Katara is the third Congress MLA to resign in the last two days, after Mohansinh Rathwa and Bhagwan Barad.
In another jolt to the opposition Congress for 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 is set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Gujarat government has introduced the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2026, aiming to establish a common legal framework for marriage, divorce, succession, and live-in relationships, regardless of religion. This follows a similar move by Uttarakhand and excludes Scheduled Tribes and groups with protected customary rights.
Brijesh Merja is the third Congress MLA to have resigned since Wednesday and the eight since March.
A newly-elected Congress MLA on Friday passed away in a private hospital in Vadodara after suffering brain haemorrhage.
'Narendra Modi -- a man with deep and vital experience of Indian politics -- has seen the BJP lose many elections between 1975 and 2015, and with every defeat, he learned lessons that made sure he would never allow his party to be defeated so easily again.'
The Gujarat legislative assembly has unanimously passed a bill amending the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act, 2015, to remove terrorism-related provisions. This change aligns the state law with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which now comprehensively addresses terrorism, preventing overlap and ambiguity in legal proceedings.
The Gujarat assembly complex received a bomb threat via email during the budget session, leading to an evacuation and police investigation. The threat was later declared a hoax.
The BJP has taken an early lead in the Gujarat local body elections, winning a significant number of seats as counting progresses. The Congress trails behind, while Independents and other parties, including AAP and AIMIM, have also secured seats.
IPL 2026 final venue remains uncertain as political issues in Bengaluru force BCCI to consider alternative cities, with playoffs likely split between Punjab and Karnataka.
The incident took place on Saturday evening and a first information report (FIR) was registered at Khergam police station in the wee hours of Sunday in which Patel accused local BJP leader Babu Ahir, who is the district panchayat president, and his supporters of attacking him after being upset over a song sung in Patel's support at a garba event.
Modhwadia emphasised that he was not joining the BJP due to any coercion or allurement as claimed by the Congress.
The AAP government in Punjab successfully moved a Confidence Motion in the state assembly, following the defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserted the party's strength and national presence during the special session.
The BJP-led government in Bihar secured a vote of confidence in the state assembly, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary pledging economic development and significant investments. The motion was passed amidst heated debates and accusations between the ruling NDA and the opposition, highlighting political tensions and differing views on issues like women's reservation.
'If the BJP becomes our political identity, our political face, if we are represented by the BJP, then what happens to our identity as Bengalis?'
Union Home Minister Amit Shah pledged the BJP will recover funds allegedly stolen by the TMC in Bengal and promised development schemes for North Bengal, while attacking Mamata Banerjee's governance.
'The entire party is centred around one man and that is Arvind Kejriwal.' 'Till the time you are in Kejriwal's good books you are powerful. The day you are not with him, you are no one in the party.'
Earlier, another Congress legislator, Arjun Singh Kakodiya, had called Lord Shiva and Bajrangbali, or Lord Hanuman, tribals.
The Maharashtra assembly has passed the Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, introducing strict measures to prevent religious conversions through coercion, fraud, or marriage, sparking debate over constitutional rights and religious freedom.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat was unable to end its 18-year jinx in Visavadar as it lost the bypolls to Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party despite a strong campaign.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reshuffled his cabinet, inducting 19 new ministers and elevating Harsh Sanghavi to Deputy Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony took place on Friday, with several existing ministers continuing in their roles.
Two days after resigning from the Gujarat legislative assembly as a Congress legislator, Patidar community leader Harshad Ribadiya on Thursday joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Gandhinagar.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the central government of providing special treatment to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Mann's criticism comes after Union Minister Amit Shah spoke about gang activities in Punjab.
'The BJP will win comfortably if the Congress and AAP fight separately -- though not with 162 seats.' 'But if they form an alliance, it will become a major problem for the BJP. That's precisely why this expansion is happening now.'
'The BJP's top leadership realised that their cadres are not happy with them, so they changed the ministers and got in new faces.'
Within minutes of Gohil's announcement of the Congress' action, Der called a press conference at his residence, saying he was not aware when he was suspended by the party and announced he will join the BJP at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.
Aam Aadmi Party's Gopal Italia on Monday won from Gujarat's Visavadar assembly constituency and his party also retained Punjab's Ludhiana West seat while the Congress-led United Democratic Front wrested Nilambur from the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, according to results of assembly bypolls in four states.
Asked about the reason behind his action, Giletwala said he was served a show-cause notice by the Congress after publicly siding with Modi and hence did not wish to continue with the Congress
Congress workers stormed into the Gujarat party headquarters in Ahmedabad on Monday and burnt posters of senior leader Bharatsinh Solanki to protest against the party's decision to give a ticket to sitting MLA Imran Khedawala from his Jamalpur-Khadia seat in the city.
The move is seen as a prelude to Chavda's joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.
An OBC leader, Thakor, who has good oratory skills, will have to take along all factions in the state unit while taking on the well-organised BJP which has been in power in the state from 1998.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday detained Bahubali Shah, one of the owners of the leading Gujarati newspaper Gujarat Samachar, following a raid on their premises in Ahmedabad, sources said.
'What governments have been doing -- in civil service, journalism, business, everywhere -- is making it difficult to do the right thing.' 'Media now ask themselves: "Is it feasible for us to do this story? Will this make our life difficult?"' 'The government should make it easier for people to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing. Right now, it's the opposite.'
'Now there is no fight between us (Thackerays); now the fight is with them.'
'You don't have to lose your identity to be part of Congress. You can be who you are, as long as you believe in the core principle of strong citizenry and nation-building through that concept'
Shinde was speaking in the presence of Union Home Minister Ami Shah at the inauguration ceremony of the 'Jairaj Sports and Convention Centre' built by the Shree Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj in Pune's Kondhwa.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, was passed unanimously as besides the BJP MLAs, members of the Opposition Congress as well as the Aam Aadmi Party extended their support to it.
The ruling BJP and opposition Congress have together fielded sons of sitting and former MLAs in at least 20 of the total 182 constituencies.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised to revamp the party in Gujarat, vowing to defeat the BJP in the state. He acknowledged that Congress cadres are "demoralised" due to the party's long absence from power, but expressed confidence in their ability to defeat the BJP. Gandhi outlined a plan to strengthen district units, empower local leaders, and identify and remove inactive or "BJP-friendly" party members. He also emphasized the need to promote active grassroots workers and ensure a connection between the party organization and election candidates. He vowed to hold senior leaders accountable for their performance and promised to create a corpus fund for district units.
Just hours before voting in the second phase of Gujarat assembly polls on Monday, Congress sitting MLA Kanti Kharadi from Scheduled Tribes reserved Danta seat in Banaskantha district in North Gujarat has claimed that he was assaulted by the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ladhu Parghi.
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