News Analysis India

Tag: Gujarat polls

  • Why waste votes on Congress which doesn’t have development roadmap? PM Modi at Guj poll rally

    By PTI

    AMRELI (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to the people of Amreli district to not waste their votes on Congress as it doesn’t have the roadmap for development and instead choose BJP in the next month’s Gujarat Assembly elections.

    Addressing a rally in Amreli town in Saurashtra region on the second day of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, the prime minister said the Opposition party can never do anything good for the region.

    Notably, Congress had won all five Assembly segments in Amreli district – Dhari, Amreli, Lathi, Savarkundla and Rajula – in the 2017 elections whereas the BJP drew a blank.

    “The BJP government did several works to strengthen Gujarat. Now, it is time to take a giant leap. And, Congress does not have the capacity to do that. The Opposition party can never do anything good for you,” the prime minister said.

    “You cannot expect a Congress leader to take you on the path of development, ask any Congress leader what is the roadmap for development and they do not have any plan,” he said.

    The prime minister said the people of Amreli had elected Congress candidates in the previous elections with very high hopes from that party.

    “Now tell me what did they do for you (during these five years)? Do you remember at least one work done by them? Then why are you wasting your votes on them? To strengthen Amreli, I urge you to choose lotus (BJP) this time,” said the PM.

    He listed several government schemes which he said benefited all sections of society including farmers.

    “Under the ‘PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ scheme, Gujarat’s 60 lakh farmers have received Rs 12,000 crore. You can’t expect such things from Congress. Just ask any Congress leader what is the roadmap for development and they will be clueless,” said Modi.

    AMRELI (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to the people of Amreli district to not waste their votes on Congress as it doesn’t have the roadmap for development and instead choose BJP in the next month’s Gujarat Assembly elections.

    Addressing a rally in Amreli town in Saurashtra region on the second day of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, the prime minister said the Opposition party can never do anything good for the region.

    Notably, Congress had won all five Assembly segments in Amreli district – Dhari, Amreli, Lathi, Savarkundla and Rajula – in the 2017 elections whereas the BJP drew a blank.

    “The BJP government did several works to strengthen Gujarat. Now, it is time to take a giant leap. And, Congress does not have the capacity to do that. The Opposition party can never do anything good for you,” the prime minister said.

    “You cannot expect a Congress leader to take you on the path of development, ask any Congress leader what is the roadmap for development and they do not have any plan,” he said.

    The prime minister said the people of Amreli had elected Congress candidates in the previous elections with very high hopes from that party.

    “Now tell me what did they do for you (during these five years)? Do you remember at least one work done by them? Then why are you wasting your votes on them? To strengthen Amreli, I urge you to choose lotus (BJP) this time,” said the PM.

    He listed several government schemes which he said benefited all sections of society including farmers.

    “Under the ‘PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ scheme, Gujarat’s 60 lakh farmers have received Rs 12,000 crore. You can’t expect such things from Congress. Just ask any Congress leader what is the roadmap for development and they will be clueless,” said Modi.

  • EWS quota resolved many issues of Patels, community standing with BJP this time: Hardik Patel

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The Centre’s decision of 10 per cent EWS reservation without disturbing the existing quota resolved many issues of the Patels in Gujarat and the community will ensure the BJP’s massive victory in the upcoming assembly polls, party leader Hardik Patel said.

    The spearhead of the 2015 Patidar quota stir said the agitation had directly impacted nearly 20 assembly segments in the 2017 Gujarat election.

    He had supported the Congress during the 2017 polls.

    The Centre in January 2019 implemented the 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections (EWS) from the general category by amending the Constitution.

    It also issued instructions for increasing the total number of seats in academic institutions to provide EWS reservations without adversely affecting the proportionate seats of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) categories.

    Earlier this month, the Supreme Court in a 3:2 majority decision upheld the 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in admissions and government jobs that excluded the poor among the SCs, STs, and OBCs.

    “Patidars are united and have decided to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the 2017 elections, the issue was different. The 10 per cent EWS quota has extended reservation benefits for the poor and the deprived from other sections while including the Patels of Gujarat. This time, the Patels will ensure that BJP gets a massive majority,” Patel told PTI in an interview.

    He hailed Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, and termed his decision on the EWS quota “historic”.

    It will benefit the poor from more than 50 communities, he said.

    ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu parties turn down 10 per cent EWS quota amendment

    “It (EWS reservation) will immensely benefit the BJP. Last time, the Patidar agitation impacted nearly 20 seats directly and had an indirect effect on many other seats. But now, not only Patels but many communities will get reservation benefits,” Patel said.

    About the impact of AAP’s foray into Gujarat assembly polls, Patel did not see the Arvind Kejriwal-led party posing many challenges to the BJP.

    For him, the Congress is the nearest rival though a distant second in the polls.

    “The AAP is free to contest elections. But it has hurt the religious sentiments of the people of Gujarat with its leader’s remarks against Lord Vishnu and Mahesh. It is fighting the Congress for the same space but as of now it appears the Congress will be a distant second in the elections,” he said.

    On his leaving the Congress to join the BJP, Patel said his issues have been resolved and he was always “BJP-minded and ideologically closer to Hindutva and nationalism”.

    The 29-year-old Hardik Patel rose to prominence as the face of the Patidar agitation in Gujarat between 2015 and 2016.

    He joined the Congress in 2020 and served as its Gujarat unit working president.

    Earlier this year, he crossed over to the BJP which fielded him from the Viramgam constituency in Ahmedabad.

    Party leaders have been calling him a “fighter leader”.

    When asked about chief ministers changing in Gujarat, Hardik said BJP is the party of the entire Gujarati society and “it gives representation to every caste at the appropriate time”.

    “The people of Gujarat have full faith in the BJP. They embrace all its decisions and look at Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah while voting for the party,” he said.

    AHMEDABAD: The Centre’s decision of 10 per cent EWS reservation without disturbing the existing quota resolved many issues of the Patels in Gujarat and the community will ensure the BJP’s massive victory in the upcoming assembly polls, party leader Hardik Patel said.

    The spearhead of the 2015 Patidar quota stir said the agitation had directly impacted nearly 20 assembly segments in the 2017 Gujarat election.

    He had supported the Congress during the 2017 polls.

    The Centre in January 2019 implemented the 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker sections (EWS) from the general category by amending the Constitution.

    It also issued instructions for increasing the total number of seats in academic institutions to provide EWS reservations without adversely affecting the proportionate seats of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) categories.

    Earlier this month, the Supreme Court in a 3:2 majority decision upheld the 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) in admissions and government jobs that excluded the poor among the SCs, STs, and OBCs.

    “Patidars are united and have decided to back Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the 2017 elections, the issue was different. The 10 per cent EWS quota has extended reservation benefits for the poor and the deprived from other sections while including the Patels of Gujarat. This time, the Patels will ensure that BJP gets a massive majority,” Patel told PTI in an interview.

    He hailed Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, and termed his decision on the EWS quota “historic”.

    It will benefit the poor from more than 50 communities, he said.

    ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu parties turn down 10 per cent EWS quota amendment

    “It (EWS reservation) will immensely benefit the BJP. Last time, the Patidar agitation impacted nearly 20 seats directly and had an indirect effect on many other seats. But now, not only Patels but many communities will get reservation benefits,” Patel said.

    About the impact of AAP’s foray into Gujarat assembly polls, Patel did not see the Arvind Kejriwal-led party posing many challenges to the BJP.

    For him, the Congress is the nearest rival though a distant second in the polls.

    “The AAP is free to contest elections. But it has hurt the religious sentiments of the people of Gujarat with its leader’s remarks against Lord Vishnu and Mahesh. It is fighting the Congress for the same space but as of now it appears the Congress will be a distant second in the elections,” he said.

    On his leaving the Congress to join the BJP, Patel said his issues have been resolved and he was always “BJP-minded and ideologically closer to Hindutva and nationalism”.

    The 29-year-old Hardik Patel rose to prominence as the face of the Patidar agitation in Gujarat between 2015 and 2016.

    He joined the Congress in 2020 and served as its Gujarat unit working president.

    Earlier this year, he crossed over to the BJP which fielded him from the Viramgam constituency in Ahmedabad.

    Party leaders have been calling him a “fighter leader”.

    When asked about chief ministers changing in Gujarat, Hardik said BJP is the party of the entire Gujarati society and “it gives representation to every caste at the appropriate time”.

    “The people of Gujarat have full faith in the BJP. They embrace all its decisions and look at Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah while voting for the party,” he said.

  • Gujarat polls: Rahul Gandhi to address public rallies in Rajkot, Surat on Monday

    By PTI

    RAJKOT: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Rajkot as well as Mahuva in Surat in poll-bound Gujarat on November 21, a party leader said on Saturday.

    Gandhi is currently leading the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is traversing Maharashtra and is poised to enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    The former Congress president will be in Rajkot and Mahuva in south Gujarat to address public rallies on November 21, Rajasthan MLA and Congress’s Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma told reporters.

    Speaking on the Yatra, he said the nationwide march has covered 2,000 kilometres so far and has been organised as per the decision taken at the ‘navsankalp shivir’ in Rajasthan’s Udaipur against the “environment of fear, hatred and violence prevailing in the country”.

    Incidentally, Gandhi will be visiting Gujarat after two-and-half months.

    He had addressed a rally of booth-level workers in Ahmedabad on September 5, before moving on to lead the Yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    Gujarat will see two-phase Assembly polls on December 1 and 5, while votes will be counted on December 8.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking the seventh straight term, is pitted against Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party that has promised a slew of measures, or “guarantees” if it wins the polls.

    The BJP won the 2017 polls for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly by a narrow margin after winning 99 seats against Congress’ improved tally of 77.ALSO READ | PM Modi to address rallies in poll-bound Gujarat for two days

    RAJKOT: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Rajkot as well as Mahuva in Surat in poll-bound Gujarat on November 21, a party leader said on Saturday.

    Gandhi is currently leading the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is traversing Maharashtra and is poised to enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    The former Congress president will be in Rajkot and Mahuva in south Gujarat to address public rallies on November 21, Rajasthan MLA and Congress’s Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma told reporters.

    Speaking on the Yatra, he said the nationwide march has covered 2,000 kilometres so far and has been organised as per the decision taken at the ‘navsankalp shivir’ in Rajasthan’s Udaipur against the “environment of fear, hatred and violence prevailing in the country”.

    Incidentally, Gandhi will be visiting Gujarat after two-and-half months.

    He had addressed a rally of booth-level workers in Ahmedabad on September 5, before moving on to lead the Yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    Gujarat will see two-phase Assembly polls on December 1 and 5, while votes will be counted on December 8.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking the seventh straight term, is pitted against Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party that has promised a slew of measures, or “guarantees” if it wins the polls.

    The BJP won the 2017 polls for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly by a narrow margin after winning 99 seats against Congress’ improved tally of 77.ALSO READ | PM Modi to address rallies in poll-bound Gujarat for two days

  • Gujarat polls: Daily wager contesting as independent deposits Rs 10,000 to EC in one rupee coins

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: A daily wage worker whose slum colony in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar was razed in 2019 to make way for a hotel, raised Rs 10,000 in Re 1 coins from his supporters and deposited that amount with the Election Commission so that he can contest the next month’s Assembly polls.

    Mahendra Patni, who is fighting the election from the Gandhinagar North seat as an independent candidate, paid the security deposit in coins earlier this week.

    He said the displaced residents of 521 huts in a slum near Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar that were demolished three years ago, asked him to contest the election as their representative.

    Patni was one of the residents of the slum which was twice displaced, first in 2010 when the government constructed the Dandi Kutir museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi not far from the hotel and then in 2019 when slum-dwellers were again forced to shift to a nearby area so that the hotel can be constructed on the land.

    “I am contesting as an independent. I belong to a family of labourers and make my living as a daily wager. There were 521 huts which were razed to make way for a big hotel. Many of them were rendered jobless. We shifted to a nearby area, but have no water or electricity supply,” he said.

    Aggrieved by the government’s apathy, the residents of the slums as well as other daily wagers in the area collected Rs 10,000 in Re 1 coin and offered the money to him so that he can pay it as a security deposit to contest the upcoming election, he said.

    “Before being displaced, we had electricity in our slum. After we were forced to relocate to another area near the hotel, there is no water or electricity and no politician comes to our aid,” Patni said.

    He said the local authorities were forcing them to leave their current place as well.

    “When elections are round the corner, some government representatives and politicians visit and give us some assurance which they conveniently forget later. This has been going on since the 1990s,” the independent candidate said.

    He said he is being supported by the people who want just a few demands fulfilled from the government.

    “If the government fulfils our demands, then I have no interest in contesting the election. We want the government to provide us with a permanent space to live in so we do not have to face another displacement,” he said. 

    “We also demand from the government to address the issue of regular harassment that daily wagers are subject to by civic authorities. They seize carts used for running a small business and make poor people shell out Rs 2,500-3,000 to release them. This should stop,” he said.

    Patni said there should also be a BPL list of slum residents so that those who are taken by contractors for jobs in government offices get a permanent job and a proper salary and middlemen are removed.

    Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases – December 1 and 5 – and ballots will be counted on December 8.

    AHMEDABAD: A daily wage worker whose slum colony in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar was razed in 2019 to make way for a hotel, raised Rs 10,000 in Re 1 coins from his supporters and deposited that amount with the Election Commission so that he can contest the next month’s Assembly polls.

    Mahendra Patni, who is fighting the election from the Gandhinagar North seat as an independent candidate, paid the security deposit in coins earlier this week.

    He said the displaced residents of 521 huts in a slum near Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar that were demolished three years ago, asked him to contest the election as their representative.

    Patni was one of the residents of the slum which was twice displaced, first in 2010 when the government constructed the Dandi Kutir museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi not far from the hotel and then in 2019 when slum-dwellers were again forced to shift to a nearby area so that the hotel can be constructed on the land.

    “I am contesting as an independent. I belong to a family of labourers and make my living as a daily wager. There were 521 huts which were razed to make way for a big hotel. Many of them were rendered jobless. We shifted to a nearby area, but have no water or electricity supply,” he said.

    Aggrieved by the government’s apathy, the residents of the slums as well as other daily wagers in the area collected Rs 10,000 in Re 1 coin and offered the money to him so that he can pay it as a security deposit to contest the upcoming election, he said.

    “Before being displaced, we had electricity in our slum. After we were forced to relocate to another area near the hotel, there is no water or electricity and no politician comes to our aid,” Patni said.

    He said the local authorities were forcing them to leave their current place as well.

    “When elections are round the corner, some government representatives and politicians visit and give us some assurance which they conveniently forget later. This has been going on since the 1990s,” the independent candidate said.

    He said he is being supported by the people who want just a few demands fulfilled from the government.

    “If the government fulfils our demands, then I have no interest in contesting the election. We want the government to provide us with a permanent space to live in so we do not have to face another displacement,” he said. 

    “We also demand from the government to address the issue of regular harassment that daily wagers are subject to by civic authorities. They seize carts used for running a small business and make poor people shell out Rs 2,500-3,000 to release them. This should stop,” he said.

    Patni said there should also be a BPL list of slum residents so that those who are taken by contractors for jobs in government offices get a permanent job and a proper salary and middlemen are removed.

    Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases – December 1 and 5 – and ballots will be counted on December 8.

  • Gujarat polls: EC removes General Observer from duty for posting pictures on social media

    By ANI

    GANDHINAGAR: IAS Abhishek Singh, who was appointed as the General Observer for two constituencies in Ahmedabad – Bapunagar and Asarwa has been removed from the election duty by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for flaunting his recent posting as Observer on his social media account on Friday.

    IAS Abhishek Singh’s charge has been given to IAS Krishan Bajpai, who is also appointed as the General Observer for other nearby constituencies, till a general observer is appointed in place of Singh by ECI.

    Ajay Bhatt, Joint Chief Electoral Officer told ANI, “Abhishek Singh has been removed for his post on Instagram and Krishan Bajpai has been given charge until a general observer is appointed.”

    On his social media, Singh posted a picture of him standing next to the official vehicle, which reads “Election Commission of India Observer” on the plate in front.

    IAS Krishan Bajpai will be in charge of the two constituencies which were earlier under Singh’s observation, namely Bapunagar and Asarwa till a new observer is appointed by the Election Commission and takes charge.

    The state of Gujarat which has 182 assembly constituencies will go for polling in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will occur on December 8, which coincides with Himachal Pradesh’s result date.

    Gujarat where the ruling party which has been in power for over 27 years will be seeking its seventh term in office.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been Gujarat’s longest-serving chief minister from 2001 till 2014.

    The state has been a BJP stronghold for a long and the party has set its sights on returning to power with a handsome majority this time as well.

    However, it faces a stiff electoral challenge from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has named Isudan Gadhvi as its chief ministerial candidate.

    Congress is also hoping to put its best electoral foot forward to unseat the BJP government. 

    GANDHINAGAR: IAS Abhishek Singh, who was appointed as the General Observer for two constituencies in Ahmedabad – Bapunagar and Asarwa has been removed from the election duty by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for flaunting his recent posting as Observer on his social media account on Friday.

    IAS Abhishek Singh’s charge has been given to IAS Krishan Bajpai, who is also appointed as the General Observer for other nearby constituencies, till a general observer is appointed in place of Singh by ECI.

    Ajay Bhatt, Joint Chief Electoral Officer told ANI, “Abhishek Singh has been removed for his post on Instagram and Krishan Bajpai has been given charge until a general observer is appointed.”

    On his social media, Singh posted a picture of him standing next to the official vehicle, which reads “Election Commission of India Observer” on the plate in front.

    IAS Krishan Bajpai will be in charge of the two constituencies which were earlier under Singh’s observation, namely Bapunagar and Asarwa till a new observer is appointed by the Election Commission and takes charge.

    The state of Gujarat which has 182 assembly constituencies will go for polling in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will occur on December 8, which coincides with Himachal Pradesh’s result date.

    Gujarat where the ruling party which has been in power for over 27 years will be seeking its seventh term in office.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been Gujarat’s longest-serving chief minister from 2001 till 2014.

    The state has been a BJP stronghold for a long and the party has set its sights on returning to power with a handsome majority this time as well.

    However, it faces a stiff electoral challenge from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has named Isudan Gadhvi as its chief ministerial candidate.

    Congress is also hoping to put its best electoral foot forward to unseat the BJP government. 

  • Gujarat: AAP’s candidates in Surat held at hotel after ‘Kidnapped’ candidate withdrew nomination

    Express News Service

    AHMEDABAD: The last-moment withdrawal of Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala has rung an alarm bell for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Following the incident, the AAP on Thursday called Surat’s 11 candidates to a hotel on the pretext of a meeting and did not allow them to move out of the hotel until the time limit for withdrawing the form expired.

    The Punjab team was actively engaged with Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates for Surat city and other districts since early morning today. All candidates were taken out of the Surat District limit. All the candidates for AAP were called to one place by the Punjab team and then they were taken out of the city.

    Preparations were made in advance so that no one can contact them and no candidate is pressured by other political parties and threatened to withdraw their nomination papers.

    A leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, on condition of anonymity, said that “we were gathered at a place early this morning. In which the candidates of different assemblies were called for a meeting. From there We were then taken to a hotel outside the city.”

    “We and all Gujarat has seen which kind of dirty game the Bharatiya Janata Party played on Thursday, and the kind of intimidation that was given to our candidate’s family and Kanchan Jariwala, our party planned to take us out so that no one pressures us. We have had a conversation with our leaders. After the time for withdrawal of nomination papers was over, we were brought back from where we were taken outside the city,” he said.READ | Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    However, Aam Aadmi Party’s spokesperson Yogesh Jadvani claimed that no such incident happened and said, “No such incident happened, it is our daily work, we have daily meetings, we hold a training session every day, besides if there is any guideline issued by our Party, then we have a meeting for that, but peoplehave misrepresented our daily meeting or taken it somewhere else.”

    “We have routine meetings every day, and none of our candidates has gone out of the city,” he added.

    Importantly, amid high drama, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala on Wednesday announced his withdrawal from the poll race. Still, the party alleged he was forced to do so by BJP who had kidnapped him the previous day.

    On Friday Election Commission clarify that AAP candidate Kanchan Jariwala from Surat(East), has withdrawn the form after coming to the Returning Officers (RO) office, EC has asked for a report about the incident, and the report has come with video evidence that from has been withdrawn in the presence of RO officer, AAP filed a complaint before the Election Commission.ALSO READ | Withdraw or else face action, Gujarat BJP warns rebels

    AHMEDABAD: The last-moment withdrawal of Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala has rung an alarm bell for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Following the incident, the AAP on Thursday called Surat’s 11 candidates to a hotel on the pretext of a meeting and did not allow them to move out of the hotel until the time limit for withdrawing the form expired.

    The Punjab team was actively engaged with Aam Aadmi Party’s candidates for Surat city and other districts since early morning today. All candidates were taken out of the Surat District limit. All the candidates for AAP were called to one place by the Punjab team and then they were taken out of the city.

    Preparations were made in advance so that no one can contact them and no candidate is pressured by other political parties and threatened to withdraw their nomination papers.

    A leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, on condition of anonymity, said that “we were gathered at a place early this morning. In which the candidates of different assemblies were called for a meeting. From there We were then taken to a hotel outside the city.”

    “We and all Gujarat has seen which kind of dirty game the Bharatiya Janata Party played on Thursday, and the kind of intimidation that was given to our candidate’s family and Kanchan Jariwala, our party planned to take us out so that no one pressures us. We have had a conversation with our leaders. After the time for withdrawal of nomination papers was over, we were brought back from where we were taken outside the city,” he said.READ | Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    However, Aam Aadmi Party’s spokesperson Yogesh Jadvani claimed that no such incident happened and said, “No such incident happened, it is our daily work, we have daily meetings, we hold a training session every day, besides if there is any guideline issued by our Party, then we have a meeting for that, but people
    have misrepresented our daily meeting or taken it somewhere else.”

    “We have routine meetings every day, and none of our candidates has gone out of the city,” he added.

    Importantly, amid high drama, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat (East) candidate Kanchan Jariwala on Wednesday announced his withdrawal from the poll race. Still, the party alleged he was forced to do so by BJP who had kidnapped him the previous day.

    On Friday Election Commission clarify that AAP candidate Kanchan Jariwala from Surat(East), has withdrawn the form after coming to the Returning Officers (RO) office, EC has asked for a report about the incident, and the report has come with video evidence that from has been withdrawn in the presence of RO officer, AAP filed a complaint before the Election Commission.ALSO READ | Withdraw or else face action, Gujarat BJP warns rebels

  • Gujarat: Parties extensively use social media to connect with voters, run poll campaigns 

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Teams of thousands of workers and volunteers are keeping the social media pages of different political parties abuzz like a well-oiled machine to run campaigns and garner support of target voters for the next month’s Assembly elections in Gujarat. 

    If the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) relies on its established network of followers on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are using popular messaging platform WhatsApp extensively to reach out to voters on the grassroots level.

    BJP’s social media campaigns are focused on highlighting the achievements of the party-led government in Gujarat during the last two decades.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi served as Gujarat CM from 2001 to 2014.

    The saffron outfit is also tapping into the emotive issue of Gujarati pride through the newly-launched campaign “Aa Gujarat Me Banavyu Chhe (I have created this Gujarat).

    The Congress, on the other hand, is harking back to the era when it ruled the state, the contributions its governments made for development of the state and how the BJP has done nothing in its 27 years of rule, a party office-bearer told PTI.

    The AAP has created a narrative around the party’s numerous “guarantees” announced by its national convener Arvind Kejriwal during his poll campaigns in the state and is relying extensively on WhatsApp to connect with voters, a party functionary said.

    Manan Dani, social media co-in-charge of the BJP, said, “We have run five campaigns so far, and we will be running a few more in the coming days. We keep changing our campaigns every week to present something new to the people.”

    He said the party started the 2022 Gujarat Assembly poll campaign around six months back with the tagline in local language – “20 Varas No Viswas, 20 Varas No Vikas” (trust and development of the last 20 years).

    The ruling party has run campaigns like “Modiji Na Suwarn 20 Saal (20 golden years of Modi)”, “Vande Bharat”, “Aa Gujarat Main Banayu Chhe”, “BJP etle Bharoso (BJP means trust)” among others, in the run-up to the election, Dani told PTI.

    The Gujarat BJP uses more than 15 applications in its voter outreach drives.

    The saffron party has over 35 lakh followers on Facebook, 57.8 lakh on Instagram, 1.5 million on Twitter and 45,600 on YouTube.

    As against this, the Congress has 7 lakh followers on Facebook, 64.3 lakh on Instagram, 1,64,000 on Twitter and 8,91,000 on YouTube. The AAP has 5.67 lakh followers on Facebook, 1.17 lakh followers on Instagram.

    While the state AAP does not have a separate YouTube page, it relies on its national YouTube page which has 42.3 lakh followers.

    The BJP has a team of more than 20,000 workers and more than 60,000 volunteers running its social media campaigns, Dani said.

    Congress Social Media Department chairman Keyur Shah told PTI the party has drawn up a strategy to run a targeted campaign, that is, making pages on social media platforms that are specific to particular Assembly seats and communities, to raise issues that affect people of that particular constituency.

    The party is relying heavily on WhatsApp to run its campaign and target voters at grassroots level, he said.

    “We have formed around 50,000 WhatsApp groups at booth and village levels. These include booth-level workers, but also social community-wise groups for different seats. We have groups of Thakor, Patidar, Adivasi communities. We put targeted content on these groups,” Shah explained.

    The Congress functionary said the opposition party is highlighting “failures” of BJP governments in Gujarat.

    “People want to know what the previous Congress governments did for them, and how nothing new was added by the successive BJP governments.”

    Congress nu kaam bole chhe (works of Congress speak for themselves)” is the central campaign theme for the party.

    “The party hired agencies to create content. Apart from party officials, 10,000-12,000 volunteers are working round the clock for the organisation at local levels,” Shah said.

    The AAP’s social media campaigns rely heavily on volunteers consisting of young college students and professionals, said Dr Safin Hasan, social media in-charge of the party in Gujarat. WhatsApp remains the major focus of the party for social media campaigns, he said.

    The Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit has a core team of 25 youngsters to look after its social media campaigns.

    Apart from this, the AAP has around 20,000 ‘social media warriors’ who are not necessarily full-time party workers but support it on different platforms by helping run campaigns and spread its messages, Hasan said.

    “We have created thousands of WhatsApp groups. We are spreading our agenda, party vision, manifesto, guarantees, and activities on the ground using WhatsApp extensively. We have multi-level groups at Assembly constituency and village levels,” he said.

    Facebook page of Isudan Gadhvi, the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate, is doing better than other parties in Gujarat, Hasan claimed.

    “We are a party with very limited resources and therefore we rely heavily on volunteers. We have strengthened volunteers at village level by providing them training on how to use social media platforms,” said the AAP functionary.

    Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases – December 1 and 5 – and ballots will be counted on December 8.

    AHMEDABAD: Teams of thousands of workers and volunteers are keeping the social media pages of different political parties abuzz like a well-oiled machine to run campaigns and garner support of target voters for the next month’s Assembly elections in Gujarat. 

    If the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) relies on its established network of followers on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are using popular messaging platform WhatsApp extensively to reach out to voters on the grassroots level.

    BJP’s social media campaigns are focused on highlighting the achievements of the party-led government in Gujarat during the last two decades.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi served as Gujarat CM from 2001 to 2014.

    The saffron outfit is also tapping into the emotive issue of Gujarati pride through the newly-launched campaign “Aa Gujarat Me Banavyu Chhe (I have created this Gujarat).

    The Congress, on the other hand, is harking back to the era when it ruled the state, the contributions its governments made for development of the state and how the BJP has done nothing in its 27 years of rule, a party office-bearer told PTI.

    The AAP has created a narrative around the party’s numerous “guarantees” announced by its national convener Arvind Kejriwal during his poll campaigns in the state and is relying extensively on WhatsApp to connect with voters, a party functionary said.

    Manan Dani, social media co-in-charge of the BJP, said, “We have run five campaigns so far, and we will be running a few more in the coming days. We keep changing our campaigns every week to present something new to the people.”

    He said the party started the 2022 Gujarat Assembly poll campaign around six months back with the tagline in local language – “20 Varas No Viswas, 20 Varas No Vikas” (trust and development of the last 20 years).

    The ruling party has run campaigns like “Modiji Na Suwarn 20 Saal (20 golden years of Modi)”, “Vande Bharat”, “Aa Gujarat Main Banayu Chhe”, “BJP etle Bharoso (BJP means trust)” among others, in the run-up to the election, Dani told PTI.

    The Gujarat BJP uses more than 15 applications in its voter outreach drives.

    The saffron party has over 35 lakh followers on Facebook, 57.8 lakh on Instagram, 1.5 million on Twitter and 45,600 on YouTube.

    As against this, the Congress has 7 lakh followers on Facebook, 64.3 lakh on Instagram, 1,64,000 on Twitter and 8,91,000 on YouTube. The AAP has 5.67 lakh followers on Facebook, 1.17 lakh followers on Instagram.

    While the state AAP does not have a separate YouTube page, it relies on its national YouTube page which has 42.3 lakh followers.

    The BJP has a team of more than 20,000 workers and more than 60,000 volunteers running its social media campaigns, Dani said.

    Congress Social Media Department chairman Keyur Shah told PTI the party has drawn up a strategy to run a targeted campaign, that is, making pages on social media platforms that are specific to particular Assembly seats and communities, to raise issues that affect people of that particular constituency.

    The party is relying heavily on WhatsApp to run its campaign and target voters at grassroots level, he said.

    “We have formed around 50,000 WhatsApp groups at booth and village levels. These include booth-level workers, but also social community-wise groups for different seats. We have groups of Thakor, Patidar, Adivasi communities. We put targeted content on these groups,” Shah explained.

    The Congress functionary said the opposition party is highlighting “failures” of BJP governments in Gujarat.

    “People want to know what the previous Congress governments did for them, and how nothing new was added by the successive BJP governments.”

    Congress nu kaam bole chhe (works of Congress speak for themselves)” is the central campaign theme for the party.

    “The party hired agencies to create content. Apart from party officials, 10,000-12,000 volunteers are working round the clock for the organisation at local levels,” Shah said.

    The AAP’s social media campaigns rely heavily on volunteers consisting of young college students and professionals, said Dr Safin Hasan, social media in-charge of the party in Gujarat. WhatsApp remains the major focus of the party for social media campaigns, he said.

    The Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit has a core team of 25 youngsters to look after its social media campaigns.

    Apart from this, the AAP has around 20,000 ‘social media warriors’ who are not necessarily full-time party workers but support it on different platforms by helping run campaigns and spread its messages, Hasan said.

    “We have created thousands of WhatsApp groups. We are spreading our agenda, party vision, manifesto, guarantees, and activities on the ground using WhatsApp extensively. We have multi-level groups at Assembly constituency and village levels,” he said.

    Facebook page of Isudan Gadhvi, the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate, is doing better than other parties in Gujarat, Hasan claimed.

    “We are a party with very limited resources and therefore we rely heavily on volunteers. We have strengthened volunteers at village level by providing them training on how to use social media platforms,” said the AAP functionary.

    Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases – December 1 and 5 – and ballots will be counted on December 8.

  • Gujarat: Denied seat in Assembly polls BJP workers file independent nominations

    Express News Service

    AHMEDABAD: Admitting that more than one BJP ticket seeker has filed a nomination in spite of the party’s refusal to field them, Gujarat BJP president Chandrakanta Patil on Friday threatened adequate action against them in case they don’t withdraw their nominations within the stipulated time.

    Speaking to the media, Gujarat BJP President CR Patil pointed out that for 182 seats, as many as 4100 aspirants had sought tickets from BJP and it is only natural that that denied tickets will be unhappy. However, Patil exuded confidence that the workers will beat the frustration and gear up to work for the party.

    Underlining that three or four candidates have indeed filed their nomination papers despite the party mandate being otherwise, Patil said that if they fail to withdraw their candidature within the specified timeframe, BJP will initiate adequate action against them.

    ALSO READ | Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    The resentment against the party’s list of candidates has been raging within BJP in Gujarat since the announcement of the first list and despite efforts of the senior party leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the discontent has shown no sign of waning.

    On Thursday at least four former members of the assembly denied party diktat and filed their nominations as independent candidates.

    Allegedly ‘insulted’ over the denial of the ticket by the saffron party, the controversial strongman of Waghodia and six terms MLA Madhu Shrivastava severed his ties with the party and went on to file his nominations on Thursday.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat polls: Nadda, Union ministers, CMs to address 89 BJP rallies on Friday

    BJP had replaced Shrivastava with Ashwin Patel, much to the chagrin of Shrivastava and his supporters.

    While the top leadership of the state unit left no stone unturned to mollycoddle Shrivastava, he denied them any audience and stuck to his guns.

    Apart from Shrivastava, in Padra, two terms MLA Dinesh Patel too defied party directives and jumped into the poll fray as an independent candidate as did Mavji Desai, the former Vice Chairman of Banas Dairy and Chairman of Deesa APMC at Dhanera in North Gujarat.

    A close aide of OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, Dhavalsinh Zala also followed the same trajectory blaming intra-party factionalism for his actions.

    Defying BJP’s 75-year age criteria, Seven times MLA from Manjalpur in Vadodara, Yogesh Patel (76) too filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the constituency on Thursday before the party formally announced its candidate for the seat.

    While the top leaders of BJP have been trying to resolve the candidate issue for Manjalpur for a long time, till the filing of the story Manjalpur remains the lone seat in Gujarat for which the BJP hasn’t formally announced its candidate. 

    AHMEDABAD: Admitting that more than one BJP ticket seeker has filed a nomination in spite of the party’s refusal to field them, Gujarat BJP president Chandrakanta Patil on Friday threatened adequate action against them in case they don’t withdraw their nominations within the stipulated time.

    Speaking to the media, Gujarat BJP President CR Patil pointed out that for 182 seats, as many as 4100 aspirants had sought tickets from BJP and it is only natural that that denied tickets will be unhappy. However, Patil exuded confidence that the workers will beat the frustration and gear up to work for the party.

    Underlining that three or four candidates have indeed filed their nomination papers despite the party mandate being otherwise, Patil said that if they fail to withdraw their candidature within the specified timeframe, BJP will initiate adequate action against them.

    ALSO READ | Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    The resentment against the party’s list of candidates has been raging within BJP in Gujarat since the announcement of the first list and despite efforts of the senior party leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the discontent has shown no sign of waning.

    On Thursday at least four former members of the assembly denied party diktat and filed their nominations as independent candidates.

    Allegedly ‘insulted’ over the denial of the ticket by the saffron party, the controversial strongman of Waghodia and six terms MLA Madhu Shrivastava severed his ties with the party and went on to file his nominations on Thursday.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat polls: Nadda, Union ministers, CMs to address 89 BJP rallies on Friday

    BJP had replaced Shrivastava with Ashwin Patel, much to the chagrin of Shrivastava and his supporters.

    While the top leadership of the state unit left no stone unturned to mollycoddle Shrivastava, he denied them any audience and stuck to his guns.

    Apart from Shrivastava, in Padra, two terms MLA Dinesh Patel too defied party directives and jumped into the poll fray as an independent candidate as did Mavji Desai, the former Vice Chairman of Banas Dairy and Chairman of Deesa APMC at Dhanera in North Gujarat.

    A close aide of OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, Dhavalsinh Zala also followed the same trajectory blaming intra-party factionalism for his actions.

    Defying BJP’s 75-year age criteria, Seven times MLA from Manjalpur in Vadodara, Yogesh Patel (76) too filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the constituency on Thursday before the party formally announced its candidate for the seat.

    While the top leaders of BJP have been trying to resolve the candidate issue for Manjalpur for a long time, till the filing of the story Manjalpur remains the lone seat in Gujarat for which the BJP hasn’t formally announced its candidate. 

  • Gujarat polls: Nadda, Union ministers, CMs to address 89 BJP rallies on Friday

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leaders, including its national president J P Nadda besides Union ministers and chief ministers, are expected to address public meetings on Friday in the 89 Gujarat assembly constituencies going to the polls in the first phase of elections on December 1.

    With the BJP intensifying its campaign, party sources said Nadda will hold rallies in three places — Navsari, Ankleshwar and Rajkot East — while Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar and Anurag Singh Thakur will speak at three, four and four meetings, respectively.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan will address three and four rallies, respectively.

    Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union ministers V K Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste are among other party leaders who will be addressing rallies, they said.

    Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat are the regions going to the polls in the first phase while 93 seats in the north and central parts of the state will have polls on December 5.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won assembly polls in the state six consecutive times since 1995 and is pulling out all the stops to keep its winning streak uninterrupted in the traditionally bipolar poll involving the Congress, spiced up this time by the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).ALSO READ | Shah’s olive branch to douse Gujarat fire

    NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leaders, including its national president J P Nadda besides Union ministers and chief ministers, are expected to address public meetings on Friday in the 89 Gujarat assembly constituencies going to the polls in the first phase of elections on December 1.

    With the BJP intensifying its campaign, party sources said Nadda will hold rallies in three places — Navsari, Ankleshwar and Rajkot East — while Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar and Anurag Singh Thakur will speak at three, four and four meetings, respectively.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan will address three and four rallies, respectively.

    Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union ministers V K Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste are among other party leaders who will be addressing rallies, they said.

    Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat are the regions going to the polls in the first phase while 93 seats in the north and central parts of the state will have polls on December 5.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won assembly polls in the state six consecutive times since 1995 and is pulling out all the stops to keep its winning streak uninterrupted in the traditionally bipolar poll involving the Congress, spiced up this time by the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).ALSO READ | Shah’s olive branch to douse Gujarat fire

  • Acted on my conscience, says AAP’s ‘kidnapped’ Gujarat candidate who withdrew nomination

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD/ DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging that he was kidnapped and pressured to do so at the behest of the BJP, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    The AAP candidate, Kanchan Jariwala, cleared the air by issuing a video statement in which he purportedly said he withdrew his nomination without any pressure and by listening to his conscience after the people of his constituency labelled him “anti-national” and “anti-Gujarat” for contesting the election from the AAP and threatened not to support him.

    The AAP wrote to the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi on the issue and requested her to inquire into the entire incident and take appropriate action.

    Amid the development, Congress candidate from the seat, Aslam Cyclewala, wrote an open letter seeking the support of the AAP and end such “anti-social pollution”. 

    ALSO READ | AAP candidate withdraws nomination, Sisodia alleges ‘BJP goons’ abducted him

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said their Surat seat candidate Jariwala, along with his family, had been missing since Tuesday.

    “In this election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is miserably losing in Gujarat and has become so rattled that it has stooped to the level of kidnapping our candidate,” Sisodia alleged.

    #WATCH | Gujarat: AAP candidate from Surat (East) from Gujarat, Kanchan Jariwala, takes back his nomination after he was allegedly kidnapped last evening pic.twitter.com/E1vqqkveNi
    — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
    “Fearing defeat, the BJP goons kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala,” he alleged.

    State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by “BJP goons” to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party. 

    Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons, who put pressure on him to stay away from the election.

    However, Surat city BJP president Niranjan Zanzmera refuted the allegations and said the AAP should instead “take care of its own house.

    “In the purported video message, Jariwala said, “During campaigning, people repeatedly told me that I was anti-national and anti-Gujarat and they will not support me for the party from which I have filed my candidature. Getting such negative feedback from the public, my conscience cried.”

    “I listened to my conscience and made up my mind not to contest the election from such an anti-national and anti-Gujarat party and withdrew my nomination without any pressure,” he said.

    In the letter to the Gujarat CEO, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha accused the BJP of trying to get his nomination rejected initially, which did not work as the returning officer accepted the nomination.

    “It is not only a misuse of the police machinery but against the essence of free and fair elections,” the letter said.

    “BJP did not stop there and threatened him and his family for life,” stated the letter.

    “This is a horrific story and a blot on the election system that threatens to tear apart the democratic fabric of the country,” the AAP said, requesting the CEO to take notice of the “grave situation” and direct an inquiry into the entire incident and take appropriate and strict action as per law.

    “As the withdrawal process of the nomination paper of this candidate is under threat, coercion and pressure, therefore withdrawal or any such attempt may be acted upon immediately,” it said.

    Congress candidate Cyclewala sought the support of the AAP from the seat to defeat the BJP.

    “On the direct orders of state BJP president CR Paatil, the nomination of your candidate for Surat East Assembly seat has been withdrawn by intimidation, money power and deceit,” he alleged in a post on his Facebook page.

    “In a democracy, if you really want to end such anti-social corruption, then you should openly support me on the 159-Surat East assembly seat,” he said in his note addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the party’s state leadership. 

    The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Arvind Rana from the seat.

    Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

    AHMEDABAD/ DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Surat East Assembly seat candidate in Gujarat withdrew his nomination on Wednesday, with the AAP alleging that he was kidnapped and pressured to do so at the behest of the BJP, a charge denied by the ruling party.

    The AAP candidate, Kanchan Jariwala, cleared the air by issuing a video statement in which he purportedly said he withdrew his nomination without any pressure and by listening to his conscience after the people of his constituency labelled him “anti-national” and “anti-Gujarat” for contesting the election from the AAP and threatened not to support him.

    The AAP wrote to the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi on the issue and requested her to inquire into the entire incident and take appropriate action.

    Amid the development, Congress candidate from the seat, Aslam Cyclewala, wrote an open letter seeking the support of the AAP and end such “anti-social pollution”. 

    ALSO READ | AAP candidate withdraws nomination, Sisodia alleges ‘BJP goons’ abducted him

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said their Surat seat candidate Jariwala, along with his family, had been missing since Tuesday.

    “In this election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is miserably losing in Gujarat and has become so rattled that it has stooped to the level of kidnapping our candidate,” Sisodia alleged.

    #WATCH | Gujarat: AAP candidate from Surat (East) from Gujarat, Kanchan Jariwala, takes back his nomination after he was allegedly kidnapped last evening pic.twitter.com/E1vqqkveNi
    — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
    “Fearing defeat, the BJP goons kidnapped the AAP candidate from Surat, Kanchan Jariwala,” he alleged.

    State AAP president Gopal Italia claimed their Surat East candidate appeared before the office of the Returning Officer on Wednesday under heavy police protection and surrounded by “BJP goons” to withdraw his candidature under the pressure of the ruling party. 

    Italia alleged that Jariwala had gone missing and was allegedly taken to an undisclosed location by the BJP goons, who put pressure on him to stay away from the election.

    However, Surat city BJP president Niranjan Zanzmera refuted the allegations and said the AAP should instead “take care of its own house.

    “In the purported video message, Jariwala said, “During campaigning, people repeatedly told me that I was anti-national and anti-Gujarat and they will not support me for the party from which I have filed my candidature. Getting such negative feedback from the public, my conscience cried.”

    “I listened to my conscience and made up my mind not to contest the election from such an anti-national and anti-Gujarat party and withdrew my nomination without any pressure,” he said.

    In the letter to the Gujarat CEO, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha members Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha accused the BJP of trying to get his nomination rejected initially, which did not work as the returning officer accepted the nomination.

    “It is not only a misuse of the police machinery but against the essence of free and fair elections,” the letter said.

    “BJP did not stop there and threatened him and his family for life,” stated the letter.

    “This is a horrific story and a blot on the election system that threatens to tear apart the democratic fabric of the country,” the AAP said, requesting the CEO to take notice of the “grave situation” and direct an inquiry into the entire incident and take appropriate and strict action as per law.

    “As the withdrawal process of the nomination paper of this candidate is under threat, coercion and pressure, therefore withdrawal or any such attempt may be acted upon immediately,” it said.

    Congress candidate Cyclewala sought the support of the AAP from the seat to defeat the BJP.

    “On the direct orders of state BJP president CR Paatil, the nomination of your candidate for Surat East Assembly seat has been withdrawn by intimidation, money power and deceit,” he alleged in a post on his Facebook page.

    “In a democracy, if you really want to end such anti-social corruption, then you should openly support me on the 159-Surat East assembly seat,” he said in his note addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the party’s state leadership. 

    The BJP has fielded its sitting MLA Arvind Rana from the seat.

    Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.