Page 12 - Gujarat

BJP sure of repeat show in Kutch as Congress slugs it out, AAP splits votes

The BJP is confident of maintaining its winning streak in Kutch district in Gujarat Assembly polls even as the Congress is carrying out a silent campaign in rural areas and the Aam Aadmi Party is setting the stage for a three-cornered fight by throwing its hat in the ring. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is contesting in two minority-dominated seats. Kutch, which goes to polls in the first phase on December 1, has six Assembly constituencies - Abdasa, Bhuj, Rapar- all bordering Pakistan, and Mandvi, Anjar and Gandhidham. The district has around 16 lakh voters spread across the six constituencies, out of which male and female voters are equally proportionate. Muslims comprise around 19 per cent of the total electorate, whereas the Dalits comprise around 12 per cent, and the Patels, including the Leuvas and Kadvas, constitute about 10.5 per cent. The Kshatriya and the Koli communities comprise around 6.5 per cent and 5.2 per cent of the electorate, ...

Gujarat polls: Kejriwal says will make Surat garment hub, promises sops

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday told textile traders of Surat the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will make the city a "garment hub" of the country with an export-oriented integrated textile park and creation of thousands of jobs. Interacting with the city's textile traders as part of his campaign for the next month's Gujarat Assembly polls, the AAP national convener said, if voted to power, the AAP government will bring a special law to protect them against cases of cheating in payment of dues. Asserting his party would remove "raid raj and fear", he said, "AAP will make Surat the garment hub of not just Gujarat but the entire country. A new integrated textile park will be created which will be completely export-oriented. You will get tax breaks, incentives and other facilities." "Textile units will get basic infrastructure and the rates of electricity will be lowered. The AAP government will provide all the facilities for the creation of thousands of jobs and high exports. We

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

LIVE updates: PM Modi holds roadshow in Surat, Gujarat ahead of polls

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21 yrs after quake, Bhuj seeks industrialisation without disturbing ecology

Two decades after a devastating earthquake struck Bhuj in Gujarat, the Kutch district might have witnessed unprecedented industrial growth, but environmentalists and town veterans are apprehensive about whether Bhuj has learnt its lessons and prepared to face such a natural disaster. In January 2001, a massive earthquake struck the town of Bhuj and Kutch district, killing more than 20,000 people, destroying thousands of homes, and rendering lakhs of people homeless. Post-earthquake, the Gujarat government announced a major reconstruction and rehabilitation policy, under which the district witnessed unprecedented industrial growth in the last two decades. Scientists and environmentalists feel that with Kutch being one of the active seismic zones of the country, the administration should be extra careful while carrying out developmental activities such as industrialisation and town planning. As the election approaches, the earthquake survivors and the scientists urge political partie

2 CRPF jawans on election duty killed in firing by colleague in Gujarat

Two jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two others were injured after their colleague opened fire over some issue in a village near Porbandar in Gujarat on Saturday evening, officials said. These jawans belong to a CRPF battalion from Manipur. They were sent here by the Election Commission ahead of the next month's Gujarat Assembly elections, said Porbandar Collector and District Election Officer, AM Sharma. Voting in the Porbandar district will be held on December 1 in the first phase. They were staying inside a cyclone centre in Tukda Gosa village, about 25 km from Porbandar. "A jawan opened fire from his assault rifle on his colleagues over some unknown issue on Saturday evening. While two jawans died on the spot, two others were injured. They were shifted to a hospital in Jamnagar. One of them received a bullet injury in his stomach and the other was hit on his leg," Sharma said, adding that further investigation will be carried out by the police.

AAP to record victory in Gujarat polls, become national party: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted on Saturday that his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will record a "historic victory" in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls and become a "national" political party. Congratulating the party workers on the 10th anniversary of the AAP's foundation day, Kejriwal said the party has created "many histories" in Indian politics since it came into existence on November 26, 2012 and become "a new hope" for the people of the country. "The Aam Aadmi Party was formed 10 years ago on this day. In these 10 years, the party created many histories in Indian politics with the immense love of the public and the hard work of the workers," Kejriwal, the national convenor of the party, said in a series of tweets. The AAP has offered a new hope to the people of the country and gained their trust, he said. "With yet another historic victory, the AAP is going to become a national party very soon," he said. Riding high on its stupendous victory in the Punjab Assembly p

No plans to increase Amul milk prices in near future: GCMMF MD R S Sodhi

Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets milk under the Amul brand, has no plans to increase prices of milk in the near future, its MD R S Sodhi said. GCMMF mainly sells milk in Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and Mumbai markets. The cooperative sells more than 150 lakh litres of milk per day, out of which Delhi-NCR accounts for nearly 40 lakh litres. Earlier this week, Mother Dairy hiked prices of full-cream milk by Re 1 per litre and token milk by Rs 2 per litre in the Delhi-NCR market, citing rise in input cost. Asked whether GCMMF has any plans to increase milk prices following Mother Dairy's rate hike, Sodhi said: "There are no plans in near future." He further said input costs have not gone up much since the last retail price increase by GCMMF in October. In mid-October, GCMMF raised the prices of Amul Gold (full-cream) and buffalo milk by Rs 2 per litre each across all markets except for poll-bound Gujarat, where assembly elections will be held i

Gujarat Assembly elections: BJP promises 2 mn jobs, implementation of UCC

The party will also develop two corridors, from Porbandar to Dahod and Valsad to Palanpur, two sea food parks - one each in Saurashtra and South Gujarat, as per the manidesto

BJP taught lessons to rioters in 2002, established peace in Gujarat: Shah

According to the Union Home Minister, earlier incidents of riots and violence were common in Gujarat as the Congress party encouraged it

A Gujarat gamble

The cycle of politics is brutal, it doesn't have the concept of a strategic timeout. I'd rather not buy the idea that Rahul's holding his fire until 2024

Gujarat becomes first state to get Jio True 5G across all districts

Reliance Jio said Gujarat has become the first state to get 'True 5G' in each of the 33 district headquarters

This election is about deciding Gujarat's fate for next 25 years: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the upcoming Assembly election in Gujarat is all about deciding the state's destiny for the next 25 years. Addressing a poll rally in Palanpur town of Banaskantha district in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates, Modi said though many developmental works have been carried out so far by the ruling BJP in Gujarat and the Centre, time has come to take a "giant leap". 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. Voting in Banaskantha district will be held in the second phase on December 5. "This election is not about who will become an MLA or whose government will come. This election is all about deciding Gujarat's destiny for the next 25 years," Modi said. The PM said he was making efforts to put Gujarat in the league of developed nations. "Time has come to take a giant leap now. And, I need your support to form a strong

Morbi bridge collapse: Court denies bail to 8 accused, order reserved on 1

A court here on Wednesday rejected bail applications of eight out of nine persons arrested in connection with the Morbi suspension bridge collapse tragedy. Principal district and sessions judge P C Joshi said he will pass order on the bail plea of the ninth accused, Devang Parmar, on Thursday. The British-era suspension bridge collapsed on October 30, claiming 135 lives. The bail applications of Deepak Parekh, Dinesh Dave, Prakash Parmar, Mansukhbhai Topia, Madevbhai Solanki, Alpeshbhai Gohil, Dilipbhai Gohil and Mukeshbhai Chauhan were rejected, said public prosecutor Vijay Jani. Devang Parmar is a co-proprietor of Dev Prakash Fabrication. Those arrested include Deepak Parekh and three others from the Oreva Group that was managing the suspension bridge. Arguing against their bail pleas, the prosecution had submitted a forensic lab report which noted that the bridge had rusty cables, broken anchor pins and loose bolts, and these and other issues were not dealt with while ...

BJP govt in Gujarat legitimised corruption, alleges Manish Tewari

Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday accused the BJP government of legitimising corruption in Gujarat and dubbed it a "dangerous sign" for democracy.With the Gujarat assembly elections round the corner, Congress has started agressively attacking the BJP who has been in power in the state for the last 27 years and the recent Morbi incident has provided an opportunity to the grand old party to accuse the Bhupendra Patel-led government in Gujarat for "legitimising corruption".Citing the recent Morbi incident that took place in the state which claimed the lives of over 130 people, the Congress leader said that the BJP has become "arrogant" as they(BJP) think they cannot be removed from power."You (BJP) legitimised corruption, and then you say that you want to implement this model in the entire country. The legitimisation of corruption is a dangerous sign for democracy," he said while urging people of the state to "break this arrogance" in the upcoming Assembly elections by ...

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

BJP suspends 12 more rebels for contesting as independent candidates in Guj

All of the twelve BJP rebels were seeking tickets in the Assembly election

PMGKAY likely to end in December on fiscal, foodgrain constraints

"The food subsidy burden is already crossing Rs 3 trillion and we are hopeful that it will be brought down below that mark," said a senior government official

Congress complains against PM for 'misuse' of children in Gujarat campaign

The Congress on Tuesday filed a complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for using children for their political campaign in the run up to the Gujarat assembly polls. The complaint was filed by the Congress' social media department chairperson Supriya Shrinate to the chairman of the NCPCR Priyank Kanoongo, after the prime minister shared a video in which a girl was seen speaking about BJP's governance in Gujarati. "We have lodged a complaint before Priyank Kanoongo of NCPCR against misuse of children for election and political campaigns by PM Modi in Gujarat. Have also marked a copy to the Election Commission for violation of the model code of conduct. Mr Kanoongo, you have been conspicuously quiet. Why?" she asked on Twitter while sharing her complaint. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "This is an open and shut case of violation of child rights and misuse of children for electioneering by