<p>Rahul Gandhi&#39;s charisma clearly<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-2017-live-results-27014"> won over PM Narendra Modi&#39;s hometown </a>Vadnagar which is part of Unjha assembly constituency. &nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/election-results-bjp-wins-gujaratand-himachal-27098">PM Modi&#39;s Gujarat magic clearly</a> did not work in the Patidar constituency which voted out five-time BJP MLA Narayanbhai Patel. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had visited Unjha during his campaign trail.</p>

<p>Congress candidate Asha Patel who had lost by 25,000 votes to Patel in 2012 finished on pole position winning 8,1797 votes as against Narayanbhai Patel who finished second with 6,2268 votes.</p>

<p>Unjha which is a hub of spices and condiments has become a prestigious constituency for the BJP because of Modi&#39;s connection.</p>

<p>Several people believe Modi as a teenager had sold&nbsp;tea standing on the Vadnagar railway station.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Unjha which consists of 40% Patidars witnessed large-scale agitation two years ago in which one person had died.</p>

<p>The town naturally voted out the BJP candidate Narayanbhai Patel. The Umiya Mata temple in Unjha&nbsp;became the epicentre of the agitation, Rahul Gandhi had stopped there during his campaign trail as the town simmered with anger over the Patidar death.</p>

<p>In fact, the BJP has seen reverses in Patidar constituencies across Gujarat.</p>

<p>In the 39 Patidar-majority seats, the BJP has won 24 and the Congress has won 15 seats.</p>

<p>In 2012, the BJP had won 28 and Congress just 9 seats, signalling a real shift in the voting pattern of the Patidar&#39;s during the Gujarat elections in 2017.</p>


Unjha which consists of 40% Patidars witnessed large-scale agitation two years ago in which one person had died.

Rahul Gandhi's charisma clearly won over PM Narendra Modi's hometown Vadnagar which is part of Unjha assembly constituency. PM Modi's Gujarat magic clearly did not work in the Patidar constituency which voted out five-time BJP MLA Narayanbhai Patel. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had visited Unjha during his campaign trail. Congress candidate Asha Patel who had lost by 25,000 votes to Patel in 2012 finished on pole position winning 8,1797 votes as against Narayanbhai Patel who finished second with 6,2268 votes. Unjha which is a hub of spices and condiments has become a prestigious constituency for the BJP because of Modi's connection. Several people believe Modi as a teenager had sold tea standing on the Vadnagar railway station. Unjha which consists of 40% Patidars witnessed large-scale agitation two years ago in which one person had died. The town naturally voted out the BJP candidate Narayanbhai Patel. The Umiya Mata temple in Unjha became the epicentre of the agitation, Rahul Gandhi had stopped there during his campaign trail as the town simmered with anger over the Patidar death. In fact, the BJP has seen reverses in Patidar constituencies across Gujarat. In the 39 Patidar-majority seats, the BJP has won 24 and the Congress has won 15 seats. In 2012, the BJP had won 28 and Congress just 9 seats, signalling a real shift in the voting pattern of the Patidar's during the Gujarat elections in 2017.

Gujarat elections: Congress beats BJP in Modi's hometown Vadnagar in Unjha assembly constituency

<p>After a mid-morning scare, it seems the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-will-form-government-in-gujarat-himachal-pradesh-home-minister-rajnath-singh-27041">all set to form a government</a> in the state for the sixth time. The party may be slightly shaken by the fact that these elections have been more uncomfortable than it may have expected - party president Amit Shah&#39;s claim of 150 seats at the beginning of the campaign now a distant cry.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/assembly-elections-2017-see-how-gujarat-voted-27051"><strong>Gujarat Assembly Elections: Track Live Updates</strong></a></p>

<p>The Congress may take heart from the fact that it has made significant gains from the 61 seats it won in 2012 and run the BJP close. But Rahul Gandhi will have two more lost states to show early into his presidency of the Congress party - a sign that doesn&#39;t augur well for 2019 elections.</p>

<p><strong>Saurashtra &amp; Kutch</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Saurashtra (WION)</p>
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<p>Most of the BJP&#39;s losses came from Saurashtra and Kutch that voted in the first phase of the Gujarat elections on December 9. Of the 63 seats in the region, the BJP was ahead in 23 and then Congress was leading in 30. These losses are significant when compared to the 2012 elections where the BJP had won as many as 35 seats from the region and the Congress had won just 16.</p>

<p>In fact, the resentment against the BJP seems the most in Saurashtra&#39;s agrarian belt where the party may manage to win only 9 of the 32 seats - half of what it had in 2012. The Congress looks set to improve its tally from 11 to 22 - the most significant gains it has made in any region in Gujarat.</p>

<p><strong>North Gujarat</strong></p>

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<p>North Gujarat (WION)</p>
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<p>In North Gujarat, where the BJP was supposedly the weakest and the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-lanka-vikas-seaplanes-and-pesticides-the-curious-case-of-hardik-patel-26620">Hardik Patel factor</a> was supposed to hurt the party further, it seems then saffron brigade has given a good account of itself. In fact, of the 22 seats in the region, the BJP has improved on its 2012 tally of 15 and is said to win about 18 seats in the region.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-put-up-nice-campaign-gujarat-results-a-win-for-congress-ashok-gehlot-27046">The Congress</a> did not get the consolidation of Patel-OBC-Dalit votes against the BJP it has hoped for and seems to be losing five seats here - down to 12 these elections from the 17 it has in 2012. The Congress almost outsourced its campaign to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/hardik-patel-alleges-evm-hacking-in-gujarat-polls-26982">Hardik Patel</a> - and while the 24-year-old impacted the BJP&rsquo;s traditional votebank, it just wasn&rsquo;t enough.</p>

<p><strong>Central Gujarat</strong></p>

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<p>Central Gujarat&#39;s 61 seats are where the BJP has made good some of its losses in other regions. Here in 2012 the party had managed 37 seats. Perhaps the Prime Minister&#39;s strident campaign especially in the second phase of polling helped consolidate the party&#39;s position further. The BJP is set to win 46 seats in this region. The Congress party&#39;s tally has fallen to 14 from 22.</p>

<p><strong>South Gujarat</strong></p>

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<p>The Congress has made minor gains in South Gujarat where it had managed just 6 of the 35 seats in 2012. This time they&rsquo;re in front in 13 seats. The BJP may lose five seats in this region where it had 28 seats in 2012.</p>

<p><strong>Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat</strong></p>

<p>The BJP seems to have held on to its urban voter base. Gujarat&#39;s three major cities - Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat account for about 36 constituencies of which then BJP is winning 31 this time around. While this is down from&nbsp; the 33 that the party had won in 2012, of the 70-odd urban seats in the state party will win 57 seats while the Congress gets only 16.</p>

<p>Leads for all <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarats-mood-is-countrys-mood-who-said-what-on-gujarat-elections-results-27042">182 seats in Gujarat</a> are in and the BJP is ahead in 106. Congress candidates are leading in 71 seats, up 10 seats from 2012. Remember these are leads at around noon - that&rsquo;s four hours into the counting - and there may be slight variance in the final tally.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


After a mid-morning scare, it seems the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form a government in Gujarat for the sixth time.

After a mid-morning scare, it seems the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form a government in the state for the sixth time. The party may be slightly shaken by the fact that these elections have been more uncomfortable than it may have expected - party president Amit Shah's claim of 150 seats at the beginning of the campaign now a distant cry. Gujarat Assembly Elections: Track Live Updates The Congress may take heart from the fact that it has made significant gains from the 61 seats it won in 2012 and run the BJP close. But Rahul Gandhi will have two more lost states to show early into his presidency of the Congress party - a sign that doesn't augur well for 2019 elections. Saurashtra & Kutch Saurashtra (WION) × Most of the BJP's losses came from Saurashtra and Kutch that voted in the first phase of the Gujarat elections on December 9. Of the 63 seats in the region, the BJP was ahead in 23 and then Congress was leading in 30. These losses are significant when compared to the 2012 elections where the BJP had won as many as 35 seats from the region and the Congress had won just 16. In fact, the resentment against the BJP seems the most in Saurashtra's agrarian belt where the party may manage to win only 9 of the 32 seats - half of what it had in 2012. The Congress looks set to improve its tally from 11 to 22 - the most significant gains it has made in any region in Gujarat. North Gujarat North Gujarat (WION) × In North Gujarat, where the BJP was supposedly the weakest and the Hardik Patel factor was supposed to hurt the party further, it seems then saffron brigade has given a good account of itself. In fact, of the 22 seats in the region, the BJP has improved on its 2012 tally of 15 and is said to win about 18 seats in the region. The Congress did not get the consolidation of Patel-OBC-Dalit votes against the BJP it has hoped for and seems to be losing five seats here - down to 12 these elections from the 17 it has in 2012. The Congress almost outsourced its campaign to Hardik Patel - and while the 24-year-old impacted the BJP’s traditional votebank, it just wasn’t enough. Central Gujarat Central Gujarat (WION) × Central Gujarat's 61 seats are where the BJP has made good some of its losses in other regions. Here in 2012 the party had managed 37 seats. Perhaps the Prime Minister's strident campaign especially in the second phase of polling helped consolidate the party's position further. The BJP is set to win 46 seats in this region. The Congress party's tally has fallen to 14 from 22. South Gujarat South Gujarat (WION) × The Congress has made minor gains in South Gujarat where it had managed just 6 of the 35 seats in 2012. This time they’re in front in 13 seats. The BJP may lose five seats in this region where it had 28 seats in 2012. Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat The BJP seems to have held on to its urban voter base. Gujarat's three major cities - Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat account for about 36 constituencies of which then BJP is winning 31 this time around. While this is down from the 33 that the party had won in 2012, of the 70-odd urban seats in the state party will win 57 seats while the Congress gets only 16. Leads for all 182 seats in Gujarat are in and the BJP is ahead in 106. Congress candidates are leading in 71 seats, up 10 seats from 2012. Remember these are leads at around noon - that’s four hours into the counting - and there may be slight variance in the final tally.

Assembly elections 2017: See how Gujarat voted

<p>Jignesh Mevani, the independent candidate from Vadgam, has defeated his nearest rival, BJP&#39;s Vijaybhai Harkabhai Chakravarti. The Congress did not field a candidate against the 35-year-old Dalit leader, who was also backed by Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).</p>

<p>Mevani had <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-poll-result-independent-candidate-from-vadgam-rejects-bjp-win-predictions-says-exit-polls-are-nonsense-26970">rubbished exit poll results</a> which gave the BJP between 105-120 seats and said &quot;the BJP will definitely lose&quot;. He had also drawn flak after he suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi eats <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-eats-mushrooms-worth-4-lakhs-everyday-alleges-gujarat-obc-leader-alpesh-thakore-26617">mushrooms worth four lakh rupees a day</a>, imported from Taiwan, that have made him fairer. Vadgam is considered a safe seat for the Congress - it is a reserved constituency Scheduled Caste candidates with a substantial Muslim population.</p>

<p>The Congress party&#39;s other big hope, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, won the electoral battle against BJP rival Lavingji Thakor from Radhanpur in Patan district. Lavinji was a Congressman who crossed over to the BJP upset at being denied a ticket. Thakor&#39;s father Khidaji had been a BJP worker who parted ways with the party in the mid-1990s when Shankarsinh Vaghela split with the BJP. The 40-year-old junior Thakor is seen as an influential leader of the OBC community who rose to fame through statewide de-addictionn campaigns.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-three-angry-men-threaten-gujarat-narrative-24816"><strong>Also Read - Opinion: Congress is leading in Patidar districts. Why?</strong></a></p>

<p>Over half of Gujarat&#39;s population are OBCs and Dalits.</p>

<p>Both Thakor and Mevani were billed as Rahul Gandhi&#39;s deputies in Gujarat and slated to deliver the Dalit and OBC (Other Backward Caste) votes. In conjunction with Hardik Patel, who was swinging the BJP&#39;s traditional vote bank in the Patel community, the Alpesh-Jignesh-Hardik triumvirate was supposed to do all then heavy lifting at the Congress party&#39;s behest. Of the 39 seats with a high percentage of Patel voters, Congress seems to have polled over 54% of the votes but that wasn&#39;t enough in the final tally.</p>

<p>The anti-BJP consolidation amongst the Patels and the consolidation of the OBC-Dalit votebank hasn&#39;t happened the way the Congress would have hoped. While party has recovered remarkably after the smarting it received in 2014, not winning a single Lok Sabha seat from the state, and has improved significantly on its 2012 Assembly election tally of 61, it still hasn&#39;t proved enough to wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata Party.</p>

<p>With trends for all 182 of Gujarat&#39;s Assembly seats available, the BJP is ahead in 108 seats - down seven from the last assembly elections but still enough to form a government with a comfortable majority should these leads convert to results.</p>


Mevani had rubbished exit poll results which gave the BJP between 105-120 seats and said "the BJP will definitely lose".

Jignesh Mevani, the independent candidate from Vadgam, has defeated his nearest rival, BJP's Vijaybhai Harkabhai Chakravarti. The Congress did not field a candidate against the 35-year-old Dalit leader, who was also backed by Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Mevani had rubbished exit poll results which gave the BJP between 105-120 seats and said "the BJP will definitely lose". He had also drawn flak after he suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi eats mushrooms worth four lakh rupees a day, imported from Taiwan, that have made him fairer. Vadgam is considered a safe seat for the Congress - it is a reserved constituency Scheduled Caste candidates with a substantial Muslim population. The Congress party's other big hope, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, won the electoral battle against BJP rival Lavingji Thakor from Radhanpur in Patan district. Lavinji was a Congressman who crossed over to the BJP upset at being denied a ticket. Thakor's father Khidaji had been a BJP worker who parted ways with the party in the mid-1990s when Shankarsinh Vaghela split with the BJP. The 40-year-old junior Thakor is seen as an influential leader of the OBC community who rose to fame through statewide de-addictionn campaigns. Also Read - Opinion: Congress is leading in Patidar districts. Why? Over half of Gujarat's population are OBCs and Dalits. Both Thakor and Mevani were billed as Rahul Gandhi's deputies in Gujarat and slated to deliver the Dalit and OBC (Other Backward Caste) votes. In conjunction with Hardik Patel, who was swinging the BJP's traditional vote bank in the Patel community, the Alpesh-Jignesh-Hardik triumvirate was supposed to do all then heavy lifting at the Congress party's behest. Of the 39 seats with a high percentage of Patel voters, Congress seems to have polled over 54% of the votes but that wasn't enough in the final tally. The anti-BJP consolidation amongst the Patels and the consolidation of the OBC-Dalit votebank hasn't happened the way the Congress would have hoped. While party has recovered remarkably after the smarting it received in 2014, not winning a single Lok Sabha seat from the state, and has improved significantly on its 2012 Assembly election tally of 61, it still hasn't proved enough to wrest power from the Bharatiya Janata Party. With trends for all 182 of Gujarat's Assembly seats available, the BJP is ahead in 108 seats - down seven from the last assembly elections but still enough to form a government with a comfortable majority should these leads convert to results.

Gujarat assembly elections 2017: Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani win but what has then Congress gained?

<p>The Gujarat elections are proving to be closer than pollsters had predicted. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-2017-live-results-27014" target="_blank">If the early leads convert into results, the Congress is doing much better than expected.</a> All pollsters had predicted a comfortable win for the BJP and the trends are proving pollsters wrong. Gujarat has been the BJP&rsquo;s laboratory and the party has held the state since 1995.</p>

<p>Today&rsquo;s results notwithstanding, the party will have to go back to the drawing board to see what has resulted in this massive dent in their support base in the state.&nbsp;<br />
<strong>&nbsp;<br />
Here are the noteworthy points on what has been a difficult morning for the BJP:&nbsp;</strong><br />
&nbsp;<br />
1. Counting of votes began at 8 in the morning and an hour later with trends for 180 of the 182 constituencies in, the BJP seems to be leading but only just. The BJP is leading in just 90 seats whereas the Congress is ahead in 88.</p>

<p>&nbsp;<br />
2. A party needs 92 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat assembly to form the government. When the campaign was launched in November, BJP president Amit Shah had claimed the&nbsp;party would win 150 seats. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said,&rdquo;To enthuse the workers, we have to set our sights high. It is unheard of in Indian democracy that after 23 years in power, there isn&rsquo;t an anti-incumbency wave against a party. We&rsquo;re still ahead in Gujarat.&rdquo;</p>

<p>3. In the 2012 assembly elections in Gujarat, the Congress had 61 seats and was a distant second to the BJP which had won 115. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all the 26 parliamentary seats in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
4. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Ruphani is trailing his Congress rival Indranil Rajguru. In the Prime Minister&rsquo;s constituency of Maninagar, BJP&rsquo;s Suresh Patel is leading Congress&rsquo;s Shweta Bhrambhatt. In Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s birthplace Porbandar, Congress&rsquo;s Arjun Modhvadhiya is trailing his BJP rival Babubhai Bokhiriya. Top BJP leaders like Jaynarayan Vyas and deputy CM Nitin Patel are also trailing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>5. Most exit polls have indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party may do as well as it did in the 2012 Assembly elections where it won 115 seats. The results will have ramifications on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections &mdash; this would be&nbsp;a big feather in the cap of Rahul Gandhi and set the tone for his Congress presidency.&nbsp;</p>

<p>6. Rahul Gandhi traversed a distance of 27,000 kilometres in the state, addressing 30 rallies in the state a visiting over two dozen temples and went toe-to-toe with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the campaign trail.</p>

<p><br />
7. A win would give the BJP a record fifth term in Gujarat - a state that it has held since 1995. But if the trends convert to results, it would prove the fallibility of PM Modi as Neta no 1 in Gujarat.</p>

<p>8. In Himachal Pradesh, trends indicate its a close race between the Congress and the BJP with the BJP ahead in 33 of the 55 seats for which trends are available. The Congress is ahead in 19 and Chief Minister Veerbhadra Singh, who was embattled with graft charges, is doing better than expected.&nbsp;</p>

<p>9. The state has 68 assembly seats and most pollsters predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP, giving the party 45-50 seats. That Congress wipeout doesn&rsquo;t seem to be happening.&nbsp;</p>

<p>10. Just 10 days before the elections the BJP, somewhat uncharacteristically, announced former Chief Minister &nbsp;Prem Kumar Dhumal&rsquo;s name for the top job &mdash; and it seems he just may get another term in the state. In what has been a difficult morning, Dhumal is trailing his Congress rival Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur by about 500 votes.</p>


Gujarat has been the BJP?s laboratory and the party has held the state since 1995.

The Gujarat elections are proving to be closer than pollsters had predicted. If the early leads convert into results, the Congress is doing much better than expected. All pollsters had predicted a comfortable win for the BJP and the trends are proving pollsters wrong. Gujarat has been the BJP’s laboratory and the party has held the state since 1995. Today’s results notwithstanding, the party will have to go back to the drawing board to see what has resulted in this massive dent in their support base in the state. Here are the noteworthy points on what has been a difficult morning for the BJP: 1. Counting of votes began at 8 in the morning and an hour later with trends for 180 of the 182 constituencies in, the BJP seems to be leading but only just. The BJP is leading in just 90 seats whereas the Congress is ahead in 88. 2. A party needs 92 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat assembly to form the government. When the campaign was launched in November, BJP president Amit Shah had claimed the party would win 150 seats. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said,”To enthuse the workers, we have to set our sights high. It is unheard of in Indian democracy that after 23 years in power, there isn’t an anti-incumbency wave against a party. We’re still ahead in Gujarat.” 3. In the 2012 assembly elections in Gujarat, the Congress had 61 seats and was a distant second to the BJP which had won 115. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all the 26 parliamentary seats in the state. 4. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Ruphani is trailing his Congress rival Indranil Rajguru. In the Prime Minister’s constituency of Maninagar, BJP’s Suresh Patel is leading Congress’s Shweta Bhrambhatt. In Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace Porbandar, Congress’s Arjun Modhvadhiya is trailing his BJP rival Babubhai Bokhiriya. Top BJP leaders like Jaynarayan Vyas and deputy CM Nitin Patel are also trailing. 5. Most exit polls have indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party may do as well as it did in the 2012 Assembly elections where it won 115 seats. The results will have ramifications on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections — this would be a big feather in the cap of Rahul Gandhi and set the tone for his Congress presidency. 6. Rahul Gandhi traversed a distance of 27,000 kilometres in the state, addressing 30 rallies in the state a visiting over two dozen temples and went toe-to-toe with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the campaign trail. 7. A win would give the BJP a record fifth term in Gujarat - a state that it has held since 1995. But if the trends convert to results, it would prove the fallibility of PM Modi as Neta no 1 in Gujarat. 8. In Himachal Pradesh, trends indicate its a close race between the Congress and the BJP with the BJP ahead in 33 of the 55 seats for which trends are available. The Congress is ahead in 19 and Chief Minister Veerbhadra Singh, who was embattled with graft charges, is doing better than expected. 9. The state has 68 assembly seats and most pollsters predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP, giving the party 45-50 seats. That Congress wipeout doesn’t seem to be happening. 10. Just 10 days before the elections the BJP, somewhat uncharacteristically, announced former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s name for the top job — and it seems he just may get another term in the state. In what has been a difficult morning, Dhumal is trailing his Congress rival Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur by about 500 votes.

Assembly elections 2017: Elections too close to call but Congress big winner in Gujarat

<p>Here is a person who is addressing political rallies, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-2017-live-results-27014" target="_blank">taking on the Prime Minister as well as incumbent BJP in Gujarat </a>and is seen by many as the face and focal point of the Patidar agitation. But surprisingly he isn&rsquo;t contesting the elections. So why sue adroit campaigning, such heavy lifting &mdash; merely for the gains of some other political entity or to embarrass a party that&rsquo;s held power in Gujarat for over two decades?</p>

<p>Even a scandalous sex CD a month ago has had little or no impact on this &lsquo;overnight&rsquo; leader who has used the demand for reservations for the influential Patidar community to catapult him to national fame. 24-year-old Hardik Patel, it seems, is using these state polls to address his constituency - the influential Patidar (Patel) community - and test waters for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>Today, he did not miss a beat when he took on Prime Minister on his seaplane ride from the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, suggesting that the plane perhaps may be put to better use if it helps spray pesticides for farmers.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">sea plane ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ????????? ??? ???? ???? ?? Plane ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?????</p>
&mdash; Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardikPatel_/status/940457143190335488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">12 December 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>A day earlier the gracious Mr Patel had taken on the BJP&rsquo;s claims of development by likening the state of Gujarat to the Lanka of Ramayana-fame - Ravana&#39;s city that was said to be made of gold. (Not sure who Hardik sees as Raavana but here I leave it to the discerning readers to hazard a guess).</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??,????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?? !!! <a href="https://t.co/lVnhrEEUjJ">pic.twitter.com/lVnhrEEUjJ</a></p>
&mdash; Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardikPatel_/status/940443684067250177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">12 December 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>On the campaign trail in Patan, in north Gujarat, a crowd of over 40,000 chanted his name as Hardik took the stage. In 2012, BJP won 3 of the 4 assembly seats from Patan but insiders are sceptical this time. North Gujarat, on the whole, isn&rsquo;t a BJP stronghold and the party could see itself lose the foothold that it had created in 2012 come December 14 - blame it on the Hardik factor.</p>

<p>The Congress seems to have conveniently hitched a ride on the Hardik-wagon - here is a Patel who keeps harping on the BJP&rsquo;s arrogance and how the party has taken Gujarat for granted. Behind the scenes Congress leaders will concede that this has been one &lsquo;helluva&rsquo; Patel to deal with &mdash; no one would have expected that someone who can&rsquo;t hold elected office would show such political acumen.</p>

<p><strong>Also read</strong><strong>:</strong><strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-gujarat-assembly-elections-2017-bjp-remains-buoyant-congress-rides-a-wave-hardik-patel-does-some-heavy-lifting-26524">Opinion: BJP remains buoyant in Gujarat, Congress rides a wave, Hardik Patel does some heavy lifting</a></strong><br />
<br />
In a recent interview with a TV channel, Hardik indicated that he was looking to play a larger role &lsquo;<i>dedh saal baad</i>&rsquo; (one-and-a-half years later). Parliamentary elections are due in April-May 2019. The arithmetic seems spot on. Patel has been canoodling with the Congress but has so far stopped short of joining the party. He says&nbsp;he will if the entire Patidar community asked him to &mdash; and I&rsquo;m not sure entirely how all the Patels in the state are supposed to do that considering that they form about 14 per cent of the 6 crore people of Gujarat.</p>

<p>Hardik may not have been seen visiting temples (Rahul Gandhi seems to have called dibs on that one) but hasn&rsquo;t shied away from bringing up the Ram Mandir issue is Ayodhya. At a recent gathering near Ahmedabad, he said: &ldquo;Ram is in our hearts. The people go Gujarat have even given bricks for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. But have they given any account of what they did with the bricks?&rdquo;</p>

<p>So here is the curious case of Hardik Patel: A man who is too young to contest the elections, a man with no political party, a man with no specific vision outlined for the movement (<em>Patidaar Andolan</em>) that he claims to represent, a man who is full of rhetoric and a man, who might galvanise the Patel&rsquo;s enough to give the BJP sleepless nights.</p>

<p>In the final analysis, even if the BJP&rsquo;s vote percentage shrinks, their margins of victories fall, some of their heavyweights miss out, the number of seats notwithstanding, Hardik Patel would have announced his candidature for 2019.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


Hardik Patel, a man with no political party, a man with no specific vision outlined for the movement might give the BJP sleepless nights

Here is a person who is addressing political rallies, taking on the Prime Minister as well as incumbent BJP in Gujarat and is seen by many as the face and focal point of the Patidar agitation. But surprisingly he isn’t contesting the elections. So why sue adroit campaigning, such heavy lifting — merely for the gains of some other political entity or to embarrass a party that’s held power in Gujarat for over two decades? Even a scandalous sex CD a month ago has had little or no impact on this ‘overnight’ leader who has used the demand for reservations for the influential Patidar community to catapult him to national fame. 24-year-old Hardik Patel, it seems, is using these state polls to address his constituency - the influential Patidar (Patel) community - and test waters for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Today, he did not miss a beat when he took on Prime Minister on his seaplane ride from the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, suggesting that the plane perhaps may be put to better use if it helps spray pesticides for farmers. sea plane ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ????????? ??? ???? ???? ?? Plane ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? — Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) 12 December 2017 × A day earlier the gracious Mr Patel had taken on the BJP’s claims of development by likening the state of Gujarat to the Lanka of Ramayana-fame - Ravana's city that was said to be made of gold. (Not sure who Hardik sees as Raavana but here I leave it to the discerning readers to hazard a guess). ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??,????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?? ?? !!! pic.twitter.com/lVnhrEEUjJ — Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) 12 December 2017 × On the campaign trail in Patan, in north Gujarat, a crowd of over 40,000 chanted his name as Hardik took the stage. In 2012, BJP won 3 of the 4 assembly seats from Patan but insiders are sceptical this time. North Gujarat, on the whole, isn’t a BJP stronghold and the party could see itself lose the foothold that it had created in 2012 come December 14 - blame it on the Hardik factor. The Congress seems to have conveniently hitched a ride on the Hardik-wagon - here is a Patel who keeps harping on the BJP’s arrogance and how the party has taken Gujarat for granted. Behind the scenes Congress leaders will concede that this has been one ‘helluva’ Patel to deal with — no one would have expected that someone who can’t hold elected office would show such political acumen. Also read: Opinion: BJP remains buoyant in Gujarat, Congress rides a wave, Hardik Patel does some heavy lifting In a recent interview with a TV channel, Hardik indicated that he was looking to play a larger role ‘dedh saal baad’ (one-and-a-half years later). Parliamentary elections are due in April-May 2019. The arithmetic seems spot on. Patel has been canoodling with the Congress but has so far stopped short of joining the party. He says he will if the entire Patidar community asked him to — and I’m not sure entirely how all the Patels in the state are supposed to do that considering that they form about 14 per cent of the 6 crore people of Gujarat. Hardik may not have been seen visiting temples (Rahul Gandhi seems to have called dibs on that one) but hasn’t shied away from bringing up the Ram Mandir issue is Ayodhya. At a recent gathering near Ahmedabad, he said: “Ram is in our hearts. The people go Gujarat have even given bricks for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. But have they given any account of what they did with the bricks?” So here is the curious case of Hardik Patel: A man who is too young to contest the elections, a man with no political party, a man with no specific vision outlined for the movement (Patidaar Andolan) that he claims to represent, a man who is full of rhetoric and a man, who might galvanise the Patel’s enough to give the BJP sleepless nights. In the final analysis, even if the BJP’s vote percentage shrinks, their margins of victories fall, some of their heavyweights miss out, the number of seats notwithstanding, Hardik Patel would have announced his candidature for 2019. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: How Hardik Patel is benefitting the Congress

<p>Over the last few days, the discourse in the media seems to be dominated by war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. At the centre of this discourse are exchanges - the verdict is still out on who-said-what - targeted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And poor <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-neech-jibe-on-pm-modi-congress-suspends-mani-shankar-aiyar-26159">Mani Shankar Aiyar</a>, now suspended from the Congress, is struggling to provide an explanation or the context to what-on-earth-prompted him to call the PM &#39;neech&#39;.</p>

<p>Much of the campaign in 2014 was dominated by political capital made from his &lsquo;chaiwalla&rsquo; comment, and one would have thought that Aiyar and his Congress friends would have learnt how personal attacks on Mr Modi don&rsquo;t bear fruit. Here was Rahul Gandhi, the president-elect of the Congress party, indulging the Prime Minister and his incumbent BJP - a party that has ruled Gujarat since 1995 - in a game of 10 questions - and along came the &lsquo;neech&rsquo; comment and put paid to a strategy that many say was well thought out.</p>

<p>My gut feeling is that this <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/why-military-intelligence-from-pakistan-suggesting-ahmed-patel-for-gujarat-cm-pm-modi-26364">&lsquo;tu-tu-main-main&rsquo;</a> will not impact the outcome greatly. Media often plays to political rhetoric and, sitting in Delhi, the two principal political parties trading barbs seems to be a good way to cover the goings-on in Gujarat. On the&nbsp;ground, these may not be reflective of the concerns of Maqsud bhai and Mansukh bhai. The people of Gujarat have made up their mind and they have real issues - unemployment and the impact of GST and demonetisation seem to be the pervading themes. The rehtoric will not sway how they vote.</p>

<p>Too much should not be read into the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-live-first-phase-of-polling-begins-26288">poll percentage</a> - 68% - down from last elections 72% but still a healthy turnout. 89 of the 182 constituencies have voted and the fates of 977 candidates are already sealed in EVMs. While many pollsters have predicted a decline in fortunes for the BJP in the areas of south Gujarat and Saurashtra that have polled, these are comparisons to the wildly successful Lok Sabha campaign of 2014. Extrapolate those and the BJP won in 85 of the 89 seats that voted in the first phase. A more realistic comparison would be the 2012 assembly elections where the party won 63 of these 89 seats. An encore would not only see the BJP to a comfortable majority but would also do away with all the anti-incumbency talk. Sure, the BJP&rsquo;s claims of winning 150 seats in Gujarat could have been born out of political chest-thumping and bravado, but getting almost a two-thirds majority in a state that they&rsquo;ve ruled for 22 years is definitely creditable.</p>

<p><strong>The Hardik Patel Factor</strong></p>

<p>The Congress is not dictating the discourse in this campaign - what it has successfully managed to do is piggy-back on certain situations and ride a wave. The question that pundits don&rsquo;t seem to agree upon is how the Hardik Patel factor will affect the BJP&rsquo;s fortunes, but what is there in plain sight for everyone to see is that Hardik has done all the heavy-lifting for the Congress. There is no denying the fact that there has been resentment is many sections of Gujarat&rsquo;s population over demonetisation and GST - both measures hit business hard. But this resentment may have been overestimated - on my trip to the state a month ago, the common refrain I heard talking to both members of the Patidaar (Patel) community and traders was &lsquo;gussa hain, gaddar nahi&rsquo; (we&rsquo;re angry but we aren&rsquo;t traitors).</p>

<p>With all eyes on the second phase, the Hardik Patel-factor may play a role in North Gujarat but will hardly influence voters in the central parts of the state where there are 61 seats. It is here that the BJP could offset some losses from other regions. The overbearing Paatidar campaign against the party could also consolidate backward caste votes in its favour.</p>

<p>With the Prime Minister fervently on the campaign trail and responding to the barbs against him, the spotlight has shifted to emotive issues and optics - and even the Congress president-elect seems to be falling prey to these - the &lsquo;janeudhari brahman&rsquo; is now seen at temples.</p>

<p>People in 93 constituencies will cast their votes on Thursday, December 14. And put to rest this debate on temple visits, oonch-neech and what-have-you. Meanwhile, did anyone <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-will-score-a-historic-win-ravi-shankar-prasad-26287">miss the manifestos</a> this time? Just in case you did - the Congress released theirs on December 4 and the BJP on the eve of polling. In Gujarat, it seems, polls don&rsquo;t even need manifestos - the lip-service paid by both the principal parties certainly suggests that.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)</em></p>


Gujarat elections are about what the people want, not what politicians prattle over.

Over the last few days, the discourse in the media seems to be dominated by war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. At the centre of this discourse are exchanges - the verdict is still out on who-said-what - targeted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And poor Mani Shankar Aiyar, now suspended from the Congress, is struggling to provide an explanation or the context to what-on-earth-prompted him to call the PM 'neech'. Much of the campaign in 2014 was dominated by political capital made from his ‘chaiwalla’ comment, and one would have thought that Aiyar and his Congress friends would have learnt how personal attacks on Mr Modi don’t bear fruit. Here was Rahul Gandhi, the president-elect of the Congress party, indulging the Prime Minister and his incumbent BJP - a party that has ruled Gujarat since 1995 - in a game of 10 questions - and along came the ‘neech’ comment and put paid to a strategy that many say was well thought out. My gut feeling is that this ‘tu-tu-main-main’ will not impact the outcome greatly. Media often plays to political rhetoric and, sitting in Delhi, the two principal political parties trading barbs seems to be a good way to cover the goings-on in Gujarat. On the ground, these may not be reflective of the concerns of Maqsud bhai and Mansukh bhai. The people of Gujarat have made up their mind and they have real issues - unemployment and the impact of GST and demonetisation seem to be the pervading themes. The rehtoric will not sway how they vote. Too much should not be read into the poll percentage - 68% - down from last elections 72% but still a healthy turnout. 89 of the 182 constituencies have voted and the fates of 977 candidates are already sealed in EVMs. While many pollsters have predicted a decline in fortunes for the BJP in the areas of south Gujarat and Saurashtra that have polled, these are comparisons to the wildly successful Lok Sabha campaign of 2014. Extrapolate those and the BJP won in 85 of the 89 seats that voted in the first phase. A more realistic comparison would be the 2012 assembly elections where the party won 63 of these 89 seats. An encore would not only see the BJP to a comfortable majority but would also do away with all the anti-incumbency talk. Sure, the BJP’s claims of winning 150 seats in Gujarat could have been born out of political chest-thumping and bravado, but getting almost a two-thirds majority in a state that they’ve ruled for 22 years is definitely creditable. The Hardik Patel Factor The Congress is not dictating the discourse in this campaign - what it has successfully managed to do is piggy-back on certain situations and ride a wave. The question that pundits don’t seem to agree upon is how the Hardik Patel factor will affect the BJP’s fortunes, but what is there in plain sight for everyone to see is that Hardik has done all the heavy-lifting for the Congress. There is no denying the fact that there has been resentment is many sections of Gujarat’s population over demonetisation and GST - both measures hit business hard. But this resentment may have been overestimated - on my trip to the state a month ago, the common refrain I heard talking to both members of the Patidaar (Patel) community and traders was ‘gussa hain, gaddar nahi’ (we’re angry but we aren’t traitors). With all eyes on the second phase, the Hardik Patel-factor may play a role in North Gujarat but will hardly influence voters in the central parts of the state where there are 61 seats. It is here that the BJP could offset some losses from other regions. The overbearing Paatidar campaign against the party could also consolidate backward caste votes in its favour. With the Prime Minister fervently on the campaign trail and responding to the barbs against him, the spotlight has shifted to emotive issues and optics - and even the Congress president-elect seems to be falling prey to these - the ‘janeudhari brahman’ is now seen at temples. People in 93 constituencies will cast their votes on Thursday, December 14. And put to rest this debate on temple visits, oonch-neech and what-have-you. Meanwhile, did anyone miss the manifestos this time? Just in case you did - the Congress released theirs on December 4 and the BJP on the eve of polling. In Gujarat, it seems, polls don’t even need manifestos - the lip-service paid by both the principal parties certainly suggests that. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)

Opinion: BJP remains buoyant in Gujarat, Congress rides a wave, Hardik Patel does some heavy lifting

<p>&ldquo;Organised loot and a legalised plunder&rdquo; is how Dr Manmohan Singh describes &lsquo;demonetisation&rsquo;. In Ahmedabad, on Tuesday, our former prime minister said: &ldquo;November 8 was a black day for our economy and, indeed, our democracy,&rdquo; referring to this day last year when the government announced its move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;To promote a less cash economy, coercive steps like demonetisation are ineffective. Nowhere in the world has any nation taken such a drastic step that swept off 86% of the currency in circulations,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>Our Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says demonetisation was a &lsquo;watershed moment&rsquo; in Indian history. Hitting out at detractors, and perhaps especially miffed at his illustrious predecessor&rsquo;s comments, Jaitley said: &ldquo;An anti-black money drive is a moral step, loot is what happened in 2G, in Commonwealth Games 2010 and in coal block allocation.&rdquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reducing the amount of cash in the economy won&#39;t end corruption but definitely make it difficult: <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@arunjaitley</a> defends <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/demonitization?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#demonitization</a></p>
&mdash; prasad sanyal (@prasadsanyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/prasadsanyal/status/927840191284371456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>While it may be politically expedient to brush off Dr Manmohan Singh and highlight the graft cases when he was the prime minister from 2004 to 2014, it must be conceded that Dr Singh does know a thing or two about the Indian economy. He does have a Tripos from Cambridge and a DPhil from Oxford in Economics. Besides, he has been a Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, headed the Planning Commission in its heydays in the 1980s and, as finance minister between 1991 and 1996, was the harbinger of economic liberalisation in India. &nbsp;</p>

<p>In a series of tweets and graphic templates, Prime Minister Modi has defended the move saying, it has resulted in the &lsquo;highest ever unearthing of black money and dealt a decisive blow to Naxalism and terrorism.&rsquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Giving strong impetus to the fight against black money. <a href="https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW">https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW</a><br />
<br />
via NMApp <a href="https://t.co/G0TMkBrX19">pic.twitter.com/G0TMkBrX19</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/927812625043398656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Highest ever unearthing of black money<a href="https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW">https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW</a><br />
<br />
via NMApp <a href="https://t.co/jmrJRPVHSL">pic.twitter.com/jmrJRPVHSL</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/927812417203068928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The verdict is still out on the impact of this move on the Indian economy, and as with other &lsquo;watershed&rsquo; moments in recent Indian history, it has left public opinion deeply divided.</p>

<p>In a society ridden with inequality and poverty, where the &lsquo;aam aadmi&rsquo; is faced with corruption to get even basic amenities, economics doesn&rsquo;t wash. The promise of nabbing those with black money does, and little wonder then, that the move was received positively - as a decisive measure that will rid India of corruption.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Opposition parties will observe the one-year mark of demonetisation on Wednesday as a &ldquo;Black Day&rdquo;. The Bharatiya Janata Party will commemorate the anniversary as &ldquo;Anti-Black Money Day&rdquo;. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The government has so far been able to pitch demonetisation as a move that was pro-poor and anti-rich, but as the economy shows signs of distress will Robin Hood and his merry band of men be able to assuage the &lsquo;aam aadmi&rsquo;?&nbsp;</p>

<p>As the Finance Minister pointed out today, there has been a shrinking of the informal sector, a wider tax base and greater digitisation in the economy. The government has been on point with its message and there are definite merits to these arguments.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Multi-dimensional success of Demonetisation. <a href="https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW">https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW</a><br />
<br />
via NMApp <a href="https://t.co/l3qbArBcFy">pic.twitter.com/l3qbArBcFy</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/927812281378816000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Though viewed as a bold and landmark move by the masses, a former Finance Minister of India from the Prime Minister&rsquo;s own BJP, Yashwant Sinha has criticised the move. As businessmen and traders start accounting for the full brunt of the impact of demonitisation, many believe it may not be the best way to tackle corruption.</p>

<p>In August this year, the Reserve Bank of India reported Indians returned almost all of the estimated Rs 15.4 lakh crore ($242 billion) in high-currency bills removed from circulation. It implies that a very small amount of unaccounted for money was held in cash.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While there has been a lot of hullabaloo over different government agencies sharing different sets of numbers, the total value of non-cash transactions rose by around 19 per cent between November 2016 and August 2017. The value and volume of mobile-based transactions recorded negative growth rates between November 2016 and August 2017.</p>

<p>All available evidence suggests that cash has returned to daily transactions and demonetisation may not have had the desired effect, at least in the short-term.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


All available evidence suggests that cash has returned to daily transactions and demonetisation may not have had the desired effect, at least in the short-term.?

“Organised loot and a legalised plunder” is how Dr Manmohan Singh describes ‘demonetisation’. In Ahmedabad, on Tuesday, our former prime minister said: “November 8 was a black day for our economy and, indeed, our democracy,” referring to this day last year when the government announced its move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. “To promote a less cash economy, coercive steps like demonetisation are ineffective. Nowhere in the world has any nation taken such a drastic step that swept off 86% of the currency in circulations,” he said. Our Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says demonetisation was a ‘watershed moment’ in Indian history. Hitting out at detractors, and perhaps especially miffed at his illustrious predecessor’s comments, Jaitley said: “An anti-black money drive is a moral step, loot is what happened in 2G, in Commonwealth Games 2010 and in coal block allocation.” Reducing the amount of cash in the economy won't end corruption but definitely make it difficult: @arunjaitley defends #demonitization — prasad sanyal (@prasadsanyal) November 7, 2017 × While it may be politically expedient to brush off Dr Manmohan Singh and highlight the graft cases when he was the prime minister from 2004 to 2014, it must be conceded that Dr Singh does know a thing or two about the Indian economy. He does have a Tripos from Cambridge and a DPhil from Oxford in Economics. Besides, he has been a Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, headed the Planning Commission in its heydays in the 1980s and, as finance minister between 1991 and 1996, was the harbinger of economic liberalisation in India. In a series of tweets and graphic templates, Prime Minister Modi has defended the move saying, it has resulted in the ‘highest ever unearthing of black money and dealt a decisive blow to Naxalism and terrorism.’ Giving strong impetus to the fight against black money. https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW via NMApp pic.twitter.com/G0TMkBrX19 — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 7, 2017 × Highest ever unearthing of black moneyhttps://t.co/4fvbC31VAW via NMApp pic.twitter.com/jmrJRPVHSL — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 7, 2017 × The verdict is still out on the impact of this move on the Indian economy, and as with other ‘watershed’ moments in recent Indian history, it has left public opinion deeply divided. In a society ridden with inequality and poverty, where the ‘aam aadmi’ is faced with corruption to get even basic amenities, economics doesn’t wash. The promise of nabbing those with black money does, and little wonder then, that the move was received positively - as a decisive measure that will rid India of corruption. The Opposition parties will observe the one-year mark of demonetisation on Wednesday as a “Black Day”. The Bharatiya Janata Party will commemorate the anniversary as “Anti-Black Money Day”. The government has so far been able to pitch demonetisation as a move that was pro-poor and anti-rich, but as the economy shows signs of distress will Robin Hood and his merry band of men be able to assuage the ‘aam aadmi’? As the Finance Minister pointed out today, there has been a shrinking of the informal sector, a wider tax base and greater digitisation in the economy. The government has been on point with its message and there are definite merits to these arguments. Multi-dimensional success of Demonetisation. https://t.co/4fvbC31VAW via NMApp pic.twitter.com/l3qbArBcFy — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 7, 2017 × Though viewed as a bold and landmark move by the masses, a former Finance Minister of India from the Prime Minister’s own BJP, Yashwant Sinha has criticised the move. As businessmen and traders start accounting for the full brunt of the impact of demonitisation, many believe it may not be the best way to tackle corruption. In August this year, the Reserve Bank of India reported Indians returned almost all of the estimated Rs 15.4 lakh crore ($242 billion) in high-currency bills removed from circulation. It implies that a very small amount of unaccounted for money was held in cash. While there has been a lot of hullabaloo over different government agencies sharing different sets of numbers, the total value of non-cash transactions rose by around 19 per cent between November 2016 and August 2017. The value and volume of mobile-based transactions recorded negative growth rates between November 2016 and August 2017. All available evidence suggests that cash has returned to daily transactions and demonetisation may not have had the desired effect, at least in the short-term.

#Demonetisation: Indian economy watershed or waterboarded?

<p>In the past few months, I&rsquo;ve seen many journalists crib about the excesses of the government, slam them for the lack of morals or turn on their own organisations for suppressing stories that were inconvenient. But more disturbingly, I&rsquo;ve seen journalists come under attack for reporting the news as they see it. And some of these attacks aren&rsquo;t just by Twitter trolls.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
In April this year, a HOOT study said that 54 attacks and 25 cases of threatening journalists took place in the preceding 16 months. Nearly two months after scribe Gauri Lankesh was shot outside her Bengaluru house, the case remains unsolved and the killers at large. The 2017 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders ranks India an abysmal 136 out of 180 nations. While we are doing better than Pakistan (139) and China (176), it is a sad commentary that even strife-torn Afghanistan (120) ranks better. A report by the Press Council of India states that of the over 80 journalists killed since 1990, there has been a conviction in only one case.</p>

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<h5>This isn&rsquo;t just about press freedoms, it is about people being killed for just doing their job &ndash; telling a truth that was perhaps too inconvenient.</h5>
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<p>Matters, it seems, have come to such a pass that the central government has issued an advisory to states last week to ensure all attacks on journalists are investigated promptly and perpetrators get prosecuted in a &lsquo;time-bound manner&rsquo;. The advisory to the Director Generals of Police says,&rdquo; States should also take all preventive and deterrent action as deemed required. States are already empowered to provide security to individuals based on threat perceptions.&rdquo;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;The Fourth Estate is an important institution of the democracy. It ensures that citizens are able to express their opinions freely without any fear and coercion as provided under the Constitution of India. It is the duty of the state to ensure safety and security of the journalists who ensure that the Fourth Estate discharges this key duty,&quot; the advisory said.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
I question why such an advisory is required? Aren&rsquo;t state agencies committed to ensuring freedom of the press? We have laws. What we need is a better implementation of the criminal justice system. This isn&rsquo;t just about press freedoms, it is about people being killed for just doing their job &ndash; telling a truth that was perhaps too inconvenient.</p>

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<h5>These &lsquo;truth-adjudicating&rsquo; self-appointed guardians of civil society are anything but civil, and delegitimising media outlets and journalists are a harbinger of troubled times.</h5>
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<p><strong>Blame it on the Scribe. Carry on Trolling!</strong><br />
&nbsp;<br />
Trolling any journalist is easy. Perhaps killing them is too. On my own twitter profile @prasadsanyal, I&rsquo;ve described myself as &ldquo;News junkie, Foodie, Sickular, Presstitute&rdquo;. &nbsp;The self-inflicted rhetoric was my way of holding trolls at bay. When it comes to dealing with those on social media out to get me because they don&rsquo;t agree with my views, I&rsquo;m at an asymmetrical disadvantage. These &lsquo;truth-adjudicating&rsquo; self-appointed guardians of civil society are anything but civil, and delegitimising media outlets and journalists are a harbinger of troubled times.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Some of this anger vented at the media is self-inflicted - that I&rsquo;ll admit. A responsible media is one that is committed to the integrity of news and, has checks and balances to ensure that the reportage is not skewed. That said, a story has many sides and what a journalist chooses to tell is shamed by her socialisation and milieu.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
A responsible society not only engages with all news sources at its disposal but also encourages, through constant engagement, a more bi-partisan approach where every angle in a story can be adequately represented.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Media outlets are a reflection of society. Drawing room conversations blaming journalists for sensationalising news should also be an occasion to introspect. Are we as a people becoming increasingly vouyeristic? If people don&rsquo;t like what they see, then perhaps it is time to stop reading, watching and consuming whatever content is being offered and look for alternatives.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Remaining silent or blindly condemning aren&rsquo;t the only two routes available. Most media outlets have robust feedback mechanisms. Engage respectfully and be the catalyst for the change you want to see.</p>


Better implementation of the criminal justice system will put an end to impunity for crimes against journalists

In the past few months, I’ve seen many journalists crib about the excesses of the government, slam them for the lack of morals or turn on their own organisations for suppressing stories that were inconvenient. But more disturbingly, I’ve seen journalists come under attack for reporting the news as they see it. And some of these attacks aren’t just by Twitter trolls. In April this year, a HOOT study said that 54 attacks and 25 cases of threatening journalists took place in the preceding 16 months. Nearly two months after scribe Gauri Lankesh was shot outside her Bengaluru house, the case remains unsolved and the killers at large. The 2017 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders ranks India an abysmal 136 out of 180 nations. While we are doing better than Pakistan (139) and China (176), it is a sad commentary that even strife-torn Afghanistan (120) ranks better. A report by the Press Council of India states that of the over 80 journalists killed since 1990, there has been a conviction in only one case. This isn’t just about press freedoms, it is about people being killed for just doing their job – telling a truth that was perhaps too inconvenient. × Matters, it seems, have come to such a pass that the central government has issued an advisory to states last week to ensure all attacks on journalists are investigated promptly and perpetrators get prosecuted in a ‘time-bound manner’. The advisory to the Director Generals of Police says,” States should also take all preventive and deterrent action as deemed required. States are already empowered to provide security to individuals based on threat perceptions.” "The Fourth Estate is an important institution of the democracy. It ensures that citizens are able to express their opinions freely without any fear and coercion as provided under the Constitution of India. It is the duty of the state to ensure safety and security of the journalists who ensure that the Fourth Estate discharges this key duty," the advisory said. I question why such an advisory is required? Aren’t state agencies committed to ensuring freedom of the press? We have laws. What we need is a better implementation of the criminal justice system. This isn’t just about press freedoms, it is about people being killed for just doing their job – telling a truth that was perhaps too inconvenient. These ‘truth-adjudicating’ self-appointed guardians of civil society are anything but civil, and delegitimising media outlets and journalists are a harbinger of troubled times. × Blame it on the Scribe. Carry on Trolling! Trolling any journalist is easy. Perhaps killing them is too. On my own twitter profile @prasadsanyal, I’ve described myself as “News junkie, Foodie, Sickular, Presstitute”. The self-inflicted rhetoric was my way of holding trolls at bay. When it comes to dealing with those on social media out to get me because they don’t agree with my views, I’m at an asymmetrical disadvantage. These ‘truth-adjudicating’ self-appointed guardians of civil society are anything but civil, and delegitimising media outlets and journalists are a harbinger of troubled times. Some of this anger vented at the media is self-inflicted - that I’ll admit. A responsible media is one that is committed to the integrity of news and, has checks and balances to ensure that the reportage is not skewed. That said, a story has many sides and what a journalist chooses to tell is shamed by her socialisation and milieu. A responsible society not only engages with all news sources at its disposal but also encourages, through constant engagement, a more bi-partisan approach where every angle in a story can be adequately represented. Media outlets are a reflection of society. Drawing room conversations blaming journalists for sensationalising news should also be an occasion to introspect. Are we as a people becoming increasingly vouyeristic? If people don’t like what they see, then perhaps it is time to stop reading, watching and consuming whatever content is being offered and look for alternatives. Remaining silent or blindly condemning aren’t the only two routes available. Most media outlets have robust feedback mechanisms. Engage respectfully and be the catalyst for the change you want to see.

News needn't be convenient. Don't shoot the messenger

<p>Over the last few days I&rsquo;ve seen with a sense of dismay a &lsquo;<i>tu-tu main-main&rsquo;</i>&nbsp;over NDTV censoring its journalists.&nbsp;One of NDTV&rsquo;s senior-most journalists and well-known faces, Sreenivasan Jain, on Tuesday, alleged that a report by him on loans given to companies owned by BJP chief Amit Shah&rsquo;s son Jay Shah was taken down from NDTV&rsquo;s website. This was done in the name of &#39;legal vetting&#39;&nbsp;he said in a detailed Facebook post.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Once the face of NDTV, Barkha Dutt also said many of her stories were axed. In a series of tweets, she said, &ldquo;yes, axing stories at NDTV not new. And I don&#39;t recall said ex colleagues standing up for freedom of press &amp; reporting when some of fought it&hellip;&rdquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Can share <a href="https://twitter.com/nitingokhale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nitingokhale</a> &amp; I were punished for speaking on censorship of our work:<a href="https://twitter.com/ndtv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ndtv</a> was hostile to us: we parted. We stuck to our stand <a href="https://t.co/nCDsrpKy6G">https://t.co/nCDsrpKy6G</a></p>
&mdash; barkha dutt (@BDUTT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BDUTT/status/920502848575758337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>She also wrote a long explainer on Facebook too, where she said, &quot;Stories are censored in other newsrooms too but who else pretends to be this self-righteous and morally superior.&quot;</p>

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<p>Nitin Gokhale, whose interview with the former Navy chief was also dropped, also tweeted on his similar experiences. The Twitter debate turned ugly when Sonia Verma Singh, NDTV&rsquo;s Editorial Director, questioned her former colleague on why he&rsquo;d allowed his son to intern in NDTV if he had such an axe to grind.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">You brought my son into it, not me. So you stooped low, not me. Good you realised. Debate on issue, not personality. <a href="https://t.co/lZ39GEHbQS">https://t.co/lZ39GEHbQS</a></p>
&mdash; Nitin A. Gokhale (@nitingokhale) <a href="https://twitter.com/nitingokhale/status/921014183583391745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Seeing the pile-on brigade&rsquo;s hullabaloo, Sreenivasan Jain seems to have called truce for the moments. He tweeted in solidarity with NDTV (they&rsquo;re still his employers) and said not many companies allow dissent from within. &ldquo;Had decided to not respond to noise around my statement - abuse, support, whatever. Journalists tell stories. They are not the story.&rdquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">But seeing how some are using this to pile on to NDTV, remember - can&#39;t think of too many org&#39;n&#39;s that allow public dissent from within.</p>
&mdash; Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain) <a href="https://twitter.com/SreenivasanJain/status/920588485290893312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>What was genuinely upsetting was the barbs that flew back and forth were from people I&rsquo;d learnt a lot from and looked up to.&nbsp; I&rsquo;d been part of NDTV for over 7 years and had learnt much of my journalism there.</p>

<p><b>Why Target NDTV</b></p>

<p>In the middle of this Twitter war, my former boss, a director with NDTV and the managing editor for NDTV Convergence, the company&#39;s digital arm, wondered if some other websites have set up an&nbsp;NDTV beat. (I must say we haven&rsquo;t even though I&rsquo;m writing on it now.)</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">So many stories, such compulsive interest. Have other websites set up an <a href="https://twitter.com/ndtv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ndtv</a> beat? ????</p>
&mdash; Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Suparna_Singh/status/920639731557265408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>She also called out&nbsp;those&nbsp;who seem to have suddenly discovered &lsquo;their lost ethics&rsquo;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">interesting to see some who&#39;ve shown up at Lost and Found today to reclaim their very righteous Sense of Ethics ??</p>
&mdash; Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Suparna_Singh/status/920516513710395392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>I tend to agree. That stories are dropped wasn&rsquo;t a eureka moment for anyone. Why such senior journalists chose to speak at a time they did is also something I won&rsquo;t comment on. But there remains the fact that many who knew about these stories being dropped did not speak up earlier and have suddenly found a voice.&nbsp;&nbsp;That said, journalists are after all not Martians - we all have bills to pay and if we chose to live with somethings that are uncomfortable, so be it. Some people couldn&rsquo;t&nbsp;and&nbsp;moved on, others grinned and bore it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Maybe there are a few people who are favoured by the management. I&rsquo;m yet to work in a company that there aren&rsquo;t. And about glass ceilings -&nbsp;well, most English language media outfits favour those with public school education and perhaps a degree from Oxbridge or Columbia. That doesn&rsquo;t mean that those who are in decision-making roles are not competent or don&rsquo;t deserve to be there. Perhaps it simply boils down to basic language skills or the fact that they interviewed better.&nbsp;I wouldn&rsquo;t know. I didn&rsquo;t go to public school and am not armed with a foreign degree (not even then ones handed out by the Lajpat Nagar branches here in Delhi).</p>

<p>The charges of nepotism aren&rsquo;t then biggest problem here. The perception seems to be that an organization that seems to be fighting for the freedom of press when its owners are raided by the CBI is also sidestepping inconvenient stories -&nbsp;and it&rsquo;s this hypocrisy that has evinced such a response.&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>Are We Willing to Pay for News?</b></p>

<p>Has the ghost of media censorship, in many cases self-censorship, started tumbling out of the closet? Is press freedom dead? Much humbug is talked on this subject.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As a person who has worked in various media organizations over the past 17 years, there was no ghost -&nbsp;censorship is a reality. But that isn&rsquo;t a government or political party specific problem.&nbsp;From news agencies to TV channels to news websites, there was a side of the toast that was buttered and that&rsquo;s what you went for.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And there&rsquo;s basic economics at work here. For many publications, channels and websites -&nbsp;the smaller ones, at least -&nbsp;the government continues to be the largest source of advertising revenue. And to offend the government of the day would have a serious impact on bottom-lines. Protracted legal battles are expensive and in most cases, it is more economically viable to not run a story, or have it pulled off.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For larger media houses, it&rsquo;s definitely better with revenue streams that are diversified but that still means selling advertising, going out to corporates and perhaps not offending them to the extent that your revenues dry up.&nbsp;&nbsp;In case of dealing with political parties, it could simply be a matter of access - do a few negative stories and&nbsp;thesources who would call you with information would refuse to take your calls.</p>

<p>There are some subscription models for news&nbsp;that&nbsp;exist in India but those are few and far between. For most of the &lsquo;mainstream&rsquo; media, in an attempt to get to the numbers, which in turn ensure a minimum revenue to keep the business viable, coverage is routinely dumbed down and dense -&nbsp;in some cases, I fear, even biased.&nbsp;&nbsp;For here even supremely popular products are difficult to monetize.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Subscription based media is thriving&nbsp;in&nbsp;other parts of the world. Publications such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have seen their digital subscriptions swell manifold in the Trump presidency. This has perhaps lent them, not just the moral courage, but also the fiscal muscle to deal with a government that is at loggerheads with them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If&nbsp;the average Indian reader wishes to be an informed citizen or learn about subjects that they care about and causes they want to mobilize on, they should start subscribing to news outlets based on the quality and depth of coverage. It would stop this mad rush for page views and ratings -&nbsp;headlines would be readable again and not a bunch of keywords and editors would be able to commission reporters to do the stories that are in the greatest public good. There would be no propensity to do &lsquo;paid news&rsquo; and no journalist or organization would need to pray at any altar save the reader.&nbsp;</p>


Over the last few days I?ve seen with a sense of dismay a ?tu-tu main-main? over NDTV censoring its journalists.

Over the last few days I’ve seen with a sense of dismay a ‘tu-tu main-main’ over NDTV censoring its journalists. One of NDTV’s senior-most journalists and well-known faces, Sreenivasan Jain, on Tuesday, alleged that a report by him on loans given to companies owned by BJP chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah was taken down from NDTV’s website. This was done in the name of 'legal vetting' he said in a detailed Facebook post. × Once the face of NDTV, Barkha Dutt also said many of her stories were axed. In a series of tweets, she said, “yes, axing stories at NDTV not new. And I don't recall said ex colleagues standing up for freedom of press & reporting when some of fought it…” Can share @nitingokhale & I were punished for speaking on censorship of our work:@ndtv was hostile to us: we parted. We stuck to our stand https://t.co/nCDsrpKy6G — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) October 18, 2017 × She also wrote a long explainer on Facebook too, where she said, "Stories are censored in other newsrooms too but who else pretends to be this self-righteous and morally superior." × Nitin Gokhale, whose interview with the former Navy chief was also dropped, also tweeted on his similar experiences. The Twitter debate turned ugly when Sonia Verma Singh, NDTV’s Editorial Director, questioned her former colleague on why he’d allowed his son to intern in NDTV if he had such an axe to grind. You brought my son into it, not me. So you stooped low, not me. Good you realised. Debate on issue, not personality. https://t.co/lZ39GEHbQS — Nitin A. Gokhale (@nitingokhale) October 19, 2017 × Seeing the pile-on brigade’s hullabaloo, Sreenivasan Jain seems to have called truce for the moments. He tweeted in solidarity with NDTV (they’re still his employers) and said not many companies allow dissent from within. “Had decided to not respond to noise around my statement - abuse, support, whatever. Journalists tell stories. They are not the story.” But seeing how some are using this to pile on to NDTV, remember - can't think of too many org'n's that allow public dissent from within. — Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain) October 18, 2017 × What was genuinely upsetting was the barbs that flew back and forth were from people I’d learnt a lot from and looked up to. I’d been part of NDTV for over 7 years and had learnt much of my journalism there. Why Target NDTV In the middle of this Twitter war, my former boss, a director with NDTV and the managing editor for NDTV Convergence, the company's digital arm, wondered if some other websites have set up an NDTV beat. (I must say we haven’t even though I’m writing on it now.) So many stories, such compulsive interest. Have other websites set up an @ndtv beat? ???? — Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) October 18, 2017 × She also called out those who seem to have suddenly discovered ‘their lost ethics’. interesting to see some who've shown up at Lost and Found today to reclaim their very righteous Sense of Ethics ?? — Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) October 18, 2017 × I tend to agree. That stories are dropped wasn’t a eureka moment for anyone. Why such senior journalists chose to speak at a time they did is also something I won’t comment on. But there remains the fact that many who knew about these stories being dropped did not speak up earlier and have suddenly found a voice. That said, journalists are after all not Martians - we all have bills to pay and if we chose to live with somethings that are uncomfortable, so be it. Some people couldn’t and moved on, others grinned and bore it. Maybe there are a few people who are favoured by the management. I’m yet to work in a company that there aren’t. And about glass ceilings - well, most English language media outfits favour those with public school education and perhaps a degree from Oxbridge or Columbia. That doesn’t mean that those who are in decision-making roles are not competent or don’t deserve to be there. Perhaps it simply boils down to basic language skills or the fact that they interviewed better. I wouldn’t know. I didn’t go to public school and am not armed with a foreign degree (not even then ones handed out by the Lajpat Nagar branches here in Delhi). The charges of nepotism aren’t then biggest problem here. The perception seems to be that an organization that seems to be fighting for the freedom of press when its owners are raided by the CBI is also sidestepping inconvenient stories - and it’s this hypocrisy that has evinced such a response. Are We Willing to Pay for News? Has the ghost of media censorship, in many cases self-censorship, started tumbling out of the closet? Is press freedom dead? Much humbug is talked on this subject. As a person who has worked in various media organizations over the past 17 years, there was no ghost - censorship is a reality. But that isn’t a government or political party specific problem. From news agencies to TV channels to news websites, there was a side of the toast that was buttered and that’s what you went for. And there’s basic economics at work here. For many publications, channels and websites - the smaller ones, at least - the government continues to be the largest source of advertising revenue. And to offend the government of the day would have a serious impact on bottom-lines. Protracted legal battles are expensive and in most cases, it is more economically viable to not run a story, or have it pulled off. For larger media houses, it’s definitely better with revenue streams that are diversified but that still means selling advertising, going out to corporates and perhaps not offending them to the extent that your revenues dry up. In case of dealing with political parties, it could simply be a matter of access - do a few negative stories and thesources who would call you with information would refuse to take your calls. There are some subscription models for news that exist in India but those are few and far between. For most of the ‘mainstream’ media, in an attempt to get to the numbers, which in turn ensure a minimum revenue to keep the business viable, coverage is routinely dumbed down and dense - in some cases, I fear, even biased. For here even supremely popular products are difficult to monetize. Subscription based media is thriving in other parts of the world. Publications such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have seen their digital subscriptions swell manifold in the Trump presidency. This has perhaps lent them, not just the moral courage, but also the fiscal muscle to deal with a government that is at loggerheads with them. If the average Indian reader wishes to be an informed citizen or learn about subjects that they care about and causes they want to mobilize on, they should start subscribing to news outlets based on the quality and depth of coverage. It would stop this mad rush for page views and ratings - headlines would be readable again and not a bunch of keywords and editors would be able to commission reporters to do the stories that are in the greatest public good. There would be no propensity to do ‘paid news’ and no journalist or organization would need to pray at any altar save the reader.

Don't mourn the loss of free media till you pay for your news

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Prasad Sanyal

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