Janata Dal-United, a key ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, has decided to go it alone in the upcoming Assembly election in Gujarat.
Better living conditions must be an integral part of all political campaigns. But this will only happen if the public pressures the political class to understand the irreversibility of climate change and make the environment a crucial part of their manifestos.
Terming Sanjay Joshi's decision to quit the Bharatiya Janata Party as "personal", the party's Gujarat unit on Saturday said his exit will not have a negative impact on its prospects in the assembly polls slated by the year-end. "Joshi's place of work has been in Delhi and in the last assembly election, he was not in Gujarat but still the BJP secured absolute majority. His resignation will not have any negative impact," said a party leader.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was on Thursday poised for a landslide victory in Gujarat to retain power for a record seventh straight term but was behind the Congress in Himachal Pradesh which could go with the trend of alternative governments in the hill state.
The BJP hopes that any vote AAP gets should only be from the Congress. At the same time, it does not want AAP to get too much of it. Because, a declining old opponent is a blessing as much as a rising new rival is a threat, points out Shekhar Gupta.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad has arrested five persons for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to extort Rs 8 crore from a retired Indian Police Service officer by preparing and circulating a false affidavit to claim he had raped a woman, an official said on Monday.
Several Bharatiya Janata Party legislators in Gujarat, who have been denied a party ticket to contest the assembly elections, have started exploring options to fight the polls and Uma Bharti's Bharatiya Janshakti seems to have emerged as the favourite platform for them.
Mumtaz Patel said that she will continue to work to make the party stronger along with the party cadre in Bharuch.
'More than 9.5% new voters have been added to the electoral voters' list compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha election.' 'This led to an increase in about 5% to 6% in total votes polled for this assembly election.' 'That has tilted hugely in our favour because we worked hard for registration of these voters and concentrated on bringing out these new voters out during this assembly election.'
The Congress on Friday promised that if the party is voted to power in Gujarat, where assembly elections are due by the yearend, it would waive farm loans of up to Rs 3 lakh and provide free electricity for 10 hours daily to farmers in the state.
"BJP's victory in Gujarat assembly election is spectacular. We will win in Himachal Pradesh with a bigger margin," party in-charge for Himachal Satyapal Jain said.
The BJP president said the Gujarat poll outcome has "demolished the myth" that the Congress is getting revived on account of its leadership.
'The BJP will not win a single seat in Punjab.'
Drugs worth more than Rs 5,300 crore were seized and 102 people involved in illicit narcotics trade apprehended by the Gujarat police in the last one-and-a-half years, the state legislative assembly was informed on Tuesday.
Names of Hardik Patel, the face of the Patidar agitation ahead of the 2017 polls who quit the Congress to join the BJP, and Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, figure in the list.
Both leaders would skip the five poll-bound states and the northeast, Naidu said.
There is more at stake on the outcome of the two-phased election than the state of Gujarat. Only after the polls, the Left parties and the Congress party will decide their future strategy and the fate of the India-United States nuclear deal. Also, on the basis of the election results, the Congress will assess the advantages of going in for parliamentary elections around April 2008, a year before schedule
'Prime Minister Modi should sit with Trump and find a solution to this issue.'
'We will discuss it with an open mind,' the former PM said.
A democratic set-up is a necessary instrument to choose rulers, but it cannot always provide a roadmap to a good society. That needs a moral compass, which is prominent by its absence in the current campaign, says Dr Shreekant Sambrani.
Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd made a number of electoral bond purchases close to the date of bagging crucial projects, including the all-weather Zojila tunnel that is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 4,500 crore in Jammu and Kashmir.
Election campaigning in India can never be complete without promises, abuses, allegations and counter-allegations flying about thick and fast. The growing popularity of the social media platforms and electronic paraphernalia has made the parties even more excited.
While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the tricolour at Patan, the Congress organised a parallel function at Gandhinagar.
Gujarat's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking to bar ousted Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi from entering the state following his allegedly provocative utterances against Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
'Modi has to lead the BJP. There is no alternative,' a senior BJP leader tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
'If he loses Gujarat, then he has a major, major, problem coming up in 2024.'
Senior BJP leader and Patnagarh MLA KV Singh Deo and debutant from Nimapara assembly segment Pravati Parida took oath as deputy chief ministers.
'I don't think the Bharatiya Janata Party can claim any USP which was it is a party with a difference.'
Gandhi said the party will defeat the saffron party and Narendra Modi in Gujarat just the way it was defeated in Ayodhya.
A total of 87 constituencies spread over 15 districts from Saurashtra and south regions of the state will go for poll on December 13.
The BJP hopes to highlight the "insulting" Congress meme on social media that had described the PM as a 'chaiwala', reports Archis Mohan.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto for the state assembly elections, saying that it is a blueprint for development of all sections of the society.
Gujarat voters, spoilt for choice, are eagerly waiting to see what the BJP will offer them.
He also denied any links with the marble lobby of Rajasthan.
As Gujarat braces for an election this year, it would be interesting to see the donations received by the political parties in the state, and the list of candidates who have a criminal background, says Vicky Nanjappa
He also expressed gratitude to the people of the two states for the love they showered on him.
Exit polls on Monday predicted a big majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat while most of them gave an edge to it in Himachal Pradesh, indicating re-election of the ruling party in both states.
Former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta quit the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday after several decades of association with the party.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday started his three-day fast at the Gujarat University Convention Centre for "peace, harmony and unity in the state".
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