During the Independence Week celebrations from August 9-17, Har Ghar Tiranga and Tiranga Yatra programmes will be organised by the state government. (Express Photo)NEARLY THREE months after the BJP was defeated by the Congress in Khadia in the April 26 municipal corporation elections, the saffron party-led Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has decided to hold a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in the central region of the city on August 11.The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Mayor Hitesh Barot and attended by Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani, Standing Committee Chairman Kamlesh Patel, corporators and senior officials of the concerned departments on Thursday.“Under the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Tiranga Yatra will be organised in Ahmedabad on August 11. The Tiranga Yatra will be organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation at Khadia, the central zone of Ahmedabad – from Raipur Darwaza to Salangpur – which will be attended by dignitaries of the city and the region,” Kamlesh Patel said.The BJP won 160 of 192 seats in Ahmedabad corporation in the civic polls, but lost its home turf Khadia. The Congress slightly improved its tally from 28 in 2021 to 32 in the elections.In Khadia, Congress candidates Meena Nayak, Birjuben Thakkar, Dhruv Kalapi and Ilyaskhan Pathan defeated BJP candidates, including a sitting corporator in the elections.Before that, the saffron party had never lost an election in Khadia since 1972, when it had fought as the Jana Sangh.BJP leaders blamed the “historic loss” in Khadia to the “changed demography” and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The saffron party, sources said, now wants to reconnect with voters through the tricolour campaign.Story continues below this adKhadia’s saffron connectAT Golwad Pol in Khadia, a two-storeyed, plain-looking building stands with an earthen lamp and a lotus mounted on either side of its walls. This is where the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee-founded Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) — that would later become Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — took root in Gujarat in the 1970s. While the earthen lamp was the BJS’s symbol, the BJP later adopted the lotus.The building, where the BJS had set up its office in the early 1970s, was later turned into a BJP office.It was from this office that the BJP chose Jayendra Pandit as its first mayor and Harin Pathak as the chairman of the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service when the party first won the AMC elections way back in 1987.BJP’s Ashok Bhatt held Khadia assembly seat for eight terms consecutively from 1975 and went on to become a minister in the Keshubhai Patel and Modi governments and speaker of the assembly. Harin Pathak was made a minister in the Vajpayee led government at the Centre and won the Ahmedabad Lok Sabha seat – Khadia is a part of the constituency.Story continues below this adThe office remained active till late 1980s. Converted into a library, the former BJS headquarters is now called Vasant Smruti Vanchnalay.Tiranga Yatra events in cityAMC officials said that over 10,000 people will participate in the Tiranga Yatra in the city on August 11. Various platoons of the police department, State Reserve Police (SRP), police band, fire personnel, children of various schools, athletes, and leaders of various organisations will participate in the yatra. Apart from this, tableaux on various themes will be displayed.Under the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, the national flag will be hoisted at all government offices, schools, colleges, residential societies, commercial units, hotels and restaurants in the city, the AMC said. The campaign will be broadcast live on the social media platforms of the AMC, officials said.During the Independence Week celebrations from August 9-17, Har Ghar Tiranga and Tiranga Yatra programmes will be organised by the state government, officials said.Ritu Sharma is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express' Gujarat bureau, an editorial position that reflects her experience and Authority in regional journalism. With over a decade of concentrated reporting experience, she is a highly Trustworthy and specialized journalist, especially noted for her Expertise in the education sector across Gujarat and previously Chandigarh. Expertise Primary Authority (Education): With over ten years of dedicated reporting on education in both Gujarat and Chandigarh, Ritu Sharma is a foremost authority on educational policy, institutional governance, and ground realities from "KG to PG." Her coverage includes: Higher Education: In-depth scrutiny of top institutions like IIM-Ahmedabad (controversies over demolition/restoration of heritage architecture), IIT-Bombay (caste discrimination issues), and new initiatives like international branch campuses in GIFT City. Schooling & Policy: Detailed coverage of government schemes (Gyan Sadhana School Voucher Scheme), the implementation and impact of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, teacher recruitment issues, and the impact of national policies like the NEP. Student Welfare: Reporting on critical issues such as suicide allegations due to caste discrimination, and the challenges faced by students (e.g., non-delivery of NAMO tablets). ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:Bharatiya Janata PartyGujarat