Page 2 - Gujarat Assembly

Campaigning ends for Gujarat Assembly polls' second phase; voting on Dec 5

The high-voltage campaigning for the second and final phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections ended at 5 pm on Saturday. As many as 833 candidates are in the fray across 93 constituencies which will go to polls on December 5. Votes will be counted on December 8. Prominent candidates in the second phase include Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from Ghatlodia, Patidar leader Hardik Patel from Viramgam and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South. Both Hardik Patel and Thakor are contesting on BJP ticket. The first phase of voting for 89 seats in Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat was held on December 1 with average turnout of 63.31 per cent, lower than the last time. The main contenders in the elections are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The 93 constituencies where polling will be held on Monday are spread across 14 districts of north and central Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Gandhinagar. There are

LIVE: Court acquits Umar Khalid in Delhi riots case, to stay in custody

Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey confirmed that Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi were discharged in the matter by the court of Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala

BJP, Cong leaders claim to 'form' govt in Gujarat after 1st phase poll

A day after the first phase of voting in Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat region ended, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the BJP was retaining power

Gujarat Assembly elections 2022: BJP's prestige battle to defend its turf

Not just as the home state of PM Narendra Modi, but also as a major producing and exporting state known for its trade and enterprise, Gujarat holds a special place for all political parties

Gujarat Assembly polls phase-1 end: 59.2% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

An average voter turnout of 34.65 per cent wass recorded till 1 pm on Thursday in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections underway in 89 seats across 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and southern regions, the Election Commission said. Voting began at 8 am and 33 ballot units, 29 control units and 69 voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) were replaced in the first three hours of polling at different stations due to malfunctioning, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said. As many as 26,269 ballot units, 25,430 control units and 25,430 VVPATs were being used in polling stations across the 19 districts where voting was being held in the first phase to decide the fate of 788 candidates. Even as voting was underway in parts of the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed rallies at Kalol in Panchmahal and Chhota Udepur, where the elections will be held in the second phase on December 5. Out of the 19 districts where polling was underway on Thursda

All set for 1st phase of Gujarat polls in 89 seats; 788 candidates in fray

Voting will be held on Thursday for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in 89 seats spread across 19 districts in Saurashtra-Kutch and southern parts of the state where 788 candidates are in the fray. Campaigning for the first phase of the elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state ended at 5 pm on Tuesday. Voting will be held between 8 am and 5 pm on Thursday across 14,382 polling stations, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said in a release. Out of the 89 seats going to polls in the first phase, the BJP won 48 in the 2017 election, the Congress had won 40, while one seat was bagged by an independent candidate. Apart from the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 36 other political outfits, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) have also fielded candidates in various seats which will go to polls in the first phase. The BJP and Congress

Gujarat elections: Here's a comparative analysis of crorepati candidates

The average assets per candidate contesting the Gujarat Assembly elections in Phase I is Rs 2.88 crore

Gujarat Assembly elections: Of development, inflation, and rebellion

As 89 Gujarat Assembly seats go to the polls later this week, Radhika Ramaseshan travels to Saurashtra to gauge what voters are thinking

Gujarat assembly polls: Modi, Kejriwal to address rallies in Surat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will address campaign rallies on Sunday in Gujarat's 'diamond city' Surat, which sends 12 MLAs to the state's 182-member Assembly. Voting will be held in Surat in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections on December 1. Modi will address a public meeting at Mota Varachha in Surat after a 25-km road-show from the airport to the rally venue, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagdish Patel said on Saturday. The PM is also scheduled to address rallies at Netrang in Bharuch district and Mehmedabad in Kheda district. Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal will be on a two-day tour of Surat, which for long has remained a stronghold of the BJP with the support of its textile and diamond industry and lakhs people associated with the sectors. He will hold townhall meetings with textile industry leaders as well as gem artisans, and address a public meeting at Yogi Chowk. Kejriwal will also hold a

I hope Gujarat witnesses record turnout in assembly polls: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he hoped that Gujarat will witness a record voter turnout in the upcoming state polls, particularly among the youth and first-time voters. Modi's remarks came after Jam Saheb Shatrushalya Singhji, scion of the Jamnagar royal family, cast his vote at his residence in the presence of the deputy collector and other election officials on Monday. Tagging a tweet by the Press Information Bureau in Gujarat, Modi said, "I commend Jam Saheb Shri Shatrusalyasinhji for this remarkable passion towards the festival of democracy." "Inspired by him, I hope Gujarat witnesses a record turnout, particularly among young and first time voters," the prime minister said. In its tweet posted on Monday, the PIB in Gujarat had said, "Jam Saheb Namdar Maharaja Shatrushalya Singhji of Jamnagar cast his vote today at his residence in the presence of the Deputy Collector and other election officials." "On this occasion, Jam Saheb appealed to the citizens of Gujar

Gujarat Assembly polls: 7 MLAs who won for 5 times or more again in fray

At least seven legislators who have won the Gujarat Assembly elections for five or more times are seeking a term again in the state polls scheduled next month. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reposed faith in five of the leaders by fielding them for yet another term, while one has sought to contest as an independent. These five candidates fielded by the BJP are Yogesh Patel (Manjalpur seat), Pabubha Manek (Dwarka), Keshu Nakrani (Gariadhar), Purshottam Solanki (Bhavnagar rural) and Pankaj Desai (Nadiad). Apart from them, Bharatiya Tribal Party's (BTP) founder Chhotu Vasava and Madhu Shrivastav, who has been denied ticket by the BJP, are contesting as independent candidates. These leaders have been able to establish a rapport with party workers and supporters over decades. The caste equations also favour them, but more than that, it is their personal leadership qualities that stand them in good stead, political analysts say. Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly

Gujarat polls: 788 candidates in fray for 89 seats in first phase on Dec 1

A total of 788 candidates, including 70 women, remain in the fray for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly polls for 89 seats on December 1 after the culmination of process of scrutiny of nomination papers and withdrawal of candidature, officials said on Friday. These include candidates from 39 parties and 339 independents, a release from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Gujarat informed. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress have fielded their candidates on all the 89 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party will fight on 88 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party on 57 and All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on six Assembly segments. In all 1,362 candidates had filed their papers for the 89 seats, which went down to 999 after scrutiny on November 15, and dipped further to 788 on November 17, which was the last date to withdraw nominations. The Election Commission has so far received 1,515 nomination papers for the 93 seats that

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Nadda, union ministers, CMs to address 89 BJP rallies in Gujarat on Friday

Senior BJP leaders, including its national president J P Nadda besides Union ministers and chief ministers, are expected to address public meetings on Friday in the 89 Gujarat assembly constituencies going to the polls in the first phase of elections on December 1. With the BJP intensifying its campaign, party sources said Nadda will hold rallies in three places -- Navsari, Ankleshwar and Rajkot East -- while Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar and Anurag Singh Thakur will speak at three, four and four meetings, respectively. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan will address three and four rallies, respectively. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union ministers V K Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste are among other party leaders who will be addressing rallies, they said. Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat are the regions going to the polls in the first phase while 93 seats in north a

Gujarat Assembly polls: PM Modi to hold road show in Vapi on Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders are expected to hold several road shows and public rallies in Gujarat as the party looks to rev up its election campaign to retain power in the state. Modi is likely to hold a road show in Vapi in Gujarat on November 19 and other senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will also spearhead the mass contact programme in different parts of the state, party leaders said. After arriving in his home state on November 19, the prime minister is expected to hold public meetings across the state in the next two days. Shah, who has been frequently camping in the state to give final touches to the party's poll strategy and campaign, may hold over 30 public meetings for the elections scheduled for December 1 and 5, party sources said. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari will also campaign intensively, they said. The BJP has won assembly polls in the state for six consecutive times since 1995 and is pulling o

Gujarat assembly polls: AAP's Surat East candidate withdraws nomination

The Aam Aadmi Party's Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party pressured him to do so. The BJP, however, denied the charge and asked the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP to "take care of its own house". Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate Kanchan Jariwala appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by "BJP goons" to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party. When mediapersons questioned Jariwala, he was hurriedly whisked away by the persons surrounding him. Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons who put pressure on him to stay away from the ...

If BJP wins majority, Bhupendra Patel will be CM of Gujarat again: Shah

Bhupendra Patel will remain the chief minister of Gujarat if BJP secures a majority in the next month's Assembly elections, senior party leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. Shah's statement makes it clear that Patel is the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP, which is eyeing the seventh consecutive term in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. "If BJP gets a majority in Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel will be the next chief minister," Shah told CNN-News18 here. Patel replaced Vijay Rupani as the chief minister in September 2021, a move that surprised many. He is the first-time MLA from the Ghatlodia constituency. He is renominated from the same seat. Earlier, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party had declared party leader Isudan Gadhvi as the chief ministerial candidate after conducting a "public survey". Congress has decided not to declare the CM face for the elections. Voting for the total of 182 seats in Gujarat will be held in two phases on

Guj polls: Congress promises jobs, electricity, LPG, unemployment allowance

Ten lakh jobs in government and semi-government departments, free medical treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh, LPG cylinder at Rs 500 and 300 units of free electricity every month are some of the key promises that the Congress made in its manifesto for the Gujarat elections. In the manifesto released on Saturday, the grand old party, which has been out of power in the state for more than two decades, also promised unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month, Rs 2,000 pension to divyangs, widows, senior citizens and needy women, and waiver of loans of up to Rs 3 lakh of all fishermen, among other things. Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress's senior observer for Gujarat polls Ashok Gehlot released the manifesto at the state party headquarters here in the presence of other party leaders. Elections to the 182-member Assembly in Gujarat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently in power, will be held in two phases - on December 1 and 5 - and the counting of votes will be taken up

Guj polls: BJP candidates list out, Jadeja's wife to contest from Jamnagar

Former Congress leader Hardik Patel, who quit the party and joined the BJP, will contest the elections from the Viramgam constituency

BJP CEC discusses on 182 Gujarat seats, 1st candidates' list likely today

According to sources, in the marathon meetings held on Wednesday, it has been decided not to give party tickets to several other veteran leaders and induct young party leaders.