Gujarat Elections: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said anti-social elements earlier indulged in violence in Gujarat as the Congress supported them, but after the perpetrators were “taught a lesson” in 2002, they stopped such activities and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established “permanent peace” in the state. Meanwhile, three persons have been arrested for allegedly flying a camera-mounted drone near a venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Bavla village in Ahmedabad district, according to police. Flying of drones near the venue had been banned by the district collector for security reasons. The men were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 188 (violating official orders). Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases in December.
Also Read: Gujarat’s three-cornered battle: A test for Modi-Shah, and a throwback from 1990
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed four rallies for the second consecutive day in different parts of the state in support of ruling party candidates. Meanwhile, BJP leader Alpesh Thakor said that common Gujaratis, even backward classes, associate themselves with Hindutva and it cannot be disassociated from social justice.
Gujarat Elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Arvind Kejriwal, campaigning in Gujarat.
A surveillance team of the Election Commission has seized Rs 75 lakh in cash from a Maharashtra-registration car near Surat. The EC team, including police personnel, also detained two persons during the operation on Tuesday night.
While one of them is Delhi resident, another is a local man, said police inspector J B Chaudhary.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kuldeep Arya said the case was handed over to the Income Tax department for further investigation about the source and purpose of the cash. "Role of any particular political party has not emerged during our preliminary investigation," said Arya. (PTI)
Three persons were arrested on Thursday for allegedly flying a camera-mounted drone near a venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Bavla village in Ahmedabad district. Police said they were booked under section 188 of IPC (violating official orders). (PTI)
The Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), which is contesting 14 seats in the first phase, has four candidates (29 per cent) with declared criminal cases. A total seven per cent of its candidates have serious criminal cases this time.
The ruling BJP, which is also contesting all seats in the first phase of the election, has fielded 14 candidates with criminal records. Percentage-wise, such candidates account for 16 per cent of its total number and 12 per cent are facing serious charges: ADR report.
Congress, which has fielded 35 per cent of its candidates with criminal cases. Twenty per cent of such candidates are facing serious cases. The grand old party is contesting all 89 seats in the first phase and the number of candidates with criminal cases fielded by it is 31.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting 88 seats out of the total 89, tops this list among major political parties in the fray with 36 per cent of its candidates having criminal cases. Thirty per cent of its candidates are facing serious cases such as murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, among others, the ADR said in its report. The number of candidates having criminal cases fielded by the AAP is 32.
With this, 21 per cent of the candidates in fray have criminal cases against them, while 13 per cent are facing serious charges.
A total of 167 candidates, out of the 788 contesting the 89 seats in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly election, have criminal cases against them, with 100 of them facing serious charges like murder and rape, a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said on Thursday.
Kharge hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Narendra Modi instead of cursing the Congress, speak on the misrule of the BJP!
Why spoil the future of the children of Gujarat?
-Why is Gujarat ranked 29th among 30 states in malnourished, underweight children?
-Why is the infant mortality rate in 19th place?
This is the account of 27 years. Gujarat demands answers: Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his attack on the party during the campaign in Gujarat, saying that instead of cursing the Congress, he should speak about the BJP's "misrule" in the state.
In a very short span, we were able to solve the issues of water scarcity and electricity. Youngsters aged 20 to 25 years may not even know today how bad the situation was a few decades back: PM in Palanpur in Banaskantha district.
Time has come to take a giant leap now. And, I need your support to form a strong government in Gujarat. You don't have to tell me your issues because I grew up here and I very well understand those issues. I appeal to you to make the BJP victorious in all the seats of Banaskantha: PM Modi in Palanpur
This election is not about who will become an MLA or whose government will come. This election is all about deciding Gujarat's destiny for the next 25 years: PM Modi in Palanpur.
I just saw that his looks have also changed. I said in a TV interview a few days back that there is nothing wrong with his new look. But if you have to change the looks, at least make it like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel or even Jawaharlal Nehru will do. It is better if it looks like Gandhiji. But why is your face turning into Saddam Hussein?" This is because the Congress culture is not closer to Indian people. Their culture is closer to people who have never understood India: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma during a public rally in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. (PTI)
I would not even like to dignify this diatribe with my reaction. I think it is very important that we maintain the decorum of language in public and maintain some propriety. The CM of Assam unfortunately sounds like a petty troll when he articulates sentences of this type: Congress leader Manish Tewari said at a press conference in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Why the Congress never though of making an adivasi our President? It was the BJP which made a tribal person, that too a woman, our country's President for the first time and sent a message to the world: PM Modi in Dahod.
A person is conducting a foot-march to get back power. In his speech, he talks about tribals. I want to ask him, why the Congress did not support the BJP's woman tribal candidate in the presidential election? Instead, they fielded their own candidate to defeat her. Despite Congress' efforts" Murmu became President with the blessings of tribal people : PM Modi in Dahod
PM Modi addressed rallies in Dahod, Mehsana, Vadodara and Bhavnagar in support of BJP candidates on Wednesday.
Earlier, PM Modi was poll-bound Gujarat for three days - November 19, 20 and 21 - and addressed several meetings.
People have to pay bribes to get electricity connection in the Congress rule. To change the situation, we started reforms in the power sector by laying new transmission lines and setting up transformers. From just 5 lakh agricultural connections two decades back, Gujarat now has 20 lakh such electricity connections: PM Modi in Mehsana
Droughts were also common in those days. We (BJP) had put Gujarat on the path of prosperity amid natural calamities and using limited resources. In the past, water and electricity used to be the major issues during polls. Today, the opposition can't speak on these issues because such issues are resolved by us: Modi in Mehsana. (PTI)
Congress model means corruption, nepotism, dynastic politics, sectarianism and casteism. They are known for indulging in vote bank politics and creating rifts between people of different castes or even in different districts to be in power.
This model has ruined not just Gujarat but also India. This is the reason why we have to try hard today to take the country ahead. We (BJP) have never endorsed such a policy of favouritism and discrimination. That is the reason youths are reposing their trust in us: PM Modi in Mehsana.
I would like to ask the prime minister as to why he does not talk about development? Whenever there is an election, the issues affecting the public like unemployment, inflation, damage caused by COVID-19 or corruption are side-lined by the BJP: Tewari. (PTI)
"I was thinking that had such a tragedy occurred in any other state where more than 141 people died and more than 180 injured, would nobody have resigned, would nobody be held responsible?"
"Ticket sellers and those who worked on nut-bolts of the construction have been arrested. Why aren't those who were given the contract being arrested? This is because the government's arrogance has risen so much that it feels despite its atrocity and behaviour with the public, it will manage to return to power," says Tewari.
Gujarat's debt stood at Rs 2.98 lakh crore and its unemployment rate for youth in the 20-24 age group is 12.5 per cent, perhaps the highest in the country: Manish Tewari (PTI)
Tewari alleged that corruption was legitimised in Gujarat and the same model was being imposed on the country. "This legitimisation of corruption is dangerous for the country," said Tewari.
There cannot be a bigger proof of a government's inefficiency than the fact that the CMs were required to be shown the door. What will be the plight of (the current CM) is for the public to decide. There cannot be a bigger living example of governance failure than the fact that you have to change your chief ministers thrice: Congress leader Manish Tewari in Ahmedabad. (PTI)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held a roadshow at Tapi, Nijar.
We cannot forget the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, we cannot forget the contribution of Sardar Patel who united the country in one thread and today we cannot forget the contribution of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is making self-reliant: JP Nadda
At a poll rally in Mehsana on Wednesday, the PM said that the "Congress model" meant "corruption, nepotism, dynastic politics, sectarianism and casteism" and the party indulged in "vote bank politics", and added that the BJP never endorsed the policy of "favouritism and discrimination". A total of 1,621 candidates are in the fray for the 182 Gujarat Assembly seats.