Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Statue of Unity and offered floral tributes on Saturday, October 31, 2026, calling Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the 'architect of Akhand Bharat' and the 'Iron Man' of the nation.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid homage and flagged off the 'Run for Unity' in New Delhi, telling participants that Patel united the country 'in 1,218 days.'
- President Droupadi Murmu and Vice‑President C.P. Radhakrishnan also offered floral tributes at Sardar Patel Chowk in New Delhi, with senior ministers and state leaders present.
- State administrations carried out formal observances and instructions, with Uttarakhand directing districts and departments to hold pledges, marches and runs and to submit consolidated reports to state authorities.
- Political parties from the BJP to the Congress publicly praised Patel's role in post‑1947 integration, repeatedly citing his work bringing over 550 princely states into the Indian Union and using his legacy to frame messages about national unity and governance.