be responsible for the design and fabrication of tableaux. To promote ‘Nari Shakti,’ a significant number of marching contingent participants will be women, even though the military has fewer women personnel overall. Up to 75% of the participants in the marching contingents during the Republic Day parade this year will be women.
