The BJP is not taking the AAP challenge lightly. Amit Shah has cautioned party insiders to ensure that AAP does not cross a vote share of 24%. He has always seen AAP as a much more significant challenge than the Congress, observes Ramesh Menon, author, Modi Demystified: The Making Of A Prime Minister.
Modi and Shah addressed rallies away from the four major urban centres of Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot.
Vellore is one of the two seats that the DMK alliance won by the narrowest of margins in 2019. For the DMK's vote-score to be so low in a constituency with a substantial Muslim population has not missed the BJP strategists' eyes, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
In 2014 too, the Congress had lost all the 26 seats in Gujarat.
The poster war between Congress Vadodara candidate Madhusudan Mistry and the Bharatiya Janata Party refuses to die down as the saffron party has now demanded that the expenses of the exhibits carrying photos of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi with him should be included in his personal expenditure.
'Muslims know they cannot defeat the BJP, why then come in its firing range?' 'And they know, ultimately it is the BJP MLA who is going to get elected and only he or she can do their work.' 'The BJP may do a different kind of politics for Muslims, but when they sit in the chair they work for Muslims too.'
Addressing the Sena workers in Mumbai for the second consecutive day, he also said that doors of the state and party are closed for the rebels MLAs.
The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has come under fire following the Centre's announcement that Tata-Airbus C-295 transport aircraft project would be set up in Gujarat, with the opposition seeking to know why the project that was supposed to come up in Maharashtra went to the neighbouring state.
Will 'Bhaiyyaji', as Priyanka is called in UP, contest against Modi?
Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat assembly, Shankarsinh Waghela on Wednesday asked Prime Minister elect Narendra Modi to build a Ram temple at Ayodhya within the constitutional framework now that the Bharatiya Janata Party has got an absolute majority, in a speech that was blended with sarcasm and praise.
While some in the Congress were apprehensive that land grab allegations against her husband Robert Vadra could turn out to be Priyanka's Achilles heel, much of the BJP leadership opted not to bring up the issue at the current juncture.
Disappointed and angry Congress members are likely to train their guns on Rahul Gandhi's team of advisors for inept handling of the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign, says Rediff.com contributor Anita Katyal
In a strong attack on Adani group perceived to be close to Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi has said that land equal to the size of Vadodara and the Gujarat coastline of the size of Mumbai coastline had been given at throwaway prices.
The main contest is between the BJP, which has ruled the six corporations for last several terms, and the main opposition Congress.
Gandhi said that the BJP government has clearly mishandled the economy that was built by the United Progressive Alliance government, and is now resorting to selling the country's assets as a "last resort" to generate some money.
Voting is underway in three Lok Sabha and 33 assembly seats across 10 states where by-elections are being held on Saturday.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi could be in double trouble with Congress moving the Election Commission over his alleged "wrong" affidavits in the past on his marital status and government saying that a judge for the snoopgate probe will be named soon.
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee started their one-day visit to the flood-affected regions of Gujarat on Thursday morning.
His margin was just a shade lower than the 6.96 lakh record set by Pritam Munde in October 2014 when she won the by-election to Beed seat in Maharashtra after the untimely death of her father and former Union minister Gopinath Munde.
Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party will fight the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections in alliance with the Congress with an aim to dislodge the ruling Narendra Modi government.
In New Delhi, state Congress president Anil Kumar and party workers were detained by police at a petrol pump near Parmanand hospital.
As counting is on for 543 Lok Sabha, here's a look at where heavyweights in the fray and where they stand.
The ED had summoned Patel, 70, twice for questioning in the case but the Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat later cited prevailing COVID-19 guidelines that advises senior citizens to stay indoors in order to remain safe from the pandemic.
The well-known satirist, who has issued a statement saying his comments weren't intended to insult the country, found backing from Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra as well as Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor.
The counting will begin at 8 am, and as per the Election Commission's COVID-19 guidelines, a candidate, his poll agent and counting agent can remain present in the counting hall, officials said, adding various measures have been taken to ensure social distancing and avoid crowding.
During an interactive interview to the BBC Asian Network's new Hindi/Urdu show, Khan also criticised US president George Bush for his Iraq policy.
Stakes are high for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against the backdrop of Patel quota agitation while Congress is pinning on hopes to make a comeback.
The BJP has been blaming Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor and his outfit Gujarat Kshatriya-Thakor Sena for the outbreak of violence against Hindi-speaking people in the state.
The second highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. The worst mortality rate among states. A none too impressive recovery rate. Surely this doesn't speak highly of the famed Gujarat model, so what went wrong?
Protests broke out in some states on Friday, including Delhi's Jama Masjid and stone-petling at policemen in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj and Saharanpur, over the controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad by two now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries with demonstrators in Jharkhand injuring a few policemen while authorities in Jammu imposed a curfew in few areas and parts of Kashmir observed a shutdown.
Narendra Modi's mother washed utensils to make a living. Madhusudan Mistry's grandmother, who brought him up, was a vegetable vendor. Mistry's trajectory from poverty to membership of the all powerful Congress Working Committee is moving. the man who has Rahul Gandhi's ear and is all set to take on Narendra Modi in Vadodara, speaks to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt in a fascinating interview.
The Election Commission has issued a show cause notice to Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia for his reported remarks on the personal life of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and also for comparing him with animals and asked him to file his reply by November 24.
Congress Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Porbandar Vitthal Radadia has landed in a soup after being caught on camera brandishing a gun to threaten the employees of a toll plaza who dared him to show his identity card before waiving payment.
Manish Bhangale, a Vadodara hacker, filed a PIL against Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse over his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
"The Sangh had decided way back that it will work in the midst of men, and it has the right to decide this," RSS spokesperson Manmohan Vaidya said.
The video of the speech he made in Gujarati has gone viral.
When Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in Gujarat to cast his vote in the urban body polls, learnt of the poor voter, instead of heading home he went to the Motera stadium, organised a control room, and was on the phone with practically everybody assigned duty on the ground: MPs, MLAs and BJP office-bearers. His single commandment was to check the voter list and phone or personally get people to the booths, reports Radhika Ramaseshan.
The BJP is ahead in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar for which voting was held on Sunday.
All top ten candidates belong to the BJP.
"Serving the country is the main aim and becoming the Prime Minister could not be the sole motto. The PM's post is not the only job. There are many other things to do", he said, interacting with students in Vadodara.
