Page 10 - Gujarat Elections

Best of BS Opinion: Climate concerns, Patidars and patronage & more

Here are the top BS Opinion articles of the day

Patidars and patronage

In unofficially endorsing Bhupendra Patel for another term as chief minister, the BJP has clearly bowed to caste pressure

LIVE: PM Narendra Modi conducts road show in Andhra Pradesh's Vizag

From PM Modi's visit to southern states to Congress releasing its second list of candidates ahead of Gujarat polls, catch all the live updates here

Cong, NCP forge alliance in Gujarat; Pawar's party to contest 3 seats

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) entered into a pre-poll alliance for the next month's Gujarat Assembly elections, as part of which the Sharad Pawar-led party will contest three of the total 182 seats in the state, the leaders of the two parties announced here on Friday. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the two parties had contested the Gujarat elections separately. NCP's Kandhal Jadeja was the only MLA to win from the party. He represents the Kutiyana Assembly seat in Porbandar district. Making an announcement about the alliance, Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor said, "NCP will fight the upcoming Assembly polls in the state in alliance with the Congress. The NCP will contest three seats - Umreth (Anand district), Naroda (Ahmedabad) and Devgadh Baria (Dahod district) as part of the alliance." These three seats are currently held by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "The Congress has decided to forge an alliance with those parties that were with u

AAP banking on Patidars to power its foray into BJP-ruled Gujarat

"The 'Babbar Sher' (lion) has come, now no one else stands a chance here," said a youngster as Alpesh Kathiriya, AAP candidate from the Varachha Road Assembly constituency, arrived at a residential colony here on a motorcycle with his supporters in tow. Kathiriya along with his supporters went from door to door chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and urging residents, many of whom came out of their houses after seeing his cavalcade, to vote for him in the upcoming state polls. "We are with you," an elderly woman assured 28-year-old Kathiriya, who was a prominent leader of the 2015 Patidar quota agitation in Gujarat and earned the sobriquet 'Babbar Sher' for his aggressive and uncompromising stand on the issue. Kathiriya told PTI that the BJP has betrayed the Patidar community, which was once a staunch supporter of the saffron party. "During the 2017 Assembly polls, they (BJP) had promised that they would withdraw all cases filed against us but did not do so after returning to power. They

Gujarat polls: 21 sitting Congress MLAs in party's 2nd list of candidates

The Congress, which has been out of power in Gujarat for more than two decades, has fielded 21 of its sitting MLAs in the state for next month's Assembly elections. In its second list of 46 candidates, the grand old party has also named four Muslim candidates. The Gujarat Assembly elections will be held in two phases - on December 1 and 5, and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. Of the total 182 seats of the Gujarat Assembly, voting for the 89 seats will be held on December 1 in the first phase. On November 4, the Congress had announced its first list having names of candidates for 43 seats of both first phase and second phase of polls. But in the second list, all the 46 candidates are for the first phase. The Congress has so far announced candidates for 68 seats of the first phase, while announcement is awaited for 21 seats, including Morbi, Talala, Bhavnagar-Rural, Dhari, Kodinar, Rapar, Bharuch, Rajkot East, Rajkot West, Jambusar, Navsari and Jamnagar Rural. A

Congress releases second list of 46 candidates for Gujarat assembly polls

The party had announced its first list on November 4, in which 43 candidates were announced

Gujarat elections: Morbi MLA among 5 ministers denied ticket in BJP

Five Gujarat ministers including the MLA from Morbi are among 38 sitting BJP members of the Assembly who have been denied ticket by the party for the upcoming state elections. Minister of State for Labour and Employment Brijesh Merja, the legislator from Morbi where a bridge collapse incident last month claimed 135 lives, is among those dropped from the list of 160 candidates whose names were announced by the BJP on Thursday. Gujarat Assembly Speaker Nimaben Acharya, who won from Bhuj seat of Kutch district in 2012 and 2017, has also been denied ticket this time by the party. The BJP on Thursday released its first list of 160 candidates for the two-phase elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly to be held on December 1 and 5. The party has fielded Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from his constituency Ghatlodia and dropped a number of sitting MLAs. From the present cabinet, the BJP has denied tickets to state Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Minister Rajendra Trivedi, Socia

AAP trying to position as BJP's main challenger in upcoming Gujarat polls

The Aam Aadmi Party is aggressively trying to position itself as the ruling BJP's main contender in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, notwithstanding its poor show in the 2017 state polls when all its 29 candidates lost their deposits. The AAP claims it has now been successful in reaching out to the people of Gujarat with its national convener Arvind Kejriwal having visited the state multiple times in the recent past, offering a slew of 'guarantees' if the party is voted to power. The party has also named Isudan Gadhvi, a former TV anchor and journalist, as its chief ministerial candidate for next month's Gujarat Assembly elections. A candidate loses deposit in an election when he/she fails to secure one-sixth (16.7 per cent) of the total votes polled in the constituency. Before the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls, the AAP had fielded candidates on 24 out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats from Gujarat in the 2014 general elections and its nominees fared badly. The party stayed away fro

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

Gujarat Congress MLA resigns ahead of polls, third to quit in two days

Congress MLA from Jhalod in Gujarat's Dahod district Bhavesh Katara has resigned as the legislator, ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections. He is the third Congress MLA to resign in the last two days after Mohansinh Rathwa and Bhagwan Barad. Katara went to the residence of Assembly Speaker Nimaben Acharya on Wednesday night and submitted his resignation to her, an official statement said. His resignation comes at a time when the BJP is finalising candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections. Katara is likely to join the BJP on Thursday. Earlier, Rathwa and Barad also joined the saffron party after resigning from the Congress party and as MLAs. Gujarat elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5, and counting of votes will be held on December 8.

BJP finalises most seats for Gujarat polls, announcement likely today

Former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and senior party leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama have said they will not contest the elections

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.

Gujarat polls: Congress MLA Bhagwan Barad quits, joins BJP; 2nd in two days

In another jolt to the opposition Congress on the second day in a row ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls, senior MLA Bhagwan Barad on Wednesday resigned as a legislator and primary member and joined BJP. Barad, 63, who had won the Talala seat in Gir Somnath district in 2017, sent his resignation letter to Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor and also handed it over to Speaker Nimaben Acharya. The development comes a day after 10-time Congress MLA and tribal leader, Mohansinh Rathva, resigned and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Barad, also known as Bhaga Barad, was welcomed into the BJP fold by state general secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela at the party's media centre in Ahmedabad. Barad told reporters he decided to quit the party after consulting at least 4,000 of his supporters and will fight the next month's elections if BJP wants him to, but added that he is not joining BJP with any pre-condition to get a poll ticket. Gujarat will vote in two phases on December 1 an

Former Gujarat CM Rupani, ex-Dy CM Patel not to contest Assembly polls

Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and ex-deputy CM Nitin Patel, both senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Wednesday night announced they will not fight the next month's Assembly elections. Their statements came at a time when the Central Parliament Board of the BJP has convened a meeting to finalise the names of candidates for the polls in New Delhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I have decided not to fight elections this time, Rupani told reporters in Rajkot without elaborating. Rupani (66), a sitting MLA, was the chief minister from August 2016 to September 2021. Former deputy CM Patel, in a hand written letter sent to Gujarat BJP president C R Paatil, said he should not be considered for ticket from Mehsana, his current Assembly seat, as he has decided not to contest the December elections. Two other BJP leaders, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and Pradipsinh Jadeja, who were senior ministers in the Rupani cabinet, have also ...

BJP using CAA, NRC with eye on Gujarat assembly polls: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was "using" Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) with an eye on the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo asserted that she will never allow the implementation of CAA or NRC in West Bengal. She accused the saffron camp of trying to "bring in its supporters from other states and make them voters of West Bengal, while snatching the rights of the permanent residents of the eastern state". Iterating that the BJP won't return to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee said that the country's political situation was changing fast, and it is very different from that of 2019. "Whenever any election approaches, the BJP speaks of implementing CAA and NRC. With upcoming Gujarat assembly polls later this year, and Lok Sabha elections just a year-and-a-half away, it has again started to flare up the CAA issue. "Will the BJP decide who is

BJP 'using' CAA with eye on upcoming Gujarat elections: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was "using" Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) with an eye on the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo asserted that she will never allow the implementation of CAA in West Bengal. Banerjee also accused the saffron camp of trying to fan separatism in West Bengal by raking up statehood demands, and iterated she will never allow the division of the state. "Whenever any election approaches, the BJP speaks of implementing CAA and NRC. With upcoming Gujarat assembly polls later this year, and Lok Sabha elections just a year-and-half away, it has again started to flare up the CAA issue. "Will the BJP decide who is a citizen and who is not? Matuas are very much citizens of this country," Banerjee said, while addressing party workers in Krishnanagar. The politically powerful Matua community has its origin in East Bengal or present-day ...

Gujarat assembly polls: BJP likely to finalise all candidates today

The BJP's top leadership will on Wednesday deliberate upon the candidates for Gujarat assembly polls, where the party is eyeing a win for the seventh time. The BJP's central election committee, also comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will meet here in the evening to finalise the candidates. Elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases -- December 1 and 5. The BJP is likely to finalise all 183 candidates during the meeting and may announce the list in the next few days, sources said. Aiming to set a new record in terms of share in seats, the party is looking to inject new energy into the organisation. Hence, the possibility of dropping out several senior leaders cannot be ruled out, they said. The sources also said the party has received suggestions that it should opt for new and young faces. In the fiercely fought 2017 elections, the BJP had won 99 seats and its main rival Congress 77. Currently, the BJP's stre

BJP core group meet at JP Nadda's residence to discuss Gujarat elections

The meeting at Nadda's residence was attended by Amit Shah, Bhupendra Patel, CR Patil, Mansukh Mandaviya, Purshottam Rupala, Ratnakar and B L Santosh

AAP will never come to power so promise of freebies don't matter: Gadkari

'Those who are never likely to come to the power can promise anything as they have zero possibilities of coming at the centre'