Page 70 - Gujarat

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

Jaipur set to host 11th edition of India StoneMart international exhibition

Scheduled to be held at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre, Sitapura Industrial Area, from November 10 to 13, the exhibition is considered one of the biggest of its kind in India

Gujarat Assembly elections to be held in 2 phases, results on Dec 8

EC rubbishes Opposition parties' charge that it delayed announcing dates

Gujarat: 3-way poll contest in bipolar state politics, all eyes on AAP

Long caught between two polarities, Gujarat's electoral field has expanded to include a third party with the Aam Aadmi Party challenging the ruling BJP as well as the opposition Congress that has lost ground but still has significant presence. Elections to the 182-member state assembly will take place over two phases on December 1 and 5, the Election Commission announced on Thursday in the backdrop of the Morbi bridge collapse four days ago. As campaign knives get sharpened, the October 30 tragedy in which 135 people lost their lives could find emotive resonance. Besides, the freebie versus welfarism debate - over which challenger AAP and BJP have been sparring over the last several weeks -- and the ruling party's main poll planks of Hindutva, 'double engine' growth' and continuity in governance are likely to remain centrestage. Though elections were announced today, the buzz for what will be a three-cornered contest has been getting steadily louder over the last few weeks. Prime .

Amit Shah chairs meeting in Gandhinagar ahead of Gujarat state polls

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Thursday chaired a meeting with party leaders in the state's capital, Gandhinagar ahead of the Gujarat Assembly Elections

Gujarat elections to be held in two phases on Dec 1, 5; result on Dec 8

Gujarat has a 182 member assembly and the BJP had pulled off its sixth consecutive victory winning 99 seats in the last polls, while the Congress put up a spirited fight by bagging 77 seats

Morbi bridge collapse was an 'act of God': Accused tells Gujarat court

A manager of the Oreva group, one of the nine persons arrested in connection with collapse of a suspension bridge in Gujarat's Morbi town, sought relief from a local court claiming the tragedy which has claimed 135 lives was an "act of God", the prosecution said on Wednesday. Chief Judicial Magistrate M J Khan had on Tuesday remanded four of the arrested accused -- two managers of the Oreva group and two sub-contractors who had repaired the ill-fated bridge -- in police custody till Saturday (November 5). The other five accused were remanded in judicial custody and sent to jail. The British-era carriageway, built on the river Machchhu, had collapsed on Sunday evening, killing 135 people, including women and children. In their defence during arguments on remand application on Tuesday, one of the Oreva managers had sought relief on the ground that he was just doing the job given to him by the company and the tragedy was merely an "act of God", public prosecutor HS Panchal told ...

Morbi bridge collapse: Gujarat observes state-wide mourning for victims

Civic bodies in Ahmedabad and Surat held condolence meetings as Gujarat observed state-wide mourning on Wednesday to pay homage to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was present at the condolence meet organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Flags were flown at half-mast at the state secretariat in Gandhinagar and other Gujarat government offices. All official and entertainment programmes were cancelled. The collapse of the bridge on Sunday evening claimed 135 lives. Ahmedabad Mayor Kirit Parmar said, "We organised a meet to condole the loss of lives in the tragic incident." Similar prayer meetings were also held in other parts of the state. The decision to observe the state-wide mourning was taken on Monday in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation after the tragedy. CM Bhupendra Patel had in a tweet said no official function will be held on Wednesday. Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday calle

Morbi bar association not to represent accused in bridge collapse

The Morbi Bar Association on Wednesday said its members won't represent the accused in the suspension bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives. Members of the association on Wednesday held a protest march, a day after passing a resolution to not fight cases for the accused in the bridge collapse tragedy. Morbi Bar Association and Rajkot Bar Association have decided to not take their case and represent them. Both the bar associations have passed this resolution, senior advocate A C Prajapati said. All the lawyers of the association are deeply saddened by the tragedy. This is a moral call. We won't represent any accused in the bridge collapse case after the death of so many innocent people, another lawyer said. The association's decision was opposed by lawyer Hamza Lakdawala, who said it was acting like a khap panchayat. Bar associations exists to uphold the rule of law and to ensure that advocates can discharge their professional duties without fear of victimisation. They stand for