Page 16 - Gujarat

PM Narendra Modi attends mass wedding ceremony in Gujarat's Bhavnagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attended a mass wedding ceremony held in Bhavnagar city of Gujarat and blessed the couples. The event was organised at Jawahar Maidan by a foundation. As many as 551 girls whose fathers had died tied the knot at the mega event. On the occasion, the prime minister urged the newly-weds not to organise a separate wedding function afterwards under the pressure of relatives after reaching home and instead save that money for their children. Modi was on a tour of Gujarat where Assembly polls will be held in December. Earlier in the day, he addressed a rally in Valsad district.

Who is Isudan Gadhvi? AAP's newly announced Gujarat CM candidate

Isudan Gadhvi, AAP's choice for chief minister of Gujarat, has become a politician after being a journalist. Aditi Phadnis tracks his career

Only Cong can challenge BJP in Gujarat, Himachal polls; AAP incapable: Azad

Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said that only Congress could challenge BJP in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, while AAP is "merely a party of UT Delhi"

LIVE news: Smog continues to envelop Delhi-NCR amid worsening air pollution

From PM Modi's upcoming rally in poll-bound Gujarat to Musk's Twitter charging $8 for blue tick, catch all the live updates from across the globe here

Will save people of Gujarat from deceit of BJP's 'double engine': Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said his party will fulfil the promises it has made to the people of Gujarat and save them from the "deceit" of the BJP's "double engine". "LPG cylinder in Rs 500, 10 lakh jobs to youth, Farmer's loan waiver up to 3 lakh. We will fulfill the 'CongressNa8Vachan' we made to the people of Gujarat," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "Will save you from the deceit of BJP's 'double engine', will celebrate 'festival of change' in the state," the former Congress chief said. Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. The poll contest will be triangular with the Congress, the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party going all out to woo voters. In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won 99 seats and the Congress 77 of the total 182 seats.

Acting on Morbi tragedy, Odisha govt shuts down Mahanadi suspension bridge

Odisha government has closed down the suspension bridge, connecting the Dhabaleswar Shiva shrine on an island in Mahanadi River to Athagarh of Cuttack district

Gujarat polls: PM Narendra Modi to address rally in Valsad district

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting in Valsad district of poll-bound Gujarat on Sunday and attend a mass marriage programme in Bhavnagar, a BJP functionary said. This will be the prime minister's first visit to his home state after the Election Commission declared polls for the 182-member Assembly. PM Modi will address a rally in Nana Pondha in Valsad district on Sunday afternoon. He will attend a mass marriage function in Bhavnagar in the evening, BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said on Saturday. Elections will be held in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Gujarat in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won 99 seats out of the total 182 and the Congress bagged 77. This time, the poll contest will be triangular in view of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) entry into the fray.

Gujarat Assembly polls: Kejriwal leads 'Tiranga yatras' in Kutch district

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday led 'Tiranga yatras' (Tricolour marches) in Gandhidham and Anjar in poll-bound Gujarat's Kutch district. Kejriwal's colleague and Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann held road shows in three Muslim-dominated areas of Ahmedabad. Assembly polls will be held in the state in two phases on December 1 and 5 and votes will be counted on December 8. "You have given the Bharatiya Janata Party 27 years. Give us five years," Kejriwal said in Gandhidham and Anjar. The marches at both places were well-attended. "If we come to power, we will pay your electricity bills, we will make good schools for your children, we will make good hospitals in which you will be given free treatment," he said in Gandhidham. Kejriwal claimed voting for the Congress was futile as its legislators would later defect to the BJP. Mann's road shows were held in Muslim-dominated Jamalpur, Danilimbda and Asarwa in Ahmedabad city, where

Congress leader Himanshu Vyas joins BJP in Gujarat ahead of elections

Senior Congress leader Himanshu Vyas joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Saturday. BJP leader and Union home minister Amit Shah welcomed him into the party fold. The development came ahead of the next month's Assembly elections in Gujarat. Vyas, who held the post of secretary in the Congress, blamed the party leadership for his decision to quit, saying those who work for the party are ignored while sycophants get ahead. "The Congress leadership has failed in people's eyes and also failed in communicating with party workers," he told reporters. "The leadership is surrounded by people who do not allow true workers to approach the leadership," he added. He had been sidelined in the Congress for the last two years, Vyas claimed. Vyas had fought election twice from Wadhwan Assembly seat in Surendranagar district of the state but lost both the times.

Gujarat Assembly polls: PM to address rally in Valsad district on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting in Valsad district of poll-bound Gujarat on Sunday and attend a mass marriage programme in Bhavnagar, a BJP functionary said on Saturday. This will be the first visit of the prime minister to his home state after the elections were declared by the Election Commission. PM Modi will address a rally in Nana Pondha in Valsad district on Sunday afternoon. He will attend a mass marriage function in Bhavnagar in the evening, BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said. Elections will be held in Gujarat in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. The poll contest will be triangular in view of the Aam Aadmi Party's entry into the fray. In the 2017 elections, the BJP had won 99 seats and the Congress 77 of the total 182 seats.

BJP expects to win more seats in Gujarat than forecast in opinion poll

The surprise package is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that is projected to win between 7 and 15 seats. As a party, AAP was non-existent in Gujarat in the 2017 elections.

AAP names former TV anchor Isudan Gadhvi as CM candidate for Gujarat

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday named former TV anchor and journalist Isudan Gadhvi as its chief ministerial candidate for next month's Assembly elections in Gujarat. The announcement was made by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who said the 40-year-old Gadhvi got as many as 73 per cent votes in a poll conducted by the party. Gadhvi was pitted against state party unit chief Gopal Italia, who played a key role in the Patidar community agitation. He hails from a farmers' family in Dwarka district's Pipaliya village and belongs to the other backward castes, which account for 48 per cent of the state's population. Kejriwal said the party conducted the poll by asking people to call a phone number and listen to a recorded message which asked them to choose their chief ministerial face.

Journalist-turned-politician Gadhvi tasked with 'anchoring' AAP win in Guj

From news reporting to himself becoming news, former television anchor Isudan Gadhvi, who was born in a farming family, has had a swift rise in politics and has become the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s chief ministerial candidate in Gujarat just a year after he joined the fledgling outfit led by Arvind Kejriwal. Gadhvi (40) started his career as a journalist with a local news channel around 17 years ago after acquiring a degree in journalism from the Gujarat Vidyapith, a deemed university in Ahmedabad founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. Just last year he joined the AAP and his big moment came on Friday when Gadhvi was declared the party's chief ministerial candidate in Gujarat, where Assembly polls for the 182-member House will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. The declaration was made in Ahmedabad by Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who has been positioning his party as the main challenger of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been ruling Gujarat

Bookies believe BJP heading for big win in Gujarat assembly polls

Political watchers say bookies appear to have noticed that the BJP is not facing any challenge in winning over the dominant Patel community in the state

Morbi Municipality's Chief Officer suspended days after bridge collapse

The Gujarat government has suspended Morbi Municipality's Chief Officer Sandipsinh Zala in the wake of the bridge collapse incident that claimed 135 lives, a senior official said on Friday. The British-era suspension bridge, built on the river Machchhu in Morbi town, had collapsed on Sunday evening. The people who died in the tragedy included women and children. "The state Urban Development Department has suspended Chief Officer of Morbi Municipality Sandipsinh Zala," said Morbi District Collector G T Pandya. Resident Additional Collector of Morbi has been given the additional charge of the Chief Officer until further orders, he said. Morbi Municipality had given the contract of the bridge repair and maintenance to Oreva group for 15 years, officials said. Police have so far arrested nine persons in connection with the bridge collapse incident.

Morbi bridge collapse: Search and rescue operation officially complete

At least 135 people were killed and over 100 injured after a cable suspension bridge in Morbi town collapsed on Sunday, plunging people into the Machchhu river

Handling a high-tech Chinese military

Unanswered questions remain over India's readiness for such a contingency

Adani New Industries installs wind turbine, taller than Statue of Unity

A wind turbine taller than the world's tallest Statue of Unity with blades spanning wider than the wingspan of a jumbo jet has been installed at Mundra in Gujarat by Adani New Industries Ltd as part of its renewable energy expansion plans. "Adani New Industries Limited (ANIL) on Thursday announced the installation of country's largest Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) in Mundra, Gujarat," a company statement said. The turbine has been installed by Mundra Windtech Ltd (MWL), a wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated by Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL). This prototype is also the first addition to the portfolio of Adani New Industries Ltd (ANIL) and has laid the foundation for installation of even bigger wind turbine generators, it stated. Milind Kulkarni, Chief Operating Officer (COO), MWL, said, "The proto assembly was completed in a record of 19 days. It is installed, commissioned, and we shall soon go for a type certification now." "This prototype has laid a foundation stone for us to go for

Gujarat bridge tragedy: Search and recovery operations end, death toll 135

The Gujarat government on Thursday called off the five-day-long search operation launched after the collapse of a British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi town of Gujarat and the death toll remained unchanged at 135. State Commissioner of Relief Harshad Patel visited Morbi, located around 300 km from the state capital Gandhinagar, and announced the end of the ongoing search operation, launched on Sunday evening soon after the suspension bridge came crashing down, said an official release. Patel chaired a meeting with heads of various agencies involved in the search and rescue operation and took a call to end the operation after reviewing the situation, it said. However, as a precautionary measure, one team each of the local fire brigade, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will remain stationed at the accident site until further orders, said the release. Notably, personnel from the Indian Army, the Navy, the .

Morbi bridge collapse a factor in delay in Gujarat poll announcement: CEC

The Morbi suspension bridge collapse was one of the reasons for the delay in announcement of the Gujarat assembly elections, the Election Commission said on Thursday. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar told a press conference that the commission would also examine whether the release of the inquiry report into the Morbi tragedy, which left 135 people dead, would disturb the level playing field in the two-phase elections scheduled for Gujarat on December 1 and December 5. The Morbi assembly seat, currently represented by Brijesh Merja of the BJP, goes to polls in the first phase on December 1. "The Model Code of Conduct guidelines have been prescribed specifically. If any decision disturbs the level playing field, then the commission will look into it," Kumar said responding to questions on whether the release of the inquiry report into the bridge collapse would violate the model code. He indicated that the elections could have been announced a couple of days earlier, but