Led by Lt Karan Nagyal, the 144-member Indian Navy’s marching contingent was adjudged the Best Marching Contingent among the three Services at the recently held 77th Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path. The Delhi Police contingent secured the top honour among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other auxiliary forces.
The Ministry of Defence announced the results of the Best Marching Contingents from the three Services and the Central Armed Police Forces/Other Auxiliary Forces and Best Tableaux from States/Union Territories & Ministries/Departments for Republic Day Parade 2026. The three panels of judges constituted for assessing the performance of the contingents and tableaux chose the winners.
In the tableaux category from States and union Territories, Maharashtra clinched first place with its vibrant presentation on “Ganeshotsav: A Symbol of Aatmanirbharta.” Jammu & Kashmir secured the second spot for its depiction of Handicrafts and Folk Dances of Jammu & Kashmir, while Kerala stood third with its theme “Water Metro & 100% Digital Literacy: Aatmanirbhar Kerala for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
Among Central Ministries and Departments, the Ministry of Culture won the award for Best Tableau for its presentation titled “Vande Mataram – The Soul Cry of a Nation.”
Special prizes were awarded to the Central Public Works Department for “Vande Mataram – Commemoration of 150 Years” and the dance group presentation “Vande Mataram: The Eternal Resonance of India.”
Meanwhile, the results of the ‘Popular Choice’ category, based on an online poll conducted on the MyGov portal, were also declared. In this segment, the Assam Regiment was voted the Best Marching Contingent among the three Services, while the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) topped the category among CAPFs and other auxiliary forces.
For the Popular Choice tableaux from States and union Territories, Gujarat won first place with “Mantra of Swadeshi – Self-Reliance – Freedom: Vande Mataram,” followed by Uttar Pradesh for “Culture of Bundelkhand,” and Rajasthan for “Golden Touch of the Desert: Bikaner Gold Art (Usta Art).”
The Department of School Education & Literacy was chosen as the Best Tableau among Central Ministries and Departments in the Popular Choice category for its theme “National Education Policy 2020: Rocketing Indian School Education on the Path to Viksit Bharat.”