Page 12 - Gujarat Elections

Will win Gujarat polls, AAP only in air, nothing on ground: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday exuded confidence that his party will win the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections, contending that there is "massive" anti-incumbency against the BJP while the Aam Aadmi Party has created a buzz in the state purely based on advertisements and has no support on the ground. Addressing a press conference here during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said the march is ''not a magic wand'' but a good first step to connect with people. He ruled out any alliance with the TRS, saying it is "diametrically opposite" to what the Congress stands for. Gandhi dismissed the challenge posed by AAP in Gujarat and said the Congress has a solid base in the state. "Congress is fighting the Gujarat elections effectively and the Congress will win the polls. AAP is only in the air. It has nothing on the ground," he told reporters here to questions on his party's prospects in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state. "There is massive anti-incumbency. The media has cre

Ahead of polls, Gujarat govt decides to form committee to implement UCC

Ahead of the Assembly polls in Gujarat to be held by the year-end, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state on Saturday decided to set up a committee to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi said the state cabinet cleared a proposal to constitute the committee during its meeting held on Saturday. This is considered the last meeting of the Bhupendra Patel-led cabinet as the schedule for the state elections is expected to be announced next week. "The committee will be headed by a retired high court judge and will have three to four members," Union minister Parshottam Rupala said. Earlier, the BJP governments in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh had announced implementation of the UCC in their states.

Gujarat: Kejriwal, Mann greeted with black flags, chants of Modi in Navsari

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann were on Saturday shown black flags by BJP supporters, who also chanted 'Modi, Modi' slogans when the AAP leaders were on their way to address a public rally at Chikhli in Gujarat's Navsari district. Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters standing on the roadside between Khudvel and Golvad villages in Chikhli taluka waved black flags as the motorcade of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders passed by. They also shouted 'Modi, Modi' as the vehicles made their way to the National Cricket Ground in Chikhli town, where the two chief ministers were to address the rally. Referring to the incident while addressing the rally later, Kejriwal said he considers those showing black flags to him as his brothers, and said he was confident that one day he would win over their hearts and make them join his party. Kejriwal said that people can vote for whichever party they like, but the AAP will make sure that their childr

CEC intentionally not announcing Gujarat poll dates, alleges Ashok Gehlot

Ashok Gehlot alleged that CEC is "intentionally" holding back the announcement of the Gujarat Assembly poll dates, so that PM Modi can address more meetings to woo electorate

AAP to declare CM face for Guj polls on Nov 4, seeks public opinion

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will announce on November 4 the name of its chief ministerial face for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections on the basis of opinion given by the people of the state. Addressing a press conference, the AAP's national convener urged people to contact the party through SMS, WhatsApp, voice mail and e-mail to give their views about who should be the CM candidate from the party. He said there is an atmosphere of change in Gujarat and people believe that AAP is going to form a government in the state. "Today, I would like to ask the people of Gujarat as to who they want to see as the next CM of Gujarat. To know the opinion of the public, we are releasing a number - 6357000 360. You can send SMS, WhatsApp messages, and leave voice messages. We are also releasing e-mail - aapnocm@gmail.com," Kejriwal said. He said people can give their choice in four ways - SMS, WhatsApp, voice mail or e-mail till 5 pm

BJP faces 27 years of anti-incumbency, AAP non-existent in Gujarat: Gehlot

Exuding confidence about his party Congress winning the ensuing Assembly elections in Gujarat, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing its "highest-ever" anti-incumbency in the state. Gehlot, a senior Congress observer for Gujarat polls, did not see the possibility of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) creating any impact in elections, saying the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit has just created a hype in the media and it was "non-existent" on the ground in Gujarat. "The BJP has been ruling Gujarat for the last 27 years and I can say that anti-incumbency against the BJP is the highest this time. While people are opposing BJP's ongoing Gaurav Yatras, they are welcoming the Congress in the state during poll campaigning. "We (Congress) will definitely form a government this time. It is necessary to end the BJP's misrule," said the Rajasthan Chief Minister. He was talking to media persons in Vadodara city after addressing a poll rally in

Poll-bound Gujarat, Himachal on different inflation trajectories in 2022

Gujarat has since February consistently witnessed higher retail price inflation than national average

Amit Shah meets BJP leaders from Saurashtra ahead of Gujarat polls

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Tuesday met party leaders from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat to formulate strategy for the coming Assembly elections in the state. The meeting, which lasted for several hours, took place at Veraval in Gir Somnath district, party sources said. The meeting centred on the Bharatiya Janata Party's efforts to avoid its poor performance of 2017 in the region which accounts for 48 out of 182 seats in the Assembly, they said. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil were also present at the meeting. Present and past elected representatives as well as office- bearers and senior leaders from the region attended the meeting which was held at a marketing yard building in Veraval town. The BJP is aiming to win 150 seats in the elections, surpassing the record of 149 seats won by the Congress in 1985. Shah has been conducting marathon meetings with party leaders at the zone level and this was the fourth such .

17 IPS officers reshuffled in top level changes in Gujarat ahead of polls

The Gujarat government on Monday transferred 15 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and allotted postings to two other senior cops waiting for new assignments, a top level reshuffle carried out ahead of Assembly elections due in the next few months. The state home department transferred 15 IPS officers and promoted officer Neeraj Badgujar, who was waiting for a new posting, and appointed him Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) (sector-1), Ahmedabad city, as per a notification. Manoj Ninama, another officer waiting for a new assignment, was appointed ACP (crime and traffic), Vadodara city, it said. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Surat range) Rajkumar Pandian was transferred to Ahmedabad as ADGP (Railways), said the notification. He will also hold the additional charge of Executive Director of Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL), a state-run power company, in Vadodara. IPS officer Anupamsinh Gehlot earlier held the additional charge at GUVNL. Among other changes

BJP plays the freebies game to match AAP's goodies for the Gujarati voters

The prelude to the polls also saw mega projects unveiled by the Centre and the handing out of a few sops to match the breathless pace at which AAP has promised an array of goodies to voters

PM Modi's visit to Mangarh Dham will help party in Guj polls: BJP leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan's Banswara district next week will help the BJP in assembly elections in neighbouring Gujarat as well as in this state next year, particularly in wooing the tribal community, party leaders said. The Mangarh Dham, a memorial for around 1,500 tribals massacred by the British army in 1913, is located in the the district on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border, a region with a large tribal population. Elections in Gujarat, dates for which are yet to be announced, are scheduled to be held in two months. The Congress government in Rajathan has been demanding that the dham be declared a monument of national importance, with Chief Minister Ashok Ghelot in a recent meeting, saying he has written twice to Prime Minister Modi about the status to the memorial. This would be a "true" tribute to Govind Guru, Gehlot had said. The gathering of tribals and forest dwellers in 1913 in Mangarh against the British Raj was being led by social ...

Shah meets with BJP leaders, workers of Gujarat to review poll preparations

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday held a meeting with BJP leaders and workers of south Gujarat zone to review preparations for the upcoming state Assembly elections, dates of which are yet to be announced. State BJP president and Lok Sabha MP CR Paatil and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel were also present in the meeting. Party leaders from seven districts of south Gujarat, including ministers, MLAs, Surat mayor, district panchayat presidents and office-bearers were present in the meeting held at Saurashtra Kadva Patidar Samaj Hall near Valsad city's Dharampur Chokdi. Talking to reporters, Shah said preparations for the Assembly election for seats in south Gujarat zone were complete, right from micro-planning to election and booth management and victory processions. The senior BJP leader is touring the state to review the party's election preparations at zone level. Shah started with south Gujarat, and will meet leaders of the central zone in Vadodara on Sunday. Paatil and

Modi's frequent visits to Gujarat betray people's disaffection: Congress

The Congress on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his long visits to poll-bound Gujarat saying it indicates all is not well for the BJP in his home state and he should open up a camp office there. Congress' In-charge for Gujarat affairs Raghu Sharma on Friday claimed that there is a lot of anger against the BJP in the state, and called the ruling party "anti-tribal." He said the party's stance towards tribals was evident from the recent attacks on Congress MLA and tribal leader Anant Patel, which he alleged was done at the behest of Gujarat BJP chief C R Patil. Sharma also accused new entrants, Aam Aadmi Party and AIMIM, as "B-teams" of the BJP, as they were aiding the saffron party in elections across the country, including in Gujarat. He took a dig at Union Home minister Amit Shah saying he is always seen in Gujarat these days, which is indicative of the rising unrest among local people in the state, which will be reflected in the upcoming assembly ...

Himachal goes to polls on November 12; announcement for Gujarat later

A new actor in Himachal Pradesh is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

Hours after EC announces HP poll date, Shah, Gujarat CM meet PM Modi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the party's state unit chief C R Patil, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday, sources said. The meeting was held at the prime minister's official residence here and the three leaders are likely to have discussed several issues related to Gujarat, they said. The meeting comes hours after the Election Commission announced that assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh will be held on November 12. The poll panel is expected to announce dates for Gujarat elections later this month. In 2017, Gujarat elections were held in early December. The BJP has won Gujarat for six consecutive times and has been in power for 27 years. This time, the Aam Aadmi Party is trying to make inroads in the saffron-party's stronghold, where the Congress has been the traditional rival.

Followed 2017 convention in not announcing HP, Guj polls together: CEC

The Election Commission on Friday cited convention followed in 2017 for not announcing the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat together and underlined that the model code this time has not been "unnecessarily extended". Responding to a volley of questions on why the poll panel did not announce the two polls together, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said "the Commission actually goes by the convention in announcing the schedule of elections. It went by the convention last followed." In 2017, the polls in the two state were announced on different dates but the counting took place together on December 18. The EC on Friday announced the schedule for Himachal Pradesh assembly polls. The notification will be issued on October 17 and the polls will be held on November 12. The counting of votes will take place on December 8. Asked whether the counting of votes for Gujarat will be held along with Himachal Pradesh on December 8, Kumar said "when we come for Gujarat (poll .

Gujarat poll dates not out along with HP to give PM more time: Congress

The Congress on Friday alleged that dates for Gujarat assembly polls were not announced along with Himachal Pradesh so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets more time to make "mega promises and inaugurations". Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said his party is not surprised over the development after the Election Commission announced poll dates only for the hill state and not for Gujarat. "Obviously, this has been done to give more time to the PM to make some mega promises and carry out more inaugurations. Not at all surprising," Ramesh said. Earlier in the day, the Election Commission announced that elections to the Himachal Pradesh assembly will be held on November 12. On not announcing the dates for Gujarat assembly polls, it said various factors, including convention, gap in qualifying dates, and weather had been considered before taking a decision. The poll panel also said announcement of multiple state elections leads to longer wait in declaration of results.

Amit Shah to inaugurate ''Gujarat Gaurav Yatra'' in Ahmedabad today

With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gearing for the upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the "Gujarat Gaurav Yatra" in Ahmedabad today

New India moving forward with ancient values, reviving tradition: PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi said that to reach the pinnacle of success, it is also necessary that the nation touches its cultural excellence, and stands proudly with its identity

Congress outsourced contract of abusing me, says PM Modi in Rajkot rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Congress has outsourced the contract of abusing him. Addressing a rally in Jamkandorna town of Rajkot district in Gujarat ahead of the state Assembly polls due this year-end, Modi warned BJP workers and supporters to be aware of the Congress which, he said, has stopped abusing him and is "working silently" to capture rural votes. In the last 20 years, those who were against Gujarat left no stone unturned to defame the state. They hurled choicest abuses against me, including calling me maut ka saudagar', the prime minister said. They have suddenly gone silent. They have outsourced the contract of creating ruckus, making noise and abusing me, to others. They are silently going to villages and asking people for votes, Modi said, without naming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the new entrant to the poll fray in Gujarat. I should warn you against this silent strategy of the opposition party. I know this as this is being controlled by those who