<p>Wionews.com had reported Monday how Rahul Gandhi, as Congress President, would <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-unlikely-to-continue-with-position-of-political-secretary-in-congress-32637" target="_blank">run a more centralised office</a> than his mother and predecessor Sonia Gandhi. Sources had told wionews.com that Rahul would discontinue the office of a Congress political secretary.</p>

<p>The sources said Rahul&#39;s office has been modelled on the &quot;hub-and-spoke&quot;&nbsp;model, under which small &quot;hubs&quot; report directly to the central hub rather than to senior functionaries, who would then report to the Congress President.</p>

<p>This hub and spoke model, wionews.com&nbsp;reported, would keep decision-making in Rahul&#39;s purview.</p>

<p>Wionews.com added that strict instructions had been issued to the people working in Rahul&#39;s office to not give interviews to the media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi of course has not addressed a press conference in the close to four years that he has been in power, and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/world-exclusive-sudhir-chaudhary-interviews-indian-pm-narendra-modi-7884" target="_blank">has given very few interviews</a>. The prime minister prefers to talk to the people of India via his monthly Mann ki Baat radio address and social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Interestingly, when Modi first came to power, news reports had talked of how all power was being centralised in the Prime Minister&#39;s Office. Some reports went so far as to say the centralisation of power was slowing down decision-making -- since all decisions were made in the PMO -- under Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul -- who visited a large number of temples during the Gujarat elections and continues to do while campaigning in Karnataka -- has already been accused of practising a &quot;soft&quot; Hindutva. In Gujarat, for example, while he tried to cobble together a disparate group&nbsp;-- the Patels, the Dalits -- under his umbrella, he said nothing of the Muslims.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress reply to the charge was that it did not wish to polarise the Hindu vote bank (against it) before the election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul finally broke his silence on his temple visits on Monday. &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-defends-temple-run-says-he-will-continue-it-32644" target="_blank">I like going to temples</a>, wherever I get a religious&nbsp;place I go there. I feel good and feel happy, and I will&nbsp;continue (to go),&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul of course is allowed to visit whichever temple he might wish to (with or without a tilak; see photo above) but the embrace of places of worship and soldiers tends to be the forte of right-wing governments.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Even with soldiers, Rahul has begun to hit strident notes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Tuesday, after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said Pakistan &quot;will pay&quot; for the attack on the Sunjuwan army camp in Jammu -- in which five soldiers and the father of a soldier were killed -- Rahul tweeted:</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">1. PDP says &ldquo;talks&rdquo; with Pakistan.<br />
<br />
2. BJP Defence Minister says &quot;Pakistan will pay the price&quot;.<br />
<br />
While our soldiers pay with their blood for BJP/ PDP&rsquo;s opportunistic alliance and non-existent Kashmir policy; Modi Ji dithers.</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/963365828681924608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Again on Tuesday, he took a Modi barb aimed at the Nehru-Gandhi family and tried to turn it against the prime minister himself. Modi had recently said in Parliament that nothing had been done in the country for 70 years (the majority of which had seen Congress governments in power).&nbsp;</p>

<p>While campaigning in Karnataka, Rahul said:&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">When Modi Ji says that nothing was done in this country for last 70 years, he is disrespecting your parents, ancestors and the farmers. A country is not run by a single person: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Bidar, Karnataka <a href="https://t.co/JBYRhtX11x">pic.twitter.com/JBYRhtX11x</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/963376056374841344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The spin by Rahul was reminiscent of the prime minister&#39;s own spinning of Mani Shankar&#39;s Aiyar&#39;s comment about him.</p>

<p>Aiyar had called Modi a &quot;neech&quot; person. Modi took the comment to the voters of Gujarat, saying Aiyar had called him a low-caste, and that he had insulted not only him but also the people of Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Sources say Rahul, as Congress President, will run a 'centralised' office, like Modi does. Instructions have also been given to the people working for Rahul to not talk to the media

Wionews.com had reported Monday how Rahul Gandhi, as Congress President, would run a more centralised office than his mother and predecessor Sonia Gandhi. Sources had told wionews.com that Rahul would discontinue the office of a Congress political secretary. The sources said Rahul's office has been modelled on the "hub-and-spoke" model, under which small "hubs" report directly to the central hub rather than to senior functionaries, who would then report to the Congress President. This hub and spoke model, wionews.com reported, would keep decision-making in Rahul's purview. Wionews.com added that strict instructions had been issued to the people working in Rahul's office to not give interviews to the media. Modi of course has not addressed a press conference in the close to four years that he has been in power, and has given very few interviews. The prime minister prefers to talk to the people of India via his monthly Mann ki Baat radio address and social media. Interestingly, when Modi first came to power, news reports had talked of how all power was being centralised in the Prime Minister's Office. Some reports went so far as to say the centralisation of power was slowing down decision-making -- since all decisions were made in the PMO -- under Modi. Rahul -- who visited a large number of temples during the Gujarat elections and continues to do while campaigning in Karnataka -- has already been accused of practising a "soft" Hindutva. In Gujarat, for example, while he tried to cobble together a disparate group -- the Patels, the Dalits -- under his umbrella, he said nothing of the Muslims. The Congress reply to the charge was that it did not wish to polarise the Hindu vote bank (against it) before the election. Rahul finally broke his silence on his temple visits on Monday. "I like going to temples, wherever I get a religious place I go there. I feel good and feel happy, and I will continue (to go)," he said. Rahul of course is allowed to visit whichever temple he might wish to (with or without a tilak; see photo above) but the embrace of places of worship and soldiers tends to be the forte of right-wing governments. Even with soldiers, Rahul has begun to hit strident notes. On Tuesday, after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said Pakistan "will pay" for the attack on the Sunjuwan army camp in Jammu -- in which five soldiers and the father of a soldier were killed -- Rahul tweeted: 1. PDP says “talks” with Pakistan. 2. BJP Defence Minister says "Pakistan will pay the price". While our soldiers pay with their blood for BJP/ PDP’s opportunistic alliance and non-existent Kashmir policy; Modi Ji dithers. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 13, 2018 × Again on Tuesday, he took a Modi barb aimed at the Nehru-Gandhi family and tried to turn it against the prime minister himself. Modi had recently said in Parliament that nothing had been done in the country for 70 years (the majority of which had seen Congress governments in power). While campaigning in Karnataka, Rahul said: When Modi Ji says that nothing was done in this country for last 70 years, he is disrespecting your parents, ancestors and the farmers. A country is not run by a single person: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Bidar, Karnataka pic.twitter.com/JBYRhtX11x — ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2018 × The spin by Rahul was reminiscent of the prime minister's own spinning of Mani Shankar's Aiyar's comment about him. Aiyar had called Modi a "neech" person. Modi took the comment to the voters of Gujarat, saying Aiyar had called him a low-caste, and that he had insulted not only him but also the people of Gujarat.

Rahul Gandhi seems to be copying from Modi's playbook. Here's how

<p>While Asiatic lions remain one of the biggest tourist attractions in Gujarat, the humble cow is set to become the newest draw for travellers in the state.</p>

<p>Authorities have initiated a &#39;cow tourism&#39; project to promote and popularise bovine rearing in the state. It has been introduced by the Gujarat State Gauseva Ayog.</p>

<p>People interested in understanding about cow rearing and various other aspects, such as making products using cow urine and dung, are taken to a two day trip of some of the best-kept cow shelters as well as designated &#39;gauchars&#39; (grazing land), said Gauseva Ayog chairman Vallabh Kathiria.</p>

<p>&quot;Cow tourism is a step towards making people understand the economic benefits of keeping cows. Most people are not aware that we can earn good income by preparing some basic products, such as bio-gas and medicines, using cow dung and urine.</p>

<p>&quot;Cow tourism is all about combining the religious aspect with the economical aspect attached with the cow,&quot; Kathiria told PTI.</p>

<p>While cow urine has several medicinal and disinfectant properties and its extract is used in making organic phenyl and soap, cow dung serves as a raw material for producing bio- gas, fertiliser and for making incense sticks, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Under this project, we arrange a two-day tour of the shelters doing a commendable job in not only keeping the cows in good condition but also making money by preparing cow dung and urine-based products. In a short span of introducing this project, we have arranged several such trips across the state,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Apart from cow shelters, grazing land (gauchars) are also included in the itinerary. One of the most popular destinations as far as gauchar goes is Dharmaj, a village near Anand, said Kathiria.</p>

<p>&quot;Preparing a guachar is also an art and one such grazing land has been prepared at Dharmaj. People, who are concerned about the well-being of cows, take ideas from such model gauchar during the trip and implement them at their village.</p>

<p>Many tourists have even started rearing cows and built gaushalas after learning about the monetary benefits during our trips. This all will help in preserving and protecting the holy animal,&quot; said the former Union minister.</p>

<p>Protection of cows has become a priority in Gujarat after the state government last year introduced a tough law against cow slaughter with a provision for life sentence.</p>

<p>Apart from cow tourism, the Ayog is undertaking many other initiative to encourage people to rear cows. The Ayog is in consultation with various jails and educational institutions to start cow shelters on their premises.</p>

<p>&quot;At present, jails in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Bhuj have their cow shelters. We are in contact with authorities of Gondal and Amreli jails to open such gaushalas in their premises.</p>

<p>&quot;Several colleges and even universities have expressed willingness to start cow shelters on their premises,&quot; Kathiria said.</p>


Authorities have initiated a 'cow tourism' project to promote and popularise bovine rearing in the state. It has been introduced by the Gujarat State Gauseva Ayog

While Asiatic lions remain one of the biggest tourist attractions in Gujarat, the humble cow is set to become the newest draw for travellers in the state. Authorities have initiated a 'cow tourism' project to promote and popularise bovine rearing in the state. It has been introduced by the Gujarat State Gauseva Ayog. People interested in understanding about cow rearing and various other aspects, such as making products using cow urine and dung, are taken to a two day trip of some of the best-kept cow shelters as well as designated 'gauchars' (grazing land), said Gauseva Ayog chairman Vallabh Kathiria. "Cow tourism is a step towards making people understand the economic benefits of keeping cows. Most people are not aware that we can earn good income by preparing some basic products, such as bio-gas and medicines, using cow dung and urine. "Cow tourism is all about combining the religious aspect with the economical aspect attached with the cow," Kathiria told PTI. While cow urine has several medicinal and disinfectant properties and its extract is used in making organic phenyl and soap, cow dung serves as a raw material for producing bio- gas, fertiliser and for making incense sticks, he said. "Under this project, we arrange a two-day tour of the shelters doing a commendable job in not only keeping the cows in good condition but also making money by preparing cow dung and urine-based products. In a short span of introducing this project, we have arranged several such trips across the state," he said. Apart from cow shelters, grazing land (gauchars) are also included in the itinerary. One of the most popular destinations as far as gauchar goes is Dharmaj, a village near Anand, said Kathiria. "Preparing a guachar is also an art and one such grazing land has been prepared at Dharmaj. People, who are concerned about the well-being of cows, take ideas from such model gauchar during the trip and implement them at their village. Many tourists have even started rearing cows and built gaushalas after learning about the monetary benefits during our trips. This all will help in preserving and protecting the holy animal," said the former Union minister. Protection of cows has become a priority in Gujarat after the state government last year introduced a tough law against cow slaughter with a provision for life sentence. Apart from cow tourism, the Ayog is undertaking many other initiative to encourage people to rear cows. The Ayog is in consultation with various jails and educational institutions to start cow shelters on their premises. "At present, jails in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Bhuj have their cow shelters. We are in contact with authorities of Gondal and Amreli jails to open such gaushalas in their premises. "Several colleges and even universities have expressed willingness to start cow shelters on their premises," Kathiria said.

Gujarat begins 'cow tourism' project

<p>Gujarat is staring at an acute water crisis this summer allegedly due to its over dependence on the Narmada Dam to meet all its requirements.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Gujarat chief secretary JN Singh recently announced that due to less water available in the Narmada, they will not be able to provide water to industries, and have asked local bodies to look for alternate sources this summer.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The Narmada River catchment areas, mainly in Madhya Pradesh, received less rainfall last monsoon with the Sardar Sarovar Dam receiving only 45 per cent of what it gets normally during monsoon.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The state government recently asked farmers to skip sowing summer crops as it would not be able to provide irrigation water. It also plans to cut supply to industries and has asked the administration of cities and villages, dependent on the Narmada for drinking purpose, to explore local sources.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&quot;Yes, we need to change the perception that we are totally dependent on the Sardar Sarovar project on Narmada. The Naramda water should be seen as an add-on to local sources of water and not as the main source,&quot; Gujarat chief minister&#39;s adviser on water management, BN Navalawala, told news agency PTI.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada has been described as &#39;Gujarat&#39;s lifeline&#39; by BJP leaders as it aims to provide drinking water to 131 urban centres and 9,633 villages (53 per cent of state&#39;s villages).&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The dam is also expected to facilitate irrigation of 18.54 hectares of land covering 3,112 villages of 73 talukas in 15 districts of Gujarat.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Apart from providing water to so many towns and villages, the state government has embarked on an ambitious Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojna (Sauni Scheme) under which it plans to fill up 115 reservoirs of Saurashtra with Narmada water.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The Sardar Sarovar Dam&#39;s foundation stone was laid on April 5, 1961 by the country&#39;s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. However, it took 56 years to complete its construction due to court cases and protests by the affected villagers.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The dam was inaugurated on September 17 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
After over 15 years, when the state administration gradually learnt to depend on the Narmada for the water requirements, this year seems to be a wake up call.&nbsp;<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" width="1"></iframe><br />
Due to weak monsoon in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat would only get 4.71 million acre feet (MAF) water, which is just 45 per cent of the sanctioned supply of 9 MAF awarded by the Narmada Tribunal to the state, as per an official release.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
A municipal official said it seems the state has ignored local sources, the ambitious Kalpsar project which aims to harness water of seven rivers by building a reservoir in the Gulf of Khambhat, and desalination plants.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The government may have thought that the Narmada river can provide water that is needed for the state, he said. However, Mr Navlawala, who is also heading the central task force for interlinking of rivers, said the state has been time and again exploring all options.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&quot;There is a perception that Gujarat is totally dependent on Narmada, but we are working in all directions to mitigate the crisis that has come our way. All cities and towns which are now provided water from Narmada, earlier used to have their local source of water. We have asked administrators of cities to revive the local sources of water,&quot; he said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Regarding the Kalpsar project, Mr Navalawala said, &quot;As it is a one-of-its-kind project, we have to carry out many surveys which we expect to complete by the end of this year. We will then be able to prepare a detailed project report.&quot;&nbsp;<br />
<br />
On the desalination plants, he said the cost of water from it is very high and that water supply can be provided only in a limited sphere. &quot;But the state government has taken up the work of a plant for desalination of 105 million litres per day and tenders for it will soon be out,&quot; he said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
However, Mr Navalawala said due to climate change, the water scarcity in future cannot be ruled out, and states needs a paradigm shift in approach towards water management.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We should move from demand driven supply to demand management. Recently, in one of the cities of South Africa which is facing drought, we were surprised by news that our cricketers were asked to take a shower for just two minutes. But it could be the order of the day in future in India too due to water scarcity,&quot; he said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Mr Navlawala also stressed on water auditing and putting water meters in every house. &quot;Water auditing or water meters are inescapable. If you are not going to do it today, you will be compelled to do it tomorrow,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>


The Narmada River catchment areas, mainly in Madhya Pradesh, received less rainfall last monsoon with the Sardar Sarovar Dam receiving only 45 per cent of what it gets normally during monsoon

Gujarat is staring at an acute water crisis this summer allegedly due to its over dependence on the Narmada Dam to meet all its requirements. Gujarat chief secretary JN Singh recently announced that due to less water available in the Narmada, they will not be able to provide water to industries, and have asked local bodies to look for alternate sources this summer. The Narmada River catchment areas, mainly in Madhya Pradesh, received less rainfall last monsoon with the Sardar Sarovar Dam receiving only 45 per cent of what it gets normally during monsoon. The state government recently asked farmers to skip sowing summer crops as it would not be able to provide irrigation water. It also plans to cut supply to industries and has asked the administration of cities and villages, dependent on the Narmada for drinking purpose, to explore local sources. "Yes, we need to change the perception that we are totally dependent on the Sardar Sarovar project on Narmada. The Naramda water should be seen as an add-on to local sources of water and not as the main source," Gujarat chief minister's adviser on water management, BN Navalawala, told news agency PTI. The Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada has been described as 'Gujarat's lifeline' by BJP leaders as it aims to provide drinking water to 131 urban centres and 9,633 villages (53 per cent of state's villages). The dam is also expected to facilitate irrigation of 18.54 hectares of land covering 3,112 villages of 73 talukas in 15 districts of Gujarat. Apart from providing water to so many towns and villages, the state government has embarked on an ambitious Saurashtra-Narmada Avataran Irrigation Yojna (Sauni Scheme) under which it plans to fill up 115 reservoirs of Saurashtra with Narmada water. The Sardar Sarovar Dam's foundation stone was laid on April 5, 1961 by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. However, it took 56 years to complete its construction due to court cases and protests by the affected villagers. The dam was inaugurated on September 17 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After over 15 years, when the state administration gradually learnt to depend on the Narmada for the water requirements, this year seems to be a wake up call. Due to weak monsoon in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat would only get 4.71 million acre feet (MAF) water, which is just 45 per cent of the sanctioned supply of 9 MAF awarded by the Narmada Tribunal to the state, as per an official release. A municipal official said it seems the state has ignored local sources, the ambitious Kalpsar project which aims to harness water of seven rivers by building a reservoir in the Gulf of Khambhat, and desalination plants. The government may have thought that the Narmada river can provide water that is needed for the state, he said. However, Mr Navlawala, who is also heading the central task force for interlinking of rivers, said the state has been time and again exploring all options. "There is a perception that Gujarat is totally dependent on Narmada, but we are working in all directions to mitigate the crisis that has come our way. All cities and towns which are now provided water from Narmada, earlier used to have their local source of water. We have asked administrators of cities to revive the local sources of water," he said. Regarding the Kalpsar project, Mr Navalawala said, "As it is a one-of-its-kind project, we have to carry out many surveys which we expect to complete by the end of this year. We will then be able to prepare a detailed project report." On the desalination plants, he said the cost of water from it is very high and that water supply can be provided only in a limited sphere. "But the state government has taken up the work of a plant for desalination of 105 million litres per day and tenders for it will soon be out," he said. However, Mr Navalawala said due to climate change, the water scarcity in future cannot be ruled out, and states needs a paradigm shift in approach towards water management. "We should move from demand driven supply to demand management. Recently, in one of the cities of South Africa which is facing drought, we were surprised by news that our cricketers were asked to take a shower for just two minutes. But it could be the order of the day in future in India too due to water scarcity," he said. Mr Navlawala also stressed on water auditing and putting water meters in every house. "Water auditing or water meters are inescapable. If you are not going to do it today, you will be compelled to do it tomorrow," he added.

Gujarat staring at acute water crisis warns top official

<p>With just a day shy of <em>Padmaavat</em>&#39;s release, tension seems to intensify in various parts of the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, has been witnessing a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/protestors-vandalise-multiplex-in-ahmedabad-for-screening-padmaavat-30542">series of protests</a> since a couple of days. The state&nbsp;government&#39;s move to beef-up the security across the state was challenged and toyed with when multiple multiplexes, shops and public property&nbsp;were vandalised by protesters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tuesday night saw Ahmedabad getting subsumed by chaos as mobs attacked shops, vandalised vehicles and pelted stones.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Wide Angle Multiplex and PVR Cinemas at various locations in the city were attacked. Close to 200 vehicles are reported to have been vandalised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Deputy CM Nitin Patel urged people not to watch the film and noted that the state government had previously decided to ban the film keeping in view the sentiments of the Rajput community.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-review-ranveer-singh-shines-in-bhansalis-visually-grand-historical-saga-30568">Padmaavat</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-review-ranveer-singh-shines-in-bhansalis-visually-grand-historical-saga-30568">&nbsp;review: Ranveer Singh shines in Bhansali&#39;s visually grand historical saga</a></p>

<p>The apex court stay on the ban sparked an outcry in people, he noted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Most theatre owners in the state had voluntarily decided not to screen <em>Padmaavat</em>, Patel was quoted by PTI.</p>

<p>&quot;We had put up boards saying we won&#39;t screen the film. Still, the mall was attacked by a horde of men,&quot; a mall manager told ANI.</p>

<p>Sanjay Leela Bhansali&#39;s magnum opus was cleared by the Censor Board last month under the UA certificate.</p>

<p>The Board had also suggested a&nbsp;few modifications in the content of the film without which the film was not allowed a release.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Four states -- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan -- decided to ban the film, a move which was stayed by the Supreme Court.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Deepika Padukone starrer is now all set to release&nbsp;tomorrow. Police personnel will be stationed at theatres from January 24 to 26 to ensure <em>Padmaavat</em>&#39;s hassle-free release.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


Wide Angle Multiplex and PVR Cinemas at various locations in the city were attacked

With just a day shy of Padmaavat's release, tension seems to intensify in various parts of the country. Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, has been witnessing a series of protests since a couple of days. The state government's move to beef-up the security across the state was challenged and toyed with when multiple multiplexes, shops and public property were vandalised by protesters. Tuesday night saw Ahmedabad getting subsumed by chaos as mobs attacked shops, vandalised vehicles and pelted stones. Wide Angle Multiplex and PVR Cinemas at various locations in the city were attacked. Close to 200 vehicles are reported to have been vandalised. Deputy CM Nitin Patel urged people not to watch the film and noted that the state government had previously decided to ban the film keeping in view the sentiments of the Rajput community. Also read: Padmaavat review: Ranveer Singh shines in Bhansali's visually grand historical saga The apex court stay on the ban sparked an outcry in people, he noted. Most theatre owners in the state had voluntarily decided not to screen Padmaavat, Patel was quoted by PTI. "We had put up boards saying we won't screen the film. Still, the mall was attacked by a horde of men," a mall manager told ANI. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus was cleared by the Censor Board last month under the UA certificate. The Board had also suggested a few modifications in the content of the film without which the film was not allowed a release. Four states -- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan -- decided to ban the film, a move which was stayed by the Supreme Court. The Deepika Padukone starrer is now all set to release tomorrow. Police personnel will be stationed at theatres from January 24 to 26 to ensure Padmaavat's hassle-free release. (With inputs from agencies)

Padmaavat protests: Mobs go on rampage in Ahmedabad 

<p>At a press conference held on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor indicated that there may be changes in the Congress party office bearers soon. &ldquo;Give the new President Rahul Gandhi some time to review the situation and make the changes he wants to make. There will be a reshuffling of the deck as it were,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress president last month (December 16, 2017) his mother Sonia, two days before the results to state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced. While the Congress lost both states, their performance in Gujarat, a state which had not voted for the party in 22 years, was better than many had expected.</p>

<p>Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a &ldquo;reluctant politician&rdquo;, adding &ldquo;He&rsquo;s far from it. I don&rsquo;t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results.&rdquo;</p>

<p>On the recent violent protests, especially on the release of the film &lsquo;Padmaavat&rsquo;, a penchant question on the media terrace at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had this to say: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very concerned as a citizen about the failure of state authorities to maintain law and order. Are some people not motivated to stop certain groups? Are some kinds of misbehaviour more acceptable than others?&rdquo;</p>

<p>The former minister of state for HRD and External Affairs also shared his Wishlist for what would be the Narendra Modi government&rsquo;s &lsquo;last budget&rsquo; before elections to Parliament are held in 2019. &ldquo;This is their last budget and it will be a political one. The economy isn&rsquo;t doing very well. They&rsquo;ll want to incentivise investments, they&rsquo;ll have to address agricultural stagnation, make good on their promise to provide employment to youth. These are my expectations, let us see what the government does.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget around noon in the Lok Sabha on February 1 (Thursday). The budget session of the Parliament will begin on January 29. The first phase of the Budget session will end on February 9 and then the session will commence after a recess on March 5. The recess is used by the standing committees of parliament to deliberate on the various budgetary proposals and amendments thereto.</p>


Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a 'reluctant politician', adding 'He’s far from it. I don’t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results'

At a press conference held on the sidelines of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, two-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor indicated that there may be changes in the Congress party office bearers soon. “Give the new President Rahul Gandhi some time to review the situation and make the changes he wants to make. There will be a reshuffling of the deck as it were,” he said. Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress president last month (December 16, 2017) his mother Sonia, two days before the results to state elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were announced. While the Congress lost both states, their performance in Gujarat, a state which had not voted for the party in 22 years, was better than many had expected. Tharoor says the Congress President is far being a “reluctant politician”, adding “He’s far from it. I don’t think anyone would have put up with the gruelling schedule he had in Gujarat and everyone saw the results.” On the recent violent protests, especially on the release of the film ‘Padmaavat’, a penchant question on the media terrace at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tharoor had this to say: “I’m very concerned as a citizen about the failure of state authorities to maintain law and order. Are some people not motivated to stop certain groups? Are some kinds of misbehaviour more acceptable than others?” The former minister of state for HRD and External Affairs also shared his Wishlist for what would be the Narendra Modi government’s ‘last budget’ before elections to Parliament are held in 2019. “This is their last budget and it will be a political one. The economy isn’t doing very well. They’ll want to incentivise investments, they’ll have to address agricultural stagnation, make good on their promise to provide employment to youth. These are my expectations, let us see what the government does.” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget around noon in the Lok Sabha on February 1 (Thursday). The budget session of the Parliament will begin on January 29. The first phase of the Budget session will end on February 9 and then the session will commence after a recess on March 5. The recess is used by the standing committees of parliament to deliberate on the various budgetary proposals and amendments thereto.

Rahul Gandhi needs time, there will be reshuffling of the deck in the Congress party: Shashi Tharoor

<p>Protests against the movie Padmaavat -- the movie is scheduled for release on January 25 -- are gathering pace around the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh approached the Supreme Court Tuesday to rethink its stay on their ban of the movie. The movie had been banned by two other states -- Gujarat and Haryana, but the court had last week ordered the bans to be lifted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The court had said then that if the movie Bandit Queen (on the life of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi) could be <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-cleared-by-the-supreme-court-in-four-states-stays-ban-29917" target="_blank">released, then why not </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padmaavat-cleared-by-the-supreme-court-in-four-states-stays-ban-29917" target="_blank">Padmaavat</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Jaipur meanwhile, the Rajput Karna Sena staged a protest against the movie, saying, &quot;We are confident that no cinema hall will screen the film and if someone does they should be ready to bear the consequences.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Consider it a warning or request,&quot; the self-styled Sena added. &nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rajput Karni Sena staged protest in Jaipur against screening of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padmaavat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padmaavat</a>, say &#39; We are confident that no cinema hall will screen the film &amp; if someone does they should be ready to bear the consequences. Consider it a warning or request&#39;. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rajasthan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rajasthan</a> <a href="https://t.co/IJosg8jQo7">pic.twitter.com/IJosg8jQo7</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955328111725363201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>In Chittor meanwhile, Rajput women took out a &quot;Chetavani rally&quot;. They said they would commit jauhar (mass sati) should the movie be released.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And ANI reported that a youth in Bhilwara had climbed a 350-foot-tall mobile tower along with a bottle of petrol. ANI added that the protester was saying he &quot;will come down only when Padmaavat is banned in the country&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Monday that any cinema hall screening the movie would be given security but that &quot;if someone decides not to screen the film it will be good.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If someone decides not to screen the film it will be good but if someone screens the film, they will be provided security. It is our duty to comply with Supreme Court&#39;s order: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padmaavat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padmaavat</a> <a href="https://t.co/0ZpfKOFG86">pic.twitter.com/0ZpfKOFG86</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955322116622073856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;It is our duty to comply with the Supreme Court order,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Police in Haryana said a mall in Kurukshetra had been vandalised on Sunday evening in protest against the movie. They said a group of 20 to 22 miscreants had attacked the mall with swords and hammers.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We suspect this act was against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padmaavat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padmaavat</a>. 20-22 people suddenly entered the mall at 6:48 pm, vandalised it &amp; escaped without saying a word. We have identified a few of them. Further Investigation is underway: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haryana?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Haryana</a> Police <a href="https://t.co/ThAwR6S63d">pic.twitter.com/ThAwR6S63d</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955320870800572416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Protesters had also blocked roads and set buses on fire in Gujarat on Sunday evening, again in protest against the movie.</p>

<p>Senior state minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said afterwards that such protests were &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/violent-protests-in-gujarat-against-padmaavat-minister-calls-it-natural-30310" target="_blank">natural</a>&quot; and that the government was looking for a legal opinion following the Supreme Court&#39;s order.</p>


'We are confident that no cinema hall will screen the film and if someone does they should be ready to bear the consequences,' the Rajput Karni Sena said

Protests against the movie Padmaavat -- the movie is scheduled for release on January 25 -- are gathering pace around the country. The two states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh approached the Supreme Court Tuesday to rethink its stay on their ban of the movie. The movie had been banned by two other states -- Gujarat and Haryana, but the court had last week ordered the bans to be lifted. The court had said then that if the movie Bandit Queen (on the life of dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi) could be released, then why not Padmaavat. In Jaipur meanwhile, the Rajput Karna Sena staged a protest against the movie, saying, "We are confident that no cinema hall will screen the film and if someone does they should be ready to bear the consequences." "Consider it a warning or request," the self-styled Sena added. Rajput Karni Sena staged protest in Jaipur against screening of #Padmaavat, say ' We are confident that no cinema hall will screen the film & if someone does they should be ready to bear the consequences. Consider it a warning or request'. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/IJosg8jQo7 — ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018 × In Chittor meanwhile, Rajput women took out a "Chetavani rally". They said they would commit jauhar (mass sati) should the movie be released. And ANI reported that a youth in Bhilwara had climbed a 350-foot-tall mobile tower along with a bottle of petrol. ANI added that the protester was saying he "will come down only when Padmaavat is banned in the country". Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Monday that any cinema hall screening the movie would be given security but that "if someone decides not to screen the film it will be good." If someone decides not to screen the film it will be good but if someone screens the film, they will be provided security. It is our duty to comply with Supreme Court's order: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar #Padmaavat pic.twitter.com/0ZpfKOFG86 — ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018 × "It is our duty to comply with the Supreme Court order," he added. Police in Haryana said a mall in Kurukshetra had been vandalised on Sunday evening in protest against the movie. They said a group of 20 to 22 miscreants had attacked the mall with swords and hammers. We suspect this act was against #Padmaavat. 20-22 people suddenly entered the mall at 6:48 pm, vandalised it & escaped without saying a word. We have identified a few of them. Further Investigation is underway: #Haryana Police pic.twitter.com/ThAwR6S63d — ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018 × Protesters had also blocked roads and set buses on fire in Gujarat on Sunday evening, again in protest against the movie. Senior state minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said afterwards that such protests were "natural" and that the government was looking for a legal opinion following the Supreme Court's order.

As Rajasthan, MP go to Supreme Court, protests against Padmaavat gather pace

<p>Violent protests by members of the Rajput community against the release of Sanjay Leela Bansali&#39;s controversial period drama &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-is-padmaavat-turning-into-the-rani-of-controversy-30056">Padmaavat</a>&quot; were witnessed across Gujarat on Sunday, with agitators damaging buses and blocking roads.</p>

<p>Senior state minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said such protests were &quot;natural&quot; and that the government was looking for a legal opinion following the Supreme Court&#39;s order.</p>

<p>The Supreme Court on January 18 had paved the way for the film&#39;s nationwide release on January 25 by lifting the ban on its screening in BJP-ruled states Gujarat and Rajasthan.</p>

<p>Following incidents of protesters damaging and setting buses on fire, the police issued a stern warning and deployed more personnel in the affected areas. The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation also suspended its services in northern parts of the state.</p>

<p>While lifting the ban, the court had stayed the orders and notifications issued by the Rajasthan and Gujarat governments prohibiting the screening of &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sc-panel-discussed-controversial-works-in-literature-and-cinema-during-padmaavat-proceedings-30024">Padmaavat</a>&quot;, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.</p>

<p>In northern parts of Gujarat, violent mobs set ablaze or damaged as many as eight buses in the past two days.</p>

<p>Protests were held at some places in Gandhinagar, Kheda Banaskantha and Surat by members of the Rajput community, with agitating groups setting on fire a state bus on the Ahmedabad-Kheda highway this afternoon.</p>

<p>Stones were also hurled at another bus at Unava village near Gandhinagar.</p>

<p>Protesters blocked several roads such as the Ahmedabad-Indore Highway and a road connecting Banaskantha to Rajasthan, police officials said.</p>

<p>In Surat, members of the Rajput Karni Sena and some other groups took to streets in the Katargam, Kapodra and Puna areas, police said.</p>

<p>The state in-charge DGP Pramod Kumar announced the deployment of the State Reserve Police (SRP) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to tackle the situation, as protests spread, particularly in Surat.</p>

<p>&quot;During the last 48 hours, some people in the garb of holding protests, have tried to disturb peace in the state by engaging in arson, damaging property and by blocking roads. As many as eight buses have been either set ablaze or damaged in north Gujarat during this period,&quot; Mr Kumar told reporters in Gandhinagar.</p>

<p>&quot;In view of the current situation, I have asked police officials to take a stern action against the perpetrators,&quot; he said, adding that several people have been arrested in connection with the protests.</p>

<p>&quot;We will not spare anyone who will break the law. Along with regular police, we have deployed SRP and RAF in affected areas,&quot; the top cop said.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, terming the protests as &quot;natural&quot;, Mr Chudasama said, &quot;If you distort historical facts and present it in a movie, it is quite natural that people will protest.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Though the Supreme Court had stayed our notification banning the release of the movie, the state government is taking legal opinion,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Surat police commissioner Satish Sharma said that police resorted to baton charge to disperse protesters.</p>

<p>&quot;Some protesters suddenly came on roads in different areas of the city today. As they tried to block roads, we were forced to do a baton charge. At two places, protesters even misbehaved with policemen. The situation is under control now. We have arrested 16 people,&quot; the police commissioner said.</p>

<p>Due to protests, the state bus service suspended bus operations in Mehsana, Patan, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts till the situation improves, state road transport corporation, Secretary, KD Desai, said.</p>

<p>Buses plying between Ahmedabad and the northern region have been cancelled since last night amid the fear of miscreants making these vehicles their soft target, the official said.</p>

<p>&quot;Owing to the attacks in parts of north Gujarat yesterday, we have temporarily suspended our operations for Gandhinagar, Himmatnagar, Mehsana and Banaskantha. The services to other destinations, such as those in central and south Gujarat, are on as per the schedule,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Mr Desai said that though they tried to resume the service in Gandhinagar this morning, some people targeted a bus at a village in the district.</p>

<p>Following the bus service&#39;s decision, several passengers were stranded.</p>

<p>Last night, agitators community allegedly set ablaze three buses in different parts of Mehsana. They also damaged the window panes of at least six buses in the region, according to the district police.</p>

<p>The protesters had also tried to block roads by burning tyres in some parts of Banaskantha, Mehsana, Surendranagar and Bhuj in protest against <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/stay-on-padmaavat-ban-rajasthan-madhya-pradesh-ask-supreme-court-to-reconsider-order-30308">the film</a>.</p>


Senior state minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said such protests were 'natural'

Violent protests by members of the Rajput community against the release of Sanjay Leela Bansali's controversial period drama "Padmaavat" were witnessed across Gujarat on Sunday, with agitators damaging buses and blocking roads. Senior state minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said such protests were "natural" and that the government was looking for a legal opinion following the Supreme Court's order. The Supreme Court on January 18 had paved the way for the film's nationwide release on January 25 by lifting the ban on its screening in BJP-ruled states Gujarat and Rajasthan. Following incidents of protesters damaging and setting buses on fire, the police issued a stern warning and deployed more personnel in the affected areas. The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation also suspended its services in northern parts of the state. While lifting the ban, the court had stayed the orders and notifications issued by the Rajasthan and Gujarat governments prohibiting the screening of "Padmaavat", starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor. In northern parts of Gujarat, violent mobs set ablaze or damaged as many as eight buses in the past two days. Protests were held at some places in Gandhinagar, Kheda Banaskantha and Surat by members of the Rajput community, with agitating groups setting on fire a state bus on the Ahmedabad-Kheda highway this afternoon. Stones were also hurled at another bus at Unava village near Gandhinagar. Protesters blocked several roads such as the Ahmedabad-Indore Highway and a road connecting Banaskantha to Rajasthan, police officials said. In Surat, members of the Rajput Karni Sena and some other groups took to streets in the Katargam, Kapodra and Puna areas, police said. The state in-charge DGP Pramod Kumar announced the deployment of the State Reserve Police (SRP) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) to tackle the situation, as protests spread, particularly in Surat. "During the last 48 hours, some people in the garb of holding protests, have tried to disturb peace in the state by engaging in arson, damaging property and by blocking roads. As many as eight buses have been either set ablaze or damaged in north Gujarat during this period," Mr Kumar told reporters in Gandhinagar. "In view of the current situation, I have asked police officials to take a stern action against the perpetrators," he said, adding that several people have been arrested in connection with the protests. "We will not spare anyone who will break the law. Along with regular police, we have deployed SRP and RAF in affected areas," the top cop said. Meanwhile, terming the protests as "natural", Mr Chudasama said, "If you distort historical facts and present it in a movie, it is quite natural that people will protest." "Though the Supreme Court had stayed our notification banning the release of the movie, the state government is taking legal opinion," he said. Surat police commissioner Satish Sharma said that police resorted to baton charge to disperse protesters. "Some protesters suddenly came on roads in different areas of the city today. As they tried to block roads, we were forced to do a baton charge. At two places, protesters even misbehaved with policemen. The situation is under control now. We have arrested 16 people," the police commissioner said. Due to protests, the state bus service suspended bus operations in Mehsana, Patan, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts till the situation improves, state road transport corporation, Secretary, KD Desai, said. Buses plying between Ahmedabad and the northern region have been cancelled since last night amid the fear of miscreants making these vehicles their soft target, the official said. "Owing to the attacks in parts of north Gujarat yesterday, we have temporarily suspended our operations for Gandhinagar, Himmatnagar, Mehsana and Banaskantha. The services to other destinations, such as those in central and south Gujarat, are on as per the schedule," he said. Mr Desai said that though they tried to resume the service in Gandhinagar this morning, some people targeted a bus at a village in the district. Following the bus service's decision, several passengers were stranded. Last night, agitators community allegedly set ablaze three buses in different parts of Mehsana. They also damaged the window panes of at least six buses in the region, according to the district police. The protesters had also tried to block roads by burning tyres in some parts of Banaskantha, Mehsana, Surendranagar and Bhuj in protest against the film.

Violent protests in Gujarat against Padmaavat, minister calls it 'natural'

<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been given a red carpet welcome in Ahmedabad at Gujarat. This is not the first time that a foreign dignitary after an initial stopover at the national capital was taken to Modi&#39;s state of Gujarat. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe paid a visit to the western state too. As did the Chinese premier Xi Jinping in 2014.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It leaves us wondering why these visits to Gujarat is being so strongly encouraged. And, why the foreign dignitaries agree to visit the state amidst a tight itinerary. What appeal does Gujarat, or more specifically, Ahmedabad hold for both the parties?</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahmedabad is not India&#39;s political nerve center, New Delhi is. Ahmedabad is not the place where the IT industry flourished as is the case with Bengaluru. Nor is Ahmedabad India&#39;s business capital; a mantle given to Mumbai for a longest possible time now.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Then why Ahmedabad?&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Foreign dignitaries visiting the US limit their stay to Washinton DC. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited NYC after his initial meeting with President Obama in DC. But that is because of the large diaspora of Indians present in the tri-state area of New York-New Jersey-Connecticut. It was not a visit organised by the Obama administration. It was Indian businessmen who organised it. The same thing can be said about Modi&#39;s visit to the Silicon Valley. It was an Indian initiative spearheaded by Indian corporate honchos in the US.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>But Gujarat does not have either a large Israeli, Japanese or a Chinese diaspora. It is cities, such as Mumbai and Delhi which have flourishing Chabad Houses where thousands of visiting Israelis stay put every year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Decades back when Nehru visited the US, he did take a detour to visit Albert Einstein. Again, a personal visit, undertaken to converse with one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. Also, the Jewish question needed discussion. Einstein, an active proponent of the Zionist cause, wanted to convince Nehru of the need to support the cause of Israel.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many political analysts wonder whether Modi is going back Gujarat to give these powerful heads of state an idea about his root.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It does not seem so. While the modest youth of Modi makes a good fuel for political quibble within India, it does not have the desirable impact at the international arena. Bilateral relationships function better between equals, involving very powerful people. The Language of Power rather than the sympathy card is more effective under the circumstance. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>If Modi is taking these dignitaries to Ahmedabad, it is to show what he is capable of achieving. Ahmedabad has evolved into swanky city with polished roads, disciplined traffic, shiny public transport. It is a revitalised city, almost creaseless. A poster-boy of Modi&#39;s development model.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahmedabad represents Modi&#39;s future plan for India. It shows India&#39;s enterprising nature at its best. Leaving behind its more conflicted past, Ahmedabad emerges as India&#39;s global city with deep cultural roots. Its identity is very much Hindu, very vegetarian, very businesslike.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This unique combination of cultural nationalism with business success is what distinguishes Ahmedabad from Bengaluru.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bengaluru is far too cosmopolitan. More importantly, it is not the creation of Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The roadshows with prominent dignitaries on streets of Ahmedabad comes with a strong visual message. Modi is announcing to his fellow citizens and, actually, to the world that India is not going to linger any longer in the waiting room of development. India has, in fact, arrived.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>What better place to announce that other than the city of Ahmedabad-the workplace of the Father of the Nation. In one masterstroke, Modi connects his personal achievement with the most glorious saga of India&#39;s independence movement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Somewhere, imperceptibly, India and Gujarat, Gandhi and Modi, Gujarati <em>asmita</em> and Indian nationalism get merged.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>That perhaps is the unstated goal. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Ahmedabad represents Modi's future plan for India. It shows India's enterprising nature at its best.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been given a red carpet welcome in Ahmedabad at Gujarat. This is not the first time that a foreign dignitary after an initial stopover at the national capital was taken to Modi's state of Gujarat. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe paid a visit to the western state too. As did the Chinese premier Xi Jinping in 2014. It leaves us wondering why these visits to Gujarat is being so strongly encouraged. And, why the foreign dignitaries agree to visit the state amidst a tight itinerary. What appeal does Gujarat, or more specifically, Ahmedabad hold for both the parties? Ahmedabad is not India's political nerve center, New Delhi is. Ahmedabad is not the place where the IT industry flourished as is the case with Bengaluru. Nor is Ahmedabad India's business capital; a mantle given to Mumbai for a longest possible time now. Then why Ahmedabad? Foreign dignitaries visiting the US limit their stay to Washinton DC. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited NYC after his initial meeting with President Obama in DC. But that is because of the large diaspora of Indians present in the tri-state area of New York-New Jersey-Connecticut. It was not a visit organised by the Obama administration. It was Indian businessmen who organised it. The same thing can be said about Modi's visit to the Silicon Valley. It was an Indian initiative spearheaded by Indian corporate honchos in the US. But Gujarat does not have either a large Israeli, Japanese or a Chinese diaspora. It is cities, such as Mumbai and Delhi which have flourishing Chabad Houses where thousands of visiting Israelis stay put every year. Decades back when Nehru visited the US, he did take a detour to visit Albert Einstein. Again, a personal visit, undertaken to converse with one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. Also, the Jewish question needed discussion. Einstein, an active proponent of the Zionist cause, wanted to convince Nehru of the need to support the cause of Israel. Many political analysts wonder whether Modi is going back Gujarat to give these powerful heads of state an idea about his root. It does not seem so. While the modest youth of Modi makes a good fuel for political quibble within India, it does not have the desirable impact at the international arena. Bilateral relationships function better between equals, involving very powerful people. The Language of Power rather than the sympathy card is more effective under the circumstance. If Modi is taking these dignitaries to Ahmedabad, it is to show what he is capable of achieving. Ahmedabad has evolved into swanky city with polished roads, disciplined traffic, shiny public transport. It is a revitalised city, almost creaseless. A poster-boy of Modi's development model. Ahmedabad represents Modi's future plan for India. It shows India's enterprising nature at its best. Leaving behind its more conflicted past, Ahmedabad emerges as India's global city with deep cultural roots. Its identity is very much Hindu, very vegetarian, very businesslike. This unique combination of cultural nationalism with business success is what distinguishes Ahmedabad from Bengaluru. Bengaluru is far too cosmopolitan. More importantly, it is not the creation of Modi. The roadshows with prominent dignitaries on streets of Ahmedabad comes with a strong visual message. Modi is announcing to his fellow citizens and, actually, to the world that India is not going to linger any longer in the waiting room of development. India has, in fact, arrived. What better place to announce that other than the city of Ahmedabad-the workplace of the Father of the Nation. In one masterstroke, Modi connects his personal achievement with the most glorious saga of India's independence movement. Somewhere, imperceptibly, India and Gujarat, Gandhi and Modi, Gujarati asmita and Indian nationalism get merged. That perhaps is the unstated goal. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Modi takes Netanyahu to Ahmedabad?

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-padmavat-wont-release-in-gujarat-madhya-pradesh-29351">Gujarat government</a> today announced that the state will not go ahead with the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali&#39;s magnum opus, <em>Padmavat</em>. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Gujarat&#39;s Minister of State, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, noted the ban essential to maintain law and order in the state and said that it was issued in public interest.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ban is imposed under the Gujarat Cinemas (Regulation) Act of 2004.</p>

<p>&quot;In exercise conferred by sub-section 1 of section 6 of the Act, the government of Gujarat hereby imposes the ban on Hindi feature film &#39;<em>Padmaavat</em>&#39;... No cinema owners or distributors shall exhibit the said movie in any cinema/multiplex/ video cinema/touring cinema within the jurisdiction of Gujarat,&quot; the notification said.</p>

<p>&quot;We have learnt that the movie, originally named as &#39;<em>Padmavati</em>&#39; will be released with a new name &#39;<em><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/scenes-offensive-to-rajput-community-must-be-deleted-union-minister-on-padmavat-release-29427"><em>Padmaavat</em></a></em>&#39;. However, people across the country are against the movie, as they feel that history has been distorted. With this notification, the movie will be considered as a non-certified one and will not be screened in the state,&quot; said Jadeja.</p>

<p>Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had previously announced that the ban on <em>Padmavat</em> will continue despite the change in title.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the makers of the film confirmed <em>Padmavat</em>&#39;s release on January 25.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Viacom18 Motion Pictures announced that the movie shall be released across the globe in three languages -- Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Get ready to witness the epic tale <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padmaavat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padmaavat</a> on 25th January 2018, in theatres near you!Now also in 3D, Imax 3D, Tamil &amp; Telugu! <a href="https://twitter.com/filmpadmaavat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@filmPadmaavat</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RanveerOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RanveerOfficial</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/shahidkapoor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shahidkapoor</a> <a href="https://t.co/K6vxrPYSK1">pic.twitter.com/K6vxrPYSK1</a></p>
&mdash; Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepikapadukone/status/952520105451311105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film with a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bhansalis-padmavati-to-get-ua-certificate-films-title-may-also-get-changed-central-film-board-28111">UA certificate on December 28</a>.</p>

<p>The Censor Board called for necessary modifications -- including the name of the movie to be changed to <em>Padmavat</em> and changes made to the <em>Ghoomar</em> song -- in order to facilitate the film&#39;s release.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Various Rajput groups across the country have been staging protests against the film&#39;s&nbsp;release.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-karni-sena-members-held-while-protesting-outside-cbfc-office-29365">Karni Sena</a>, most vocal against <em>Padmavat</em>&#39;s release, recently staged a protest outside the CBFC office.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The group has also <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rajput-karni-sena-threatens-to-vandalise-theaters-showing-padmavati-28115">threatened to vandalise cinema halls</a> screening the movie, despite the censor board&#39;s go-ahead.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


The ban is imposed under the Gujarat Cinemas (Regulation) Act of 2004

The Gujarat government today announced that the state will not go ahead with the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus, Padmavat. Gujarat's Minister of State, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, noted the ban essential to maintain law and order in the state and said that it was issued in public interest. The ban is imposed under the Gujarat Cinemas (Regulation) Act of 2004. "In exercise conferred by sub-section 1 of section 6 of the Act, the government of Gujarat hereby imposes the ban on Hindi feature film 'Padmaavat'... No cinema owners or distributors shall exhibit the said movie in any cinema/multiplex/ video cinema/touring cinema within the jurisdiction of Gujarat," the notification said. "We have learnt that the movie, originally named as 'Padmavati' will be released with a new name 'Padmaavat'. However, people across the country are against the movie, as they feel that history has been distorted. With this notification, the movie will be considered as a non-certified one and will not be screened in the state," said Jadeja. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had previously announced that the ban on Padmavat will continue despite the change in title. Meanwhile, the makers of the film confirmed Padmavat's release on January 25. Viacom18 Motion Pictures announced that the movie shall be released across the globe in three languages -- Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Get ready to witness the epic tale #Padmaavat on 25th January 2018, in theatres near you!Now also in 3D, Imax 3D, Tamil & Telugu! @filmPadmaavat @RanveerOfficial @shahidkapoor pic.twitter.com/K6vxrPYSK1 — Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) January 14, 2018 × The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film with a UA certificate on December 28. The Censor Board called for necessary modifications -- including the name of the movie to be changed to Padmavat and changes made to the Ghoomar song -- in order to facilitate the film's release. Various Rajput groups across the country have been staging protests against the film's release. The Karni Sena, most vocal against Padmavat's release, recently staged a protest outside the CBFC office. The group has also threatened to vandalise cinema halls screening the movie, despite the censor board's go-ahead. (With inputs from agencies)

Gujarat joins Rajasthan, bans Padmavat

<p>Two people have been arrested on charges of helping a Muslim man &quot;forcibly&quot; convert a Kerala woman and attempting to take her to Syria to be sold off to Islamic State terrorists.</p>

<p>Fayaz and Siyad, both natives of North Paravur near Kochi, were arrested on Wednesday following investigations based on a complaint by the 25-year-old woman, who was rescued from Saudi Arabia and brought home last year by her family.</p>

<p>The two are friends of Muhammad Riyaz from Thalassery in Kannur district, the prime accused in the case.</p>

<p>&quot;They have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,&quot; Ernakulam Rural SP A V George said, adding a hunt is on to arrest eight more accused, including Riyas, in the case.</p>

<p>He said the police have begun a probe into their alleged link with the Islamic State terrorists.</p>

<p>George said both Fayaz and Siyad were arrested based on the woman&#39;s complaint that she was allegedly tortured by them in a house in North Paravoor before Riyaz took her abroad.</p>

<p>The woman had alleged that Riyaz pretended to be in love with her when she was studying in Bengaluru in 2014 and forced her to convert to Islam and married her.</p>

<p>The woman from Pathanamthitta was brought up in Gujarat. She had moved the Kerala High Court last year seeking an NIA probe against Riyaz for attempting to take her to Syria from Saudi Arabia and sell her to the Islamic State terrorists as a sex slave.</p>

<p>She has also alleged that her marriage was registered using forged documents.</p>


Fayaz and Siyad, both natives of North Paravur near Kochi, were arrested on Wednesday following investigations based on a complaint by the 25-year-old woman, who was rescued from Saudi Arabia and brought home last year by her family

Two people have been arrested on charges of helping a Muslim man "forcibly" convert a Kerala woman and attempting to take her to Syria to be sold off to Islamic State terrorists. Fayaz and Siyad, both natives of North Paravur near Kochi, were arrested on Wednesday following investigations based on a complaint by the 25-year-old woman, who was rescued from Saudi Arabia and brought home last year by her family. The two are friends of Muhammad Riyaz from Thalassery in Kannur district, the prime accused in the case. "They have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," Ernakulam Rural SP A V George said, adding a hunt is on to arrest eight more accused, including Riyas, in the case. He said the police have begun a probe into their alleged link with the Islamic State terrorists. George said both Fayaz and Siyad were arrested based on the woman's complaint that she was allegedly tortured by them in a house in North Paravoor before Riyaz took her abroad. The woman had alleged that Riyaz pretended to be in love with her when she was studying in Bengaluru in 2014 and forced her to convert to Islam and married her. The woman from Pathanamthitta was brought up in Gujarat. She had moved the Kerala High Court last year seeking an NIA probe against Riyaz for attempting to take her to Syria from Saudi Arabia and sell her to the Islamic State terrorists as a sex slave. She has also alleged that her marriage was registered using forged documents.

2 held over bid to sell off Kerala woman to IS after 'forced conversion'

<p>The newly-elected Gujarat cabinet will hold its first meeting on December 27 in Gandhinagar.</p>

<p>The meeting is scheduled for 10 am.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">First meeting of newly-elected Gujarat cabinet to be held tomorrow at 10 am in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gandhinagar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gandhinagar</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/945575377224663042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rupani-sworn-in-as-gujarat-chief-minister-modi-shah-in-attendance-27723" target="_blank">Vijay Rupani&nbsp;</a>was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state while Nitin Patel was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister earlier today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A total of twenty ministers were scheduled to take the oath for the new cabinet&nbsp;on December 26.</p>

<p>The BJP secured a total of 99 out of 182 assembly seats in the recently conducted Gujarat elections. Congress bagged 77 seats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The meeting is scheduled for 10 am in Gandhinagar tomorrow

The newly-elected Gujarat cabinet will hold its first meeting on December 27 in Gandhinagar. The meeting is scheduled for 10 am. First meeting of newly-elected Gujarat cabinet to be held tomorrow at 10 am in #Gandhinagar — ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2017 × Vijay Rupani was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state while Nitin Patel was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister earlier today. A total of twenty ministers were scheduled to take the oath for the new cabinet on December 26. The BJP secured a total of 99 out of 182 assembly seats in the recently conducted Gujarat elections. Congress bagged 77 seats.

Newly-elected Gujarat cabinet to hold first meeting tomorrow

<p>The swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government in Gujarat will take place on December 26 at Gandhinagar&#39;s Sachivalaya Ground.</p>

<p>Vijay Rupani will take oath as the chief minister for the new BJP term in the state, while Nitin Patel will take over as Deputy Chief Minister.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The event is scheduled for 11 am on&nbsp;December 26.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Swearing in ceremony to take place at Gandhinagar Sachivalaya Ground on 26th December, 11 AM; Vijay Rupani set to become CM and Nitin Patel Deputy CM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/vBxEauvRty">pic.twitter.com/vBxEauvRty</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/944550151351279616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>During the election campaign, BJP president Amit Shah had announced that the party was fighting Gujarat elections under Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was, however, the face of the party in the elections.</p>

<p>The BJP though managed to take charge of the state for the sixth consecutive term. The party,&nbsp;however, is mulling a course correction as it held a narrow margin victory against Congress.</p>

<p>BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly while the Congress and its allies won 80.</p>

<p>BJP secured seven seats more than the 92 needed for forming a government in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Vijay Rupani will take oath as the chief minister for the new BJP term in the state, while Nitin Patel will take over as deputy chief minister

The swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government in Gujarat will take place on December 26 at Gandhinagar's Sachivalaya Ground. Vijay Rupani will take oath as the chief minister for the new BJP term in the state, while Nitin Patel will take over as Deputy Chief Minister. The event is scheduled for 11 am on December 26. Swearing in ceremony to take place at Gandhinagar Sachivalaya Ground on 26th December, 11 AM; Vijay Rupani set to become CM and Nitin Patel Deputy CM #Gujarat (File pic) pic.twitter.com/vBxEauvRty — ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2017 × During the election campaign, BJP president Amit Shah had announced that the party was fighting Gujarat elections under Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was, however, the face of the party in the elections. The BJP though managed to take charge of the state for the sixth consecutive term. The party, however, is mulling a course correction as it held a narrow margin victory against Congress. BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly while the Congress and its allies won 80. BJP secured seven seats more than the 92 needed for forming a government in the state.

Vijay Rupani to be sworn-in as chief minister on December 26

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/vijay-rupani-to-continue-as-gujarat-chief-minister-nitin-bhai-patel-his-deputy-bjp-27467" target="_blank">Vijay Rupani to continue as Gujarat chief minister, Nitin Bhai Patel his deputy: BJP</a></p>

<p>Vijay Rupani will continue as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel his deputy, the BJP announced on Friday. The announcement was made at a meeting conducted by elected BJP candidates under the steer of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who made the announcement.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sachin-tendulkar-releases-video-takes-his-disrupted-rajya-sabha-speech-online-27462" target="_blank">Sachin Tendulkar releases video; takes his disrupted Rajya Sabha speech online</a></p>

<p>Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was supposed to initiate a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sachin-tendulkars-unable-to-lead-debate-as-rajya-sabha-gets-adjourned-27360">debate&nbsp;</a>in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sachin-tendulkars-unable-to-lead-debate-as-rajya-sabha-gets-adjourned-27360">Rajya Sabha yesterday</a>. His speech was disrupted as the Upper House of Parliament was adjourned due to Congress leaders&#39; sloganeering over PM Modi&#39;s remark on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/adarsh-scam-bombay-high-court-rejects-governors-sanction-to-prosecute-ashok-chavan-27435" target="_blank">Adarsh scam: Bombay High Court rejects Governor&#39;s sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan</a></p>

<p>The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside Governor&#39;s sanction to prosecute senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/lashkar-e-taiba-creates-special-security-team-to-protect-hafiz-saeed-27474" target="_blank">Lashkar-e-Taiba forms &#39;special security team&#39; to protect Hafiz Saeed</a></p>

<p>Lashkar-e-Taiba is reported to have created a &quot;special security team&quot;&nbsp;to provide security cover to global terrorist and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafiz Saeed. Saeed&#39;s LeT&nbsp;security agents would also be armed with&nbsp;ammunition.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/palestinian-president-calls-us-dishonest-mediator-says-will-not-accept-us-peace-plan-27464" target="_blank">Palestinian President calls US dishonest mediator, says will not accept US peace plan</a></p>

<p>Mahmud Abbas, the president of Palestine has said that his country will not accept any peace proposal by the United States.&nbsp; He said, &quot;&nbsp;The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from the United States.&quot;</p>

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Here are the top developments this evening

Vijay Rupani to continue as Gujarat chief minister, Nitin Bhai Patel his deputy: BJP Vijay Rupani will continue as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel his deputy, the BJP announced on Friday. The announcement was made at a meeting conducted by elected BJP candidates under the steer of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who made the announcement. Sachin Tendulkar releases video; takes his disrupted Rajya Sabha speech online Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was supposed to initiate a debate in Rajya Sabha yesterday. His speech was disrupted as the Upper House of Parliament was adjourned due to Congress leaders' sloganeering over PM Modi's remark on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Adarsh scam: Bombay High Court rejects Governor's sanction to prosecute Ashok Chavan The Bombay High Court on Friday set aside Governor's sanction to prosecute senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh scam. Lashkar-e-Taiba forms 'special security team' to protect Hafiz Saeed Lashkar-e-Taiba is reported to have created a "special security team" to provide security cover to global terrorist and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafiz Saeed. Saeed's LeT security agents would also be armed with ammunition. Palestinian President calls US dishonest mediator, says will not accept US peace plan Mahmud Abbas, the president of Palestine has said that his country will not accept any peace proposal by the United States. He said, " The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from the United States."

WION evening news brief, December 22, 2017

<p>They might not have succeeded in evicting the BJP from Gujarat but Vadgam&#39;s newly-elected MLA Jignesh Mevani and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel feel their hard work paid off with the party limited to the two-digit mark.</p>

<p>While campaigning, Jignesh and Hardik left no stone unturned to highlight the condition of the poor under the BJP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We have&nbsp;been able to limit BJP below 100. It&#39;s a big thing,&quot; Hardik said.</p>

<p>The BJP retained Gujarat for a sixth consecutive time, but with its lowest tally ever.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With the results out, Jignesh and Hardik spoke to Zee Kalak.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;During election campaigning, we tried making BJP realise that they haven&#39;t done anything fruitful which benefitted the common man of Gujarat,&quot; Hardik said.</p>

<p>&quot;Their development model is nothing but a deception and hence we were able to stop BJP from reaching the three-digit mark,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Jignesh, who won the Vadgam seat by more than 19, 000 votes, had similar views on the BJP&#39;s win.</p>

<p>&quot;BJP&#39;s arrogance of winning 150 seats in elections has been broken into bits and pieces. The results are shameful for them, despite having ruled the state for last 22 years,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Talking of his future endeavours as a politician, Jignesh said he started working on his poll promises from day one.</p>

<p>He has written to the Palanpur collector to improve the condition of roads in six villages.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also gave his assurance that he would start the 108 ambulance facility to the villages and, if required, raise the issue in the assembly.</p>

<p>Hardik meanwhile said that politicians like Jignesh and Alpesh Thakor will make for a strong opposition in the state assembly.</p>

<p>The contest between the BJP and Congress had swung like a pendulum for a large part of the day on Monday when the votes were counted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP finally won but commentators are saying the Congress emerged victorious, with its vote share going up from 38 per cent in 2012 to 41.5 per cent in 2017.&nbsp;</p>


The two young leaders spoke with Zee Kalak

They might not have succeeded in evicting the BJP from Gujarat but Vadgam's newly-elected MLA Jignesh Mevani and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel feel their hard work paid off with the party limited to the two-digit mark. While campaigning, Jignesh and Hardik left no stone unturned to highlight the condition of the poor under the BJP. "We have been able to limit BJP below 100. It's a big thing," Hardik said. The BJP retained Gujarat for a sixth consecutive time, but with its lowest tally ever. With the results out, Jignesh and Hardik spoke to Zee Kalak. "During election campaigning, we tried making BJP realise that they haven't done anything fruitful which benefitted the common man of Gujarat," Hardik said. "Their development model is nothing but a deception and hence we were able to stop BJP from reaching the three-digit mark," he added. Jignesh, who won the Vadgam seat by more than 19, 000 votes, had similar views on the BJP's win. "BJP's arrogance of winning 150 seats in elections has been broken into bits and pieces. The results are shameful for them, despite having ruled the state for last 22 years," he said. Talking of his future endeavours as a politician, Jignesh said he started working on his poll promises from day one. He has written to the Palanpur collector to improve the condition of roads in six villages. He also gave his assurance that he would start the 108 ambulance facility to the villages and, if required, raise the issue in the assembly. Hardik meanwhile said that politicians like Jignesh and Alpesh Thakor will make for a strong opposition in the state assembly. The contest between the BJP and Congress had swung like a pendulum for a large part of the day on Monday when the votes were counted. The BJP finally won but commentators are saying the Congress emerged victorious, with its vote share going up from 38 per cent in 2012 to 41.5 per cent in 2017.

'BJP's arrogance of winning 150 seats... broken into bits and pieces,' say Jignesh, Hardik

<p>A Rajasthan man reportedly set his two wives on fire for not keeping his mother happy, news reports said Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Deepa Ram, from Rajasthan, told his two wives -- Daria Devi (25) and Mali Devi (27) -- he was buying them jewellery and got them to get into his car.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the way, he quarrelled with them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the wives got out of the car but he pushed her back in, and drove on.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;In the moving car, he quarrelled with them. As the car lost balance, he stopped,&rdquo; PTI reported Additional SP Jalore Binja Ram said.</p>

<p>Deepa Ram then got out of the car, locked it and set it on fire.</p>

<p>Both wives were charred to death, reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Police reported Deepa Ram as saying he had been unhappy with his wives for not keeping his mother happy.</p>

<p>Police added that Ram, who is the father of three children, later confessed to the crime and was arrested.&nbsp;</p>


Deepa Ram, from Rajasthan, told his two wives -- Daria Devi (25) and Mali Devi (27) -- he was buying them jewellery and got them to get into his car

A Rajasthan man reportedly set his two wives on fire for not keeping his mother happy, news reports said Wednesday. Deepa Ram, from Rajasthan, told his two wives -- Daria Devi (25) and Mali Devi (27) -- he was buying them jewellery and got them to get into his car. On the way, he quarrelled with them. One of the wives got out of the car but he pushed her back in, and drove on. “In the moving car, he quarrelled with them. As the car lost balance, he stopped,” PTI reported Additional SP Jalore Binja Ram said. Deepa Ram then got out of the car, locked it and set it on fire. Both wives were charred to death, reports said. Police reported Deepa Ram as saying he had been unhappy with his wives for not keeping his mother happy. Police added that Ram, who is the father of three children, later confessed to the crime and was arrested.

Rajasthan: Man sets wives on fire for not keeping his mother happy

<p><br />
Buoyed by the BJP&#39;s electoral success in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the Sensex on Tuesday rallied 143 points as it moved closer to an all-time high.</p>

<p>Firm Asian stocks on bets that US tax reforms Bill will go through supported the uptrend.</p>

<p>The NSE Nifty wrested control of the crucial 10,400-mark.</p>

<p>In the sectoral space, all indices were up, driven by auto and consumer durables, with gains of up to 1.22 per cent.</p>

<p>The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 143.22 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 33,744.90. The gauge had rallied 548.64 points in the previous three sessions.</p>

<p>The 50-share NSE Nifty also went up 39.45 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 10,428.20.</p>

<p>Analysts said buying picked up after assembly elections results showed that BJP will return to power for the sixth straight term in Gujarat and topples the Congress to form government in Himachal Pradesh.</p>

<p>Major gainers were Tata Motors, M&amp;M, ICICI Bank, ONGC, Bajaj Auto and Maruti Suzuki, rising up to 1.59 per cent.</p>


Firm Asian stocks on bets that US tax reforms Bill will go through supported the uptrend.

Buoyed by the BJP's electoral success in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the Sensex on Tuesday rallied 143 points as it moved closer to an all-time high. Firm Asian stocks on bets that US tax reforms Bill will go through supported the uptrend. The NSE Nifty wrested control of the crucial 10,400-mark. In the sectoral space, all indices were up, driven by auto and consumer durables, with gains of up to 1.22 per cent. The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 143.22 points, or 0.42 per cent, to 33,744.90. The gauge had rallied 548.64 points in the previous three sessions. The 50-share NSE Nifty also went up 39.45 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 10,428.20. Analysts said buying picked up after assembly elections results showed that BJP will return to power for the sixth straight term in Gujarat and topples the Congress to form government in Himachal Pradesh. Major gainers were Tata Motors, M&M, ICICI Bank, ONGC, Bajaj Auto and Maruti Suzuki, rising up to 1.59 per cent.

Sensex builds on gains, climbs 143 points as BJP bags Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh

<p>Rahul Gandhi tweeted Monday that the Congress party &quot;accepts the verdict of the people&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress is set to lose in both Gujarat and Himachal.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states. I thank the people of Gujarat and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me.</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/942709778836471808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud. You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone that the Congress&rsquo;s greatest strength is its decency and courage.</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/942711009789190144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The latest figures from the Election Commission show the BJP leading in 99 seats in Gujarat and the Congress in 80.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/himachal-election-results-i-accept-the-bjps-victory-says-congresss-virbhadra-singh-27075">Himachal election results: &#39;I accept victory of BJP,&#39; says Congress&#39;s Virbhadra Singh</a></p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/assembly-poll-results-bjp-on-victory-march-in-gujarat-himachal-pradesh-27047">victory mark in Gujarat is 92 seats.</a>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Himachal, the BJP is leading in 27 seats and the Congress in 11.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The victory mark in Himachal is 35 seats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud,&quot; Gandhi said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone that the Congress&rsquo;s greatest strength is its decency and courage,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gujarat of course was the new Congress president&#39;s -- Rahul took over as Congress president from his mother only on Saturday -- first test.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But despite the loss, commentators will look at the increase in the number of seats the Congress wins (in Gujarat) this time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Current projections say the Congress will increase its tally from the last time by as many as 19 seats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Himachal, the Congress is expected to win 15 fewer seats than last time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gandhi&#39;s critics however will say the new president jettisoned the Congress&#39;s trademark platform of secularism for the first time in the history of India&#39;s grand old party.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Over three months of campaigning in Gujarat, Gandhi visited a total of 27 temples, and took to speaking at public rallies with a tilak on his forehead.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was, like the BJP, courting the HIndu vote. And did not really mention the Muslim who make up 10 per cent of Gujarat&#39;s population.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Which, Gandhi&#39;s critics will say, leaves the country with a choice (between the BJP and the Congress) of two competing variants of Hindutva.&nbsp;</p>


The Congress is set to lose in both Gujarat and Himachal

Rahul Gandhi tweeted Monday that the Congress party "accepts the verdict of the people". The Congress is set to lose in both Gujarat and Himachal. The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states. I thank the people of Gujarat and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 18, 2017 × My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud. You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone that the Congress’s greatest strength is its decency and courage. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 18, 2017 × The latest figures from the Election Commission show the BJP leading in 99 seats in Gujarat and the Congress in 80. Also Read: Himachal election results: 'I accept victory of BJP,' says Congress's Virbhadra Singh The victory mark in Gujarat is 92 seats. In Himachal, the BJP is leading in 27 seats and the Congress in 11. The victory mark in Himachal is 35 seats. "My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud," Gandhi said. "You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone that the Congress’s greatest strength is its decency and courage," he added. Gujarat of course was the new Congress president's -- Rahul took over as Congress president from his mother only on Saturday -- first test. But despite the loss, commentators will look at the increase in the number of seats the Congress wins (in Gujarat) this time. Current projections say the Congress will increase its tally from the last time by as many as 19 seats. In Himachal, the Congress is expected to win 15 fewer seats than last time. Gandhi's critics however will say the new president jettisoned the Congress's trademark platform of secularism for the first time in the history of India's grand old party. Over three months of campaigning in Gujarat, Gandhi visited a total of 27 temples, and took to speaking at public rallies with a tilak on his forehead. He was, like the BJP, courting the HIndu vote. And did not really mention the Muslim who make up 10 per cent of Gujarat's population. Which, Gandhi's critics will say, leaves the country with a choice (between the BJP and the Congress) of two competing variants of Hindutva.

Congress accepts verdict of the people: Rahul Gandhi

<p>Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked the Congress Party for their unparliamentary language, saying the outcomes of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh state polls are a lesson for those who forget political courtesy.</p>

<p>Yogi stated that BJP&#39;s performance in both the states is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s policies and economic reforms.</p>

<p>&quot;Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh results are a lesson to those who forget political courtesy and indulge in unparliamentary language. Those raising question mark on the Prime Minister will now have to accept his leadership,&quot; Yogi said.</p>

<p>&quot;We, on behalf of the people of UP congratulate Modiji and Amit Shahji. It&#39;s victory of economic reforms. Modi&#39;s leadership has established country economically. Those who raised questions on Gujarat model should now look at the results. It&#39;s victory of policies of Modiji,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yogi reiterated that Congress President Rahul Gandhi showed casteist, divisive and despicable thinking during his campaigning for the state elections, ending up losing Himachal Pradesh, one of the strongholds of the Congress party.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Chief Minister stressed that change in Congress leadership is a positive sign for the BJP and will help them win other Congress strongholds also.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the elections campaigning, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the prime minister for ignoring the poor people and farmers and implementing policies to benefit only the rich people of this country.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


BJP's performance is a victory of PM Modi's policies and economic reforms.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked the Congress Party for their unparliamentary language, saying the outcomes of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh state polls are a lesson for those who forget political courtesy. Yogi stated that BJP's performance in both the states is a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and economic reforms. "Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh results are a lesson to those who forget political courtesy and indulge in unparliamentary language. Those raising question mark on the Prime Minister will now have to accept his leadership," Yogi said. "We, on behalf of the people of UP congratulate Modiji and Amit Shahji. It's victory of economic reforms. Modi's leadership has established country economically. Those who raised questions on Gujarat model should now look at the results. It's victory of policies of Modiji," he added. Yogi reiterated that Congress President Rahul Gandhi showed casteist, divisive and despicable thinking during his campaigning for the state elections, ending up losing Himachal Pradesh, one of the strongholds of the Congress party. The Chief Minister stressed that change in Congress leadership is a positive sign for the BJP and will help them win other Congress strongholds also. During the elections campaigning, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the prime minister for ignoring the poor people and farmers and implementing policies to benefit only the rich people of this country.

People questioning PM Modi's policies will now have to accept his leadership: UP CM Yogi on election results

<p>Indian shares reversed earlier losses to end higher on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s party appeared to win elections in his home state of Gujarat for a sixth term as counting of votes progressed.</p>

<p>The BSE Sensex rose 0.41 percent to 33,601.68, while the broader NSE Nifty ended 0.54 percent higher at 10,388.75. Both indexes were led by gains in financial stocks.</p>

<p>The rupee recovered from early losses, but was still trading marginally lower against the US dollar, while bond yield hit a fresh 16-month high</p>

<p>The indexes dropped as much as 2.5 percent each in early trading as initial counting showed a close fight between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress party.</p>


The BSE Sensex rose 0.41 percent to 33,601.68, while the broader NSE Nifty ended 0.54 percent higher at 10,388.75.

Indian shares reversed earlier losses to end higher on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s party appeared to win elections in his home state of Gujarat for a sixth term as counting of votes progressed. The BSE Sensex rose 0.41 percent to 33,601.68, while the broader NSE Nifty ended 0.54 percent higher at 10,388.75. Both indexes were led by gains in financial stocks. The rupee recovered from early losses, but was still trading marginally lower against the US dollar, while bond yield hit a fresh 16-month high The indexes dropped as much as 2.5 percent each in early trading as initial counting showed a close fight between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress party.

Sensex ends higher as Modi's party leads in state polls

<p>Patidar leader Hardik Patel has&nbsp;claimed that there has been tampering in EVMs in Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad.</p>

<p>He said that the gap between the rival candidates was very less in places wherever tempering happened.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There has been tampering in EVMs in Surat,Rajkot and Ahmedabad, hence the gap is very less wherever tampering happened. EVMs are hackable: Hardik Patel <a href="https://t.co/cPNaItPrbw">pic.twitter.com/cPNaItPrbw</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942691759900975105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Before the announcement of election results on Monday morning, the Election Commission had assured that there could not be any tampering of EVMs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti had assured that no tampering could have been done with the EVMs. He said questions being raised about EVMs were already answered in the media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said that there was VVPATs in every polling stations in Gujarat which enabled voters to see whom they voted for and therefore&nbsp;raising of issues was not a right thing.</p>

<p>The Chief Election Commissioner of India, HS Brahma also said that the matter was &quot;tried and tested&quot; and&nbsp;should be closed once and for all.</p>

<p>He said, &quot;I firmly believe that our EVMs, VVPATs cannot be tampered with. This matter should be closed once and for all as it is tried and tested. EVM is a standalone machine, question of hacking doesn&#39;t arise&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&quot;I firmly believe that our EVMs, VVPATs cannot be tampered with. This matter should be closed once and for all as it is tried and tested. EVM is a standalone machine, question of hacking doesn&#39;t arise&quot; says former Chief Election Commissioner of India, HS Brahma <a href="https://t.co/3PwBqP8IA7">pic.twitter.com/3PwBqP8IA7</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942663065358626816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Former CEC Naveen Chawla,&nbsp;also clarified that EVMs cannot be tampered with, not even in future.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said &quot;EVMs cannot be tampered with, even in the future.I am very clear about this. During my time, BJP had raised doubts on EVM so we had also held a demonstration like earlier this earlier this year for all to come and try rig it.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EVMs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EVMs</a> cannot be tampered with, even in the future. I am very clear about this. During my time, BJP had raised doubts on EVM so we had also held a demonstration like earlier this year for all to come and try rig it&quot; says Naveen Chawla, former CEC <a href="https://t.co/xXRpduibUK">pic.twitter.com/xXRpduibUK</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942666671801503744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>N. Gopalaswami, former CEC also assured that EVMs cannot be tampered with.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said that EVM are&nbsp;standalone machines and that they are not connected to any network and therefore they cannot be influenced over Bluetooth or wireless messages.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He further said that EVMs were only a glorified calculator and it goes dead after it is opened.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&quot;EVMs are stand alone machines, aren&#39;t connected to any network, can&#39;t be influenced over Bluetooth or wireless message,so to say EVMs have something wrong is absolutely incorrect. It&#39;s only a glorified calculator, moment you open it, it goes dead&quot; says N Gopalaswami, Former CEC <a href="https://t.co/jKWQiV5Gky">pic.twitter.com/jKWQiV5Gky</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942667680091213825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The clarifications over Electronic Voting Machines came after the accusations of opposition parties. The Congress and Patidars had accused during the elections that the EVM machines were tampered with. They claimed that the tampering was manipulated by BJP and would help the party to win over the other.&nbsp;</p>


The gap he said was very little wherever tampering occurred

Patidar leader Hardik Patel has claimed that there has been tampering in EVMs in Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. He said that the gap between the rival candidates was very less in places wherever tempering happened. There has been tampering in EVMs in Surat,Rajkot and Ahmedabad, hence the gap is very less wherever tampering happened. EVMs are hackable: Hardik Patel pic.twitter.com/cPNaItPrbw — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × Before the announcement of election results on Monday morning, the Election Commission had assured that there could not be any tampering of EVMs. Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti had assured that no tampering could have been done with the EVMs. He said questions being raised about EVMs were already answered in the media. He said that there was VVPATs in every polling stations in Gujarat which enabled voters to see whom they voted for and therefore raising of issues was not a right thing. The Chief Election Commissioner of India, HS Brahma also said that the matter was "tried and tested" and should be closed once and for all. He said, "I firmly believe that our EVMs, VVPATs cannot be tampered with. This matter should be closed once and for all as it is tried and tested. EVM is a standalone machine, question of hacking doesn't arise". "I firmly believe that our EVMs, VVPATs cannot be tampered with. This matter should be closed once and for all as it is tried and tested. EVM is a standalone machine, question of hacking doesn't arise" says former Chief Election Commissioner of India, HS Brahma pic.twitter.com/3PwBqP8IA7 — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × Former CEC Naveen Chawla, also clarified that EVMs cannot be tampered with, not even in future. He said "EVMs cannot be tampered with, even in the future.I am very clear about this. During my time, BJP had raised doubts on EVM so we had also held a demonstration like earlier this earlier this year for all to come and try rig it." "#EVMs cannot be tampered with, even in the future. I am very clear about this. During my time, BJP had raised doubts on EVM so we had also held a demonstration like earlier this year for all to come and try rig it" says Naveen Chawla, former CEC pic.twitter.com/xXRpduibUK — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × N. Gopalaswami, former CEC also assured that EVMs cannot be tampered with. He said that EVM are standalone machines and that they are not connected to any network and therefore they cannot be influenced over Bluetooth or wireless messages. He further said that EVMs were only a glorified calculator and it goes dead after it is opened. "EVMs are stand alone machines, aren't connected to any network, can't be influenced over Bluetooth or wireless message,so to say EVMs have something wrong is absolutely incorrect. It's only a glorified calculator, moment you open it, it goes dead" says N Gopalaswami, Former CEC pic.twitter.com/jKWQiV5Gky — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × The clarifications over Electronic Voting Machines came after the accusations of opposition parties. The Congress and Patidars had accused during the elections that the EVM machines were tampered with. They claimed that the tampering was manipulated by BJP and would help the party to win over the other.

EVMs tampered in Surat, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, says Hardik Patel

<p>The stock market today inched closer to the all-time intra-day high as the BJP sniffed victory in Gujarat and also stayed on course to take power from the Congress in Himachal Pradesh.</p>

<p>According to trends available on the Election Commission&#39;s website, the BJP is leading in 101 of the 182 assembly segments in Gujarat. As for Himachal Pradesh, it is leading in 40 seats as against the Congress&#39; 21.</p>

<p>The 30-share BSE index hit a high of 33,724.08 at 1152 hrs, a gain of 261.11 points -- 0.78 per cent. The reading is closer to the all-time high 33,865.95, reached on November 7.</p>

<p>For the 50-share Nifty, the reading was above the key 10,400-mark at 10,415.50, up 82.25 points, or 0.80 per cent.</p>

<p>Early in the beginning of the session, the benchmark BSE Sensex had tanked as much as 867 points to breach below the psychological 33,000-mark while the NSE Nifty plunged 258 points within one hour of counting of votes.</p>

<p>However, evolving equations showed that the BJP is pushing ahead in both the states.</p>

<p>Metal, auto, healthcare, realty, and banks all showed up in the green.</p>

<p>The big mover was M&amp;M 2.93 per cent, with SBI and Adani Ports closely following the leader.</p>

<p>Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) net sold shares worth Rs 921.03 crore last Friday. But domestic institutional investors (DIIs) offloaded equities to the tune of Rs 635.44 crore.</p>

<p>Asian stocks were mixed. US stocks rose to all-time highs last Friday, as prospects of the passage of a Republican tax Bill increased.</p>


The 30-share BSE index hit a high of 33,724.08 at 1152 hrs, a gain of 261.11 points -- 0.78 per cent. The reading is closer to the all-time high 33,865.95, reached on November 7.

The stock market today inched closer to the all-time intra-day high as the BJP sniffed victory in Gujarat and also stayed on course to take power from the Congress in Himachal Pradesh. According to trends available on the Election Commission's website, the BJP is leading in 101 of the 182 assembly segments in Gujarat. As for Himachal Pradesh, it is leading in 40 seats as against the Congress' 21. The 30-share BSE index hit a high of 33,724.08 at 1152 hrs, a gain of 261.11 points -- 0.78 per cent. The reading is closer to the all-time high 33,865.95, reached on November 7. For the 50-share Nifty, the reading was above the key 10,400-mark at 10,415.50, up 82.25 points, or 0.80 per cent. Early in the beginning of the session, the benchmark BSE Sensex had tanked as much as 867 points to breach below the psychological 33,000-mark while the NSE Nifty plunged 258 points within one hour of counting of votes. However, evolving equations showed that the BJP is pushing ahead in both the states. Metal, auto, healthcare, realty, and banks all showed up in the green. The big mover was M&M 2.93 per cent, with SBI and Adani Ports closely following the leader. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) net sold shares worth Rs 921.03 crore last Friday. But domestic institutional investors (DIIs) offloaded equities to the tune of Rs 635.44 crore. Asian stocks were mixed. US stocks rose to all-time highs last Friday, as prospects of the passage of a Republican tax Bill increased.

Sensex eyes higher ground as BJP pulls ahead in Gujarat poll

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-2017-live-results-27014" target="_blank">Amid the unfortunate din around the authenticity of Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s faith, a video appeal from the young Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani went viral on social media</a>. The bespectacled young man with a trademark stubble appealed for funds to support his campaign as an independent candidate in the upcoming Gujarat state elections. Mevani said neither he nor his organisation wished to draw funds from corporates or NGOs, his campaign was to be part of a people&rsquo;s movement funded by the people.</p>

<p>The appeal was for funds to defeat the Hindutva forces in Gujarat and to provide interim relief to the people of the country and help them prepare for a larger fight in 2019. The ultimate objective of this fight would be the annihilation of caste and the establishment of an egalitarian social order.</p>

<p>The appeal was poignant both in tone and substance. More so as it was released on a day a non-bailable warrant was issued against him for organising a rail roko movement a year earlier as part of the statewide protests against the flogging of four Dalit youths with iron rods at Una. The use of state force on Mevani at a time when his campaign has just acquired momentum is indicative of the fact that he represents a clear and present danger to the ruling party&rsquo;s narrative of development in Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While Hardik Patel&rsquo;s demands for jobs and educational reservations for Patidar youth have been seen to be untenable and self-indulgent, Mevani&rsquo;s political discourse poses a distinct challenge.</p>

<p>If Rahul Gandhi has focused on the fall out of &lsquo;spectacular&rsquo; policies such as demonetisation, GST and Hardik Patel, on Patidar grievance, Jignesh has sought to formulate a sharper attack on the systemic failures of Gujarat&rsquo;s developmental model and on the material and symbolic structures of Dalit oppression. Identity politics for him could not be divorced from fundamental livelihood issues.</p>

<p>Part of the reason for the intellectual depth of Mevani&rsquo;s discourse is its rootedness in a long tradition of Dalit mobilisation in Gujarat. Drawing inspiration from Marx and Ambedkar, Dalit activists and organisations in Gujarat have long sought to combine questions of Dalit identity with those of livelihood.</p>

<p>While the resurgence of caste politics has invited adverse comment in the media, what remains unaddressed is the fact that conversations about caste and primordial affiliations resonate much more intensely in contexts where neither the market nor the state is able to secure livelihoods nor promote social harmony. What is equally worrying for the BJP-ruled government is that the broader tent of Hindutva seems to have less meaning today than it had five years ago. The project of the Hinduization of Dalits touted as among the key to BJP&rsquo;s success in Gujarat remains both uneven and unfinished.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Notwithstanding the gestures of welcome accorded to Dalits into the larger Hindu fold, the entrenched structures of caste prejudice continue to play out in the lives of Dalit communities both in rural and urban Gujarat, despite the incremental material improvements in the lives of many. Gujarat stands fourth in the country in the number of atrocities against Dalits in the country.</p>

<p>Mevani and his followers are affiliated to Navsarjan the oldest NGO in Gujarat advocating Dalit rights and offering legal services to members of the community facing atrocities. Mevani articulates Navsarjan&rsquo;s demands for justice for the Una victims, and urges the government to provide alternative livelihood options for landless Dalits, and finally pleads for a more committed implementation of the land re-distribution scheme initiated several years earlier. Combining the critical issue of land rights to the larger problems of discrimination and atrocities against Dalits has been Mevani&rsquo;s singular contribution to the present campaign.</p>

<p>Mevani reminds us that the 1950s land reforms in the state of Gujarat have been skewed against the interests of Dalits and other marginal communities.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An argument long endorsed by sociologists like Ghanshyam Shah who also argue that corrective measures such as land redistribution among landless Dalits carried out between 1962-1998 have been implemented shoddily. Most redistribution remained on paper and only a few landless groups got actual possession. The demand for land resonates deeply with the vast majority of Dalits who remain small or marginal farmers or those who survive on traditional caste-based occupations, such as scavenging, tanning or weaving.</p>

<p>Yet the hope for 5 acres of land for every landless Dalit remains elusive. Gujarat&rsquo;s Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Gujarat Amendment) Bill 2016, which became a law in August 2016 has, finally, removed the social impact assessment and consent clauses to facilitate ease of acquisition. The rush to implement the law was triggered by demands for lands for industrial development and more significantly for the 1,500 km Mumbai-Delhi industrial corridor. The wasteland or common grazing lands redistribution schemes also remain mired in intra-caste rivalries between Dalits and OBCs.</p>

<p>Mevani argues that the demands for the 5 acres of land are actually for the implementation of what is due to landless Dalits. For him, land rights on paper need to translate into actual possession. Yet, there is debate whether land by itself would address larger problems of livelihood, particularly, in the face of prolonged agricultural distress and suppression of wage incomes. For Mevani, however, the possession of land allows the imagination of alternative livelihoods particularly for those engaged in traditionally stigmatised occupations, such as scavenging or tanning.</p>

<p>It may well be a long and arduous battle for land and dignity for marginalised Dalits in Gujarat but Jignesh Mevani has drawn larger attention to the question of &lsquo;inequality&rsquo; in a rapidly developing state. His invocation of the Ambedkarite notion of &lsquo;graded inequality&rsquo; in the Hindu caste structure together with his focus on the structural inequalities generated by a neo-liberal economic regime are in essence a call for solidarities around questions of economic privation and marginalisation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mevani reminds us that &lsquo;graded inequalities&rsquo; impedes the forging of sustainable solidarities against oppression.</p>

<p>Little wonder then that he has been able to persuade the OBC leader Alpesh Thakore and the Patidar maverick Hardik Patel to come together in mutual recognition of the shared experience of economic hardship.</p>

<p>In an election in which appeals to religion and caste seem to be dominating political discourse, Mevani&rsquo;s appeal for such solidarities offers hope for a return to a less divisive politics.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


Jignesh has formulated a sharper attack on the failures of Gujarat?s developmental model and on the material and symbolic structures of Dalit oppression.

Amid the unfortunate din around the authenticity of Rahul Gandhi’s faith, a video appeal from the young Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani went viral on social media. The bespectacled young man with a trademark stubble appealed for funds to support his campaign as an independent candidate in the upcoming Gujarat state elections. Mevani said neither he nor his organisation wished to draw funds from corporates or NGOs, his campaign was to be part of a people’s movement funded by the people. The appeal was for funds to defeat the Hindutva forces in Gujarat and to provide interim relief to the people of the country and help them prepare for a larger fight in 2019. The ultimate objective of this fight would be the annihilation of caste and the establishment of an egalitarian social order. The appeal was poignant both in tone and substance. More so as it was released on a day a non-bailable warrant was issued against him for organising a rail roko movement a year earlier as part of the statewide protests against the flogging of four Dalit youths with iron rods at Una. The use of state force on Mevani at a time when his campaign has just acquired momentum is indicative of the fact that he represents a clear and present danger to the ruling party’s narrative of development in Gujarat. While Hardik Patel’s demands for jobs and educational reservations for Patidar youth have been seen to be untenable and self-indulgent, Mevani’s political discourse poses a distinct challenge. If Rahul Gandhi has focused on the fall out of ‘spectacular’ policies such as demonetisation, GST and Hardik Patel, on Patidar grievance, Jignesh has sought to formulate a sharper attack on the systemic failures of Gujarat’s developmental model and on the material and symbolic structures of Dalit oppression. Identity politics for him could not be divorced from fundamental livelihood issues. Part of the reason for the intellectual depth of Mevani’s discourse is its rootedness in a long tradition of Dalit mobilisation in Gujarat. Drawing inspiration from Marx and Ambedkar, Dalit activists and organisations in Gujarat have long sought to combine questions of Dalit identity with those of livelihood. While the resurgence of caste politics has invited adverse comment in the media, what remains unaddressed is the fact that conversations about caste and primordial affiliations resonate much more intensely in contexts where neither the market nor the state is able to secure livelihoods nor promote social harmony. What is equally worrying for the BJP-ruled government is that the broader tent of Hindutva seems to have less meaning today than it had five years ago. The project of the Hinduization of Dalits touted as among the key to BJP’s success in Gujarat remains both uneven and unfinished. Notwithstanding the gestures of welcome accorded to Dalits into the larger Hindu fold, the entrenched structures of caste prejudice continue to play out in the lives of Dalit communities both in rural and urban Gujarat, despite the incremental material improvements in the lives of many. Gujarat stands fourth in the country in the number of atrocities against Dalits in the country. Mevani and his followers are affiliated to Navsarjan the oldest NGO in Gujarat advocating Dalit rights and offering legal services to members of the community facing atrocities. Mevani articulates Navsarjan’s demands for justice for the Una victims, and urges the government to provide alternative livelihood options for landless Dalits, and finally pleads for a more committed implementation of the land re-distribution scheme initiated several years earlier. Combining the critical issue of land rights to the larger problems of discrimination and atrocities against Dalits has been Mevani’s singular contribution to the present campaign. Mevani reminds us that the 1950s land reforms in the state of Gujarat have been skewed against the interests of Dalits and other marginal communities. An argument long endorsed by sociologists like Ghanshyam Shah who also argue that corrective measures such as land redistribution among landless Dalits carried out between 1962-1998 have been implemented shoddily. Most redistribution remained on paper and only a few landless groups got actual possession. The demand for land resonates deeply with the vast majority of Dalits who remain small or marginal farmers or those who survive on traditional caste-based occupations, such as scavenging, tanning or weaving. Yet the hope for 5 acres of land for every landless Dalit remains elusive. Gujarat’s Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Gujarat Amendment) Bill 2016, which became a law in August 2016 has, finally, removed the social impact assessment and consent clauses to facilitate ease of acquisition. The rush to implement the law was triggered by demands for lands for industrial development and more significantly for the 1,500 km Mumbai-Delhi industrial corridor. The wasteland or common grazing lands redistribution schemes also remain mired in intra-caste rivalries between Dalits and OBCs. Mevani argues that the demands for the 5 acres of land are actually for the implementation of what is due to landless Dalits. For him, land rights on paper need to translate into actual possession. Yet, there is debate whether land by itself would address larger problems of livelihood, particularly, in the face of prolonged agricultural distress and suppression of wage incomes. For Mevani, however, the possession of land allows the imagination of alternative livelihoods particularly for those engaged in traditionally stigmatised occupations, such as scavenging or tanning. It may well be a long and arduous battle for land and dignity for marginalised Dalits in Gujarat but Jignesh Mevani has drawn larger attention to the question of ‘inequality’ in a rapidly developing state. His invocation of the Ambedkarite notion of ‘graded inequality’ in the Hindu caste structure together with his focus on the structural inequalities generated by a neo-liberal economic regime are in essence a call for solidarities around questions of economic privation and marginalisation. Mevani reminds us that ‘graded inequalities’ impedes the forging of sustainable solidarities against oppression. Little wonder then that he has been able to persuade the OBC leader Alpesh Thakore and the Patidar maverick Hardik Patel to come together in mutual recognition of the shared experience of economic hardship. In an election in which appeals to religion and caste seem to be dominating political discourse, Mevani’s appeal for such solidarities offers hope for a return to a less divisive politics. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Jignesh Mevani leading. What did he promise?

<p>The Gujarat and Himachal election results show the country is ready for reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after winning Gujarat.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi was speaking at BJP headquarters in Delhi after the win.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: PM Narendra Modi at BJP HQ in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/Yf3azqwLW9">https://t.co/Yf3azqwLW9</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942738207036207104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The BJP has reached the victory mark of&nbsp;92 in Gujarat -- but is looking like it will struggle to reach the 100 mark</p>

<p>The BJP has also won Himachal, getting to the victory mark of 35.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-accepts-verdict-of-the-people-rahul-gandhi-27081" target="_blank">Congress accepts verdict of the people, says&nbsp;Rahul Gandhi</a></p>

<p>The election results and &quot;in this day and age, for a party to keep winning for so long,&quot; Modi said, &quot;are historic&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Recent elections results have proven that the country is ready for reform, is looking towards things that perform in a positive way and believes in transformation,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;After 2014, there is hunger for development. Even if you do not like BJP, do not try to derail the progress being made towards development,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/people-questioning-pm-modis-policies-will-now-have-to-accept-his-leadership-cm-yogi-on-elections-results-27083" target="_blank">People questioning PM Modi&#39;s policies will now have to accept his leadership, says Yogi</a></p>

<p>He also added that &quot;So many conspiracies were hatched in Gujarat by Congress, misinformation was being spread.&quot; But &quot;People cannot bear if anyone makes fun of vikas&nbsp;(development)&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Development was the key theme of Modi&#39;s speech, with a few exceptions:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">30 years back, poison of caste was spread so badly in Gujarat that it took workers like me 30 years to get rid of it. In last few months there were attempts again to sow seeds of casteism, but people rejected it,I congratulate them, but ppl must be alert: PM Narendra Modi <a href="https://t.co/srlI5bsa3Y">pic.twitter.com/srlI5bsa3Y</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942746690645237760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Taking of the Himachal elections, he said the results there &quot;show that if you don&#39;t do development and are embroiled in all wrong acts then after five years people will not accept you.&quot;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/amit-shah-hails-gujarat-himachal-results-has-eyes-set-on-2019-27079" target="_blank">Amit Shah hails Gujarat, Himachal results; has eyes set on 2019</a></p>

<p>And he thanked the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for choosing the path of development.&nbsp;</p>

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The Gujarat and Himachal election results show the country is ready for reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after winning Gujarat. Modi was speaking at BJP headquarters in Delhi after the win. #WATCH: PM Narendra Modi at BJP HQ in Delhi https://t.co/Yf3azqwLW9 — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × The BJP has reached the victory mark of 92 in Gujarat -- but is looking like it will struggle to reach the 100 mark The BJP has also won Himachal, getting to the victory mark of 35. Also read: Congress accepts verdict of the people, says Rahul Gandhi The election results and "in this day and age, for a party to keep winning for so long," Modi said, "are historic". "Recent elections results have proven that the country is ready for reform, is looking towards things that perform in a positive way and believes in transformation," he added. "After 2014, there is hunger for development. Even if you do not like BJP, do not try to derail the progress being made towards development," he said. Also read: People questioning PM Modi's policies will now have to accept his leadership, says Yogi He also added that "So many conspiracies were hatched in Gujarat by Congress, misinformation was being spread." But "People cannot bear if anyone makes fun of vikas (development)". Development was the key theme of Modi's speech, with a few exceptions: 30 years back, poison of caste was spread so badly in Gujarat that it took workers like me 30 years to get rid of it. In last few months there were attempts again to sow seeds of casteism, but people rejected it,I congratulate them, but ppl must be alert: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/srlI5bsa3Y — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × Taking of the Himachal elections, he said the results there "show that if you don't do development and are embroiled in all wrong acts then after five years people will not accept you." Also read: Amit Shah hails Gujarat, Himachal results; has eyes set on 2019 And he thanked the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for choosing the path of development.

Election results prove country ready for reform: Modi after Gujarat, Himachal win

<p>The repolling at six polling stations in Gujarat has come to a close.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="da"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> from Vadodara: EVMs &amp; VVPATs being sealed in polling booth at Sankarda Savli road after re-polling ends in 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi &amp; Savli today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/VyzUg6yEGM">pic.twitter.com/VyzUg6yEGM</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942378455533895680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The repolling had been ordered at six polling stations in&nbsp;Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The repolling had been ordered following technical glitches.</p>

<p>The Election Commission had&nbsp;invalidated the polling data&nbsp;in EVMs and ordered the repoll.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Security was beefed up ahead of the repolling.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TopStory?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TopStory</a>: Re-polling to be conducted at 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/oBKPKwxQe9">pic.twitter.com/oBKPKwxQe9</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942207735981993985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Polling agents, officers and police jawans get prepared ahead of re-polling to be conducted at 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli; visuals from Vadgam, Viramgam and Savli <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/likWZOC5HF">pic.twitter.com/likWZOC5HF</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942211422334861312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="da"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLASH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FLASH</a>: Re-polling begins in 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/xOFZHcY7kH">pic.twitter.com/xOFZHcY7kH</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942220891433320448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="da">Visuals from Savli as re-polling begins in 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/5NkHtCQD7x">pic.twitter.com/5NkHtCQD7x</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942222537215303682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">People queue up outside a polling station in Nava Naroda in Daskroi to cast their votes <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/pBsFFb28WI">pic.twitter.com/pBsFFb28WI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942227369762242560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The repolling was ordered after reports of technical glitches

The repolling at six polling stations in Gujarat has come to a close. #Visuals from Vadodara: EVMs & VVPATs being sealed in polling booth at Sankarda Savli road after re-polling ends in 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi & Savli today #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/VyzUg6yEGM — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2017 × The repolling had been ordered at six polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli. The repolling had been ordered following technical glitches. The Election Commission had invalidated the polling data in EVMs and ordered the repoll. Security was beefed up ahead of the repolling. #TopStory: Re-polling to be conducted at 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli today #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oBKPKwxQe9 — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2017 × Polling agents, officers and police jawans get prepared ahead of re-polling to be conducted at 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli; visuals from Vadgam, Viramgam and Savli #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/likWZOC5HF — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2017 × #FLASH: Re-polling begins in 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/xOFZHcY7kH — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2017 × Visuals from Savli as re-polling begins in 6 polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/5NkHtCQD7x — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2017 × People queue up outside a polling station in Nava Naroda in Daskroi to cast their votes #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/pBsFFb28WI — ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2017 ×

Gujarat elections: Repolling at six polling stations comes to an end

<p>The Election Commission on Saturday said repolling will be conducted at six polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli areas of Gujarat tomorrow.</p>

<p>Elections were held in these six polling stations in the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls on December 14.</p>

<p>Apart from this, counting of votes will be done through counting of slips in VVPAT in 10 polling stations in Visnagar, Becharaji, Modasa, Vejalpur, Vatva, Jamalpur-Khadia, Savli and Sankheda as the presiding officers did not clear from the control unit the votes that were cast during mock poll, the poll commission added.The results of the Gujarat Assembly election will be announced on December 18.&nbsp;</p>


Elections were held in these six polling stations in the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls on December 14

The Election Commission on Saturday said repolling will be conducted at six polling stations in Vadgam, Viramgam, Daskroi and Savli areas of Gujarat tomorrow. Elections were held in these six polling stations in the second phase of Gujarat Assembly polls on December 14. Apart from this, counting of votes will be done through counting of slips in VVPAT in 10 polling stations in Visnagar, Becharaji, Modasa, Vejalpur, Vatva, Jamalpur-Khadia, Savli and Sankheda as the presiding officers did not clear from the control unit the votes that were cast during mock poll, the poll commission added.The results of the Gujarat Assembly election will be announced on December 18.

Gujarat assembly elections: Election Commission orders repolling in 6 booths

<p>Rahul Gandhi is all set to be sworn-in&nbsp;as the party chief today after he was elected unopposed as president of the Indian National Congress on Monday.</p>

<p>It was only four years ago Rahul Gandhi was handed over the baton to lead the party as its vice-president.</p>

<p>Rahul was&nbsp;appointed as party&#39;s vice-president in January 2013.</p>

<p>Rahul&#39;s mother <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-to-retire-from-politics-after-rahuls-coronation-as-party-chief-report-26809">Sonia Gandhi has stepped down</a> as the president after serving for nearly two decades. She assumed office in 1998.</p>

<p>Rahul has led the campaign for the 14th Gujarat assembly elections on behalf of the Congress party. He had also recently shown the door to&nbsp;Mani Shankar Aiyar after the latter refused to follow Rahul&#39;s directive to apologise to the PM for his &#39;neech aadmi&#39; remark. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Recently, an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-posts-an-erroneous-tweet-deletes-later-25910">erroneous Tweet from the official handle of Rahul Gandhi </a>associated with price rise during PM Modi&#39;s regime proved to be a major embarrassment for Gandhi and Congress. Gandhi later&nbsp;deleted the Tweet and apologised. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Gandhi scion&#39;s first test would be Gujarat Assembly elections, how he&nbsp;carries forward his mother&#39;s legacy will be crucial.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As of now, nearly all exit polls and political analysis point toward BJP&#39;s win in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh; results for both the states are due on Monday.&nbsp;</p>

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It was four years ago Rahul Gandhi was handed over the baton to lead the party as its vice-president

Rahul Gandhi is all set to be sworn-in as the party chief today after he was elected unopposed as president of the Indian National Congress on Monday. It was only four years ago Rahul Gandhi was handed over the baton to lead the party as its vice-president. Rahul was appointed as party's vice-president in January 2013. Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi has stepped down as the president after serving for nearly two decades. She assumed office in 1998. Rahul has led the campaign for the 14th Gujarat assembly elections on behalf of the Congress party. He had also recently shown the door to Mani Shankar Aiyar after the latter refused to follow Rahul's directive to apologise to the PM for his 'neech aadmi' remark. Recently, an erroneous Tweet from the official handle of Rahul Gandhi associated with price rise during PM Modi's regime proved to be a major embarrassment for Gandhi and Congress. Gandhi later deleted the Tweet and apologised. The Gandhi scion's first test would be Gujarat Assembly elections, how he carries forward his mother's legacy will be crucial. As of now, nearly all exit polls and political analysis point toward BJP's win in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh; results for both the states are due on Monday.

Rahul Gandhi to be sworn-in as Congress president today

<p>The stock market maintained a steady line after a strong opening today as exit polls predicted that the BJP would win Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.</p>

<p>The 30-share BSE index came off its early high but was still up 269.51 points -- 0.81 per cent -- at 33,516.21 at 1128 hours.</p>

<p>For the 50-share Nifty, the reading was above the key 10,300-mark at 10,342.55, a gain of 90.45 points, or 0.88 per cent.</p>

<p>Coal India, which advanced 2.55 per cent, was in the lead. HDFC, Bajaj Auto, Adani Ports and L&amp;T too advanced.</p>

<p>Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) net bought shares worth Rs 232.17 crore yesterday. But domestic institutional investors (DIIs) offloaded equities to the tune of Rs 374.21 crore.</p>

<p>Overseas, Asian markets edged lower, with Japanese and Hong Kong markets leading the decline after US markets closed in the red.</p>

<p>US stocks closed lower yesterday as a few Senators raised some concerns about the tax bill. PTI PAK ARD</p>


The 30-share BSE index came off its early high, but was still up 269.51 points -- 0.81 per cent -- at 33,516.21 at 1128 hours.

The stock market maintained a steady line after a strong opening today as exit polls predicted that the BJP would win Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. The 30-share BSE index came off its early high but was still up 269.51 points -- 0.81 per cent -- at 33,516.21 at 1128 hours. For the 50-share Nifty, the reading was above the key 10,300-mark at 10,342.55, a gain of 90.45 points, or 0.88 per cent. Coal India, which advanced 2.55 per cent, was in the lead. HDFC, Bajaj Auto, Adani Ports and L&T too advanced. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) net bought shares worth Rs 232.17 crore yesterday. But domestic institutional investors (DIIs) offloaded equities to the tune of Rs 374.21 crore. Overseas, Asian markets edged lower, with Japanese and Hong Kong markets leading the decline after US markets closed in the red. US stocks closed lower yesterday as a few Senators raised some concerns about the tax bill. PTI PAK ARD

Sensex zooms over Gujarat, Himachal exit poll results

<p>In exactly a week from now, we shall know whether the Lotus has bloomed or the Hand has swept aside its rivals in Gujarat. We shall also know whether Rahul Gandhi begins his new innings as Congress president with a morale-boosting win or a defeat for which his minions will need to scamper to find scapegoats. And, we shall know too if Prime Minister Narendra Modi approaches the forthcoming electoral challenges after having being endorsed as Gujarat&rsquo;s Pride or rejected in his own backyard. Both sides are confident of a decisive victory, but that is only to be expected. One has to lose and will lose. After all, while many scenarios have been discussed, none has ventured to suggest a hung Assembly where the winner-loser is unclear.</p>

<p>Election campaigns are composed of several issues, and it is rare for just one or two of these to determine the outcome. The 2014 Lok Sabha poll was one such exception where corruption and policy paralysis alone doomed the Congress. Various other matters, factual or perceptional, became subordinate to this twin overriding narrative. In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election held earlier this year, the two issues that tamed the Samajwadi Party were minority appeasement and poor law and order.</p>

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<p>The Bihar Assembly poll was fought and won by the Lalu Prasad-Nitish Kumar combine (which has since evaporated) on pure caste arithmetic. Aside these, elections are contested and decided on multiple grounds, and this makes the democratic exercise all the more challenging &mdash; and even more challenging to predict. Rare is that political commentator who is able to say, with some amount of accuracy, that a particular issue would be the dominant factor. In hindsight, once the results are known, there are many to &lsquo;analyse&rsquo; the impact of one strand or the other.</p>

<p>The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment. Led by Prime Minister Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party went on an overdrive, listing its achievements in the State over the two decades of its rule &mdash; especially the period 2002-14 when Modi was the Chief Minister. The Gujarat Model of development was showcased, the ease of doing the business ranking of the World Bank was flaunted, the upgrade in the country&rsquo;s ratings by Moody&rsquo;s was quoted, the robustness of the Indian economy was pointed out, and the &lsquo;exemplary&rsquo; law and order situation in the State was underlined. The Congress sought to pick holes in the Gujarat Model by citing matters of unemployment, poor social welfare indices, farmers&rsquo; distress etc.</p>

<p>Thereafter, as the campaign picked momentum, the issue of reservation for the Patidar community gained ground. While it was there from the beginning, the matter received heft after the Congress and Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined hands officially. Once the Congress formally endorsed Patidar reservation, the BJP swung into action, first by projecting that the Patidars were a divided lot and that the sensible among them &mdash; who according to BJP leaders were in a majority &mdash; would remain loyal to the BJP. Second, the ruling party forcefully projected the &lsquo;impossibility&rsquo; of the reservation in constitutional terms and said the Congress was taking the Patidars for a ride.</p>

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<h5>The BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State.</h5>
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<p>So far, the going was simple enough and the commentators were still a happy lot. The BJP pitched for inclusive development (reminding voters of its past record and promising more of the same for the future) while the Congress aggressively pushed for reservation as an affirmative action to benefit the Patidars who form nearly 12 per cent of the population in Gujarat. The caste rainbow of Patidar-OBC-Scheduled Caste, which the Congress had quickly put out, was supposed to extinguish the BJP&rsquo;s flame of hope. Then, the development versus reservation narrative began to change.</p>

<p>For some time, the BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State. But after his trip to the Somnath temple, the party got an opportunity to say something. Somebody supposedly from the Congress leader&rsquo;s side entered his name as a non-Hindu visitor to the temple. BJP leaders were quick to demand an explanation. The Congress fell in the trap and one of its senior functionaries claimed that Rahul Gandhi was a &ldquo;<em>Janeu-</em><em>dhari</em> (sacred thread wearing) Hindu&rdquo;. To top this, Rahul Gandhi said he was a Shiva devotee! His acolytes then went on to speculate on the religious affiliations of both the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah.</p>

<p>The sudden turn towards religion, on which the Congress generally finds itself on the defensive given that the BJP leaders make no bones about where their inclinations lie, shaped the narrative even more decidedly when senior Congress leader and noted lawyer Kapil Sibal demanded that the Supreme Court postpone the hearing on the Ayodhya temple-mosque dispute case, and take it up after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The direct linkage of the dispute with politics left the Congress red-faced. Worse, even the litigants who had hired Sibal condemned the senior advocate&rsquo;s stand and said they wanted an early hearing and quick settlement of the issue.</p>

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<h5>The manner in which the BJP latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals.</h5>
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<p>The manner in which the BJP, especially Prime Minister Modi, latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals. After all, it suited the opposite party to target the BJP on the issues of reservation and lack of real and inclusive development. But, perhaps already confident that they were winning Gujarat, senior Congress leaders breached the red line. Mani Shankar Aiyar called the Prime Minister &ldquo;<em>neech</em>&rdquo;, &nbsp;a term which Modi and his team ran swiftly to the electorate and termed it as a slight to his social status of being an OBC. Now, the BJP used the occasion to not just strike at the Congress for its &lsquo;elitist&rsquo; and &lsquo;feudal&rsquo; mindset but also quoted the abuse as an insult to Gujarati asmita (pride).</p>

<p>Had these blunders come in the early stages of electioneering, the Congress could have had a better chance of glossing over them or having them dominated by other, fresher issues. But they have come towards the end stages of campaigning, and their recall value is, therefore, more likely. Does this mean that religion and personal abuse will eventually determine the outcome? The Congress must be hoping to the contrary, and the BJP praying that the issues click.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


The Congress aggressively pushed for reservation as an affirmative action to benefit the Patidars who form nearly 12 per cent of the population in Gujarat

In exactly a week from now, we shall know whether the Lotus has bloomed or the Hand has swept aside its rivals in Gujarat. We shall also know whether Rahul Gandhi begins his new innings as Congress president with a morale-boosting win or a defeat for which his minions will need to scamper to find scapegoats. And, we shall know too if Prime Minister Narendra Modi approaches the forthcoming electoral challenges after having being endorsed as Gujarat’s Pride or rejected in his own backyard. Both sides are confident of a decisive victory, but that is only to be expected. One has to lose and will lose. After all, while many scenarios have been discussed, none has ventured to suggest a hung Assembly where the winner-loser is unclear. Election campaigns are composed of several issues, and it is rare for just one or two of these to determine the outcome. The 2014 Lok Sabha poll was one such exception where corruption and policy paralysis alone doomed the Congress. Various other matters, factual or perceptional, became subordinate to this twin overriding narrative. In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election held earlier this year, the two issues that tamed the Samajwadi Party were minority appeasement and poor law and order. The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment. × The Bihar Assembly poll was fought and won by the Lalu Prasad-Nitish Kumar combine (which has since evaporated) on pure caste arithmetic. Aside these, elections are contested and decided on multiple grounds, and this makes the democratic exercise all the more challenging — and even more challenging to predict. Rare is that political commentator who is able to say, with some amount of accuracy, that a particular issue would be the dominant factor. In hindsight, once the results are known, there are many to ‘analyse’ the impact of one strand or the other. The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment. Led by Prime Minister Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party went on an overdrive, listing its achievements in the State over the two decades of its rule — especially the period 2002-14 when Modi was the Chief Minister. The Gujarat Model of development was showcased, the ease of doing the business ranking of the World Bank was flaunted, the upgrade in the country’s ratings by Moody’s was quoted, the robustness of the Indian economy was pointed out, and the ‘exemplary’ law and order situation in the State was underlined. The Congress sought to pick holes in the Gujarat Model by citing matters of unemployment, poor social welfare indices, farmers’ distress etc. Thereafter, as the campaign picked momentum, the issue of reservation for the Patidar community gained ground. While it was there from the beginning, the matter received heft after the Congress and Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined hands officially. Once the Congress formally endorsed Patidar reservation, the BJP swung into action, first by projecting that the Patidars were a divided lot and that the sensible among them — who according to BJP leaders were in a majority — would remain loyal to the BJP. Second, the ruling party forcefully projected the ‘impossibility’ of the reservation in constitutional terms and said the Congress was taking the Patidars for a ride. The BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi’s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State. × So far, the going was simple enough and the commentators were still a happy lot. The BJP pitched for inclusive development (reminding voters of its past record and promising more of the same for the future) while the Congress aggressively pushed for reservation as an affirmative action to benefit the Patidars who form nearly 12 per cent of the population in Gujarat. The caste rainbow of Patidar-OBC-Scheduled Caste, which the Congress had quickly put out, was supposed to extinguish the BJP’s flame of hope. Then, the development versus reservation narrative began to change. For some time, the BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi’s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State. But after his trip to the Somnath temple, the party got an opportunity to say something. Somebody supposedly from the Congress leader’s side entered his name as a non-Hindu visitor to the temple. BJP leaders were quick to demand an explanation. The Congress fell in the trap and one of its senior functionaries claimed that Rahul Gandhi was a “Janeu-dhari (sacred thread wearing) Hindu”. To top this, Rahul Gandhi said he was a Shiva devotee! His acolytes then went on to speculate on the religious affiliations of both the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah. The sudden turn towards religion, on which the Congress generally finds itself on the defensive given that the BJP leaders make no bones about where their inclinations lie, shaped the narrative even more decidedly when senior Congress leader and noted lawyer Kapil Sibal demanded that the Supreme Court postpone the hearing on the Ayodhya temple-mosque dispute case, and take it up after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The direct linkage of the dispute with politics left the Congress red-faced. Worse, even the litigants who had hired Sibal condemned the senior advocate’s stand and said they wanted an early hearing and quick settlement of the issue. The manner in which the BJP latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals. × The manner in which the BJP, especially Prime Minister Modi, latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals. After all, it suited the opposite party to target the BJP on the issues of reservation and lack of real and inclusive development. But, perhaps already confident that they were winning Gujarat, senior Congress leaders breached the red line. Mani Shankar Aiyar called the Prime Minister “neech”, a term which Modi and his team ran swiftly to the electorate and termed it as a slight to his social status of being an OBC. Now, the BJP used the occasion to not just strike at the Congress for its ‘elitist’ and ‘feudal’ mindset but also quoted the abuse as an insult to Gujarati asmita (pride). Had these blunders come in the early stages of electioneering, the Congress could have had a better chance of glossing over them or having them dominated by other, fresher issues. But they have come towards the end stages of campaigning, and their recall value is, therefore, more likely. Does this mean that religion and personal abuse will eventually determine the outcome? The Congress must be hoping to the contrary, and the BJP praying that the issues click. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Gujarat elections, a litmus test for Rahul

<p>While Prime Minister Modi finalised the last day&nbsp;before the second phase of election in Gujarat by visiting the Ambaji temple, Congress President Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="et"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad <a href="https://t.co/SoqixFK74a">pic.twitter.com/SoqixFK74a</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940446313283330048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="et"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad <a href="https://t.co/Rxv33VdI0i">pic.twitter.com/Rxv33VdI0i</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940447432357191681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>PM Modi&nbsp;boarded a seaplane to reach the Sabarmati Front, and from there&nbsp;road to reach the temple.&nbsp;His seaplane visit drew much attention and was called a &quot;historic&quot; move by his party leaders.</p>

<p>In over one month of the Election campaign in the state, Rahul Gandhi had paid visit to several temples including Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda&#39;s Dakor, Somnath temple,&nbsp;Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar,&nbsp; Ambaji temple.</p>

<p>His frequent visit to the temples had attracted huge criticism from the opposition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A controversy over his&nbsp;religion erupted after Gandhi visited the Somnath temple in Gujarat.</p>

<p>In a recent attack, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has said that the Gujarat polls have taught Rahul Gandhi &quot;visiting temples&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also added that the polls have also taught Manmohan Singh to speak up.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath <a href="https://t.co/Db3plqEFSQ">pic.twitter.com/Db3plqEFSQ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940458188469497856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


In over one month of the Election campaign in the state, Rahul Gandhi has paid the visit to several temples including Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor, Somnath temple,?Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar,? Ambaji temple

While Prime Minister Modi finalised the last day before the second phase of election in Gujarat by visiting the Ambaji temple, Congress President Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad. #Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/SoqixFK74a — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × #Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/Rxv33VdI0i — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × PM Modi boarded a seaplane to reach the Sabarmati Front, and from there road to reach the temple. His seaplane visit drew much attention and was called a "historic" move by his party leaders. In over one month of the Election campaign in the state, Rahul Gandhi had paid visit to several temples including Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor, Somnath temple, Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, Ambaji temple. His frequent visit to the temples had attracted huge criticism from the opposition. A controversy over his religion erupted after Gandhi visited the Somnath temple in Gujarat. In a recent attack, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has said that the Gujarat polls have taught Rahul Gandhi "visiting temples". He also added that the polls have also taught Manmohan Singh to speak up. Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath pic.twitter.com/Db3plqEFSQ — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 ×

Before final phase of Gujarat election, Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath temple

<p>A day before Gujarat heads for its final phase of election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi concludes his campaigning in the state with a visit to Ambaji temple.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gujarat: PM Modi reaches Dharoi Dam via sea plane, will now visit Ambaji temple <a href="https://t.co/EIfdU92iRj">pic.twitter.com/EIfdU92iRj</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940463072182808576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>PM Modi has reached Dharoi&nbsp;dam&nbsp;via sea plane. From there&nbsp;he will be taking the&nbsp;road to&nbsp;reach Ambaji temple.&nbsp;</p>

<p>His&nbsp;visit to the Ambaji temple was defined as &quot;unique&quot; by party president Amit Shah. Earlier in the day, Shah said: &quot;Modi will take off in a seaplane&nbsp;from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dam&#39;s pond and will proceed to the temple by road.&quot;</p>

<p>Prime minister Modi &quot;unique&quot; visit was to promote tourism in the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMModi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMModi</a> reaches Dharoi Dam in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/seaplane?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#seaplane</a><br />
<br />
Read <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ANI</a> story | <a href="https://t.co/9Zgmo4Yx3Q">https://t.co/9Zgmo4Yx3Q</a> <a href="https://t.co/uSTfp3LBwU">pic.twitter.com/uSTfp3LBwU</a></p>
&mdash; ANI Digital (@ani_digital) <a href="https://twitter.com/ani_digital/status/940465767451017216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> from Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha, to be visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/WJifctP0jp">pic.twitter.com/WJifctP0jp</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940443677586997248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to reach Dharoi Dam <a href="https://t.co/MkbBZTYXFD">pic.twitter.com/MkbBZTYXFD</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940452495280693248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam <a href="https://t.co/XQ5OgMBdxl">pic.twitter.com/XQ5OgMBdxl</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940453850204344320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam <a href="https://t.co/DeHpQX7UvV">pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940454739627556865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>His visit to the temple was announced after the state authorities cancelled&nbsp;the request of the roadshow made by BJP and Congress parties.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Gujarat police had turned down the request made by political parties citing law and order situation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


PM Modi has reached Dharoi?dam?via sea plane. From there?he will be taking the?road to?reach Ambaji temple

A day before Gujarat heads for its final phase of election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi concludes his campaigning in the state with a visit to Ambaji temple. Gujarat: PM Modi reaches Dharoi Dam via sea plane, will now visit Ambaji temple pic.twitter.com/EIfdU92iRj — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × PM Modi has reached Dharoi dam via sea plane. From there he will be taking the road to reach Ambaji temple. His visit to the Ambaji temple was defined as "unique" by party president Amit Shah. Earlier in the day, Shah said: "Modi will take off in a seaplane from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dam's pond and will proceed to the temple by road." Prime minister Modi "unique" visit was to promote tourism in the state. #PMModi reaches Dharoi Dam in #seaplane Read @ANI story | https://t.co/9Zgmo4Yx3Q pic.twitter.com/uSTfp3LBwU — ANI Digital (@ani_digital) December 12, 2017 × #Visuals from Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha, to be visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/WJifctP0jp — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × #Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards sea plane from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/MkbBZTYXFD — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/XQ5OgMBdxl — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × #WATCH: Sea plane takes off from Sabarmati river with PM Modi onboard, to reach Dharoi Dam pic.twitter.com/DeHpQX7UvV — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × His visit to the temple was announced after the state authorities cancelled the request of the roadshow made by BJP and Congress parties. The Gujarat police had turned down the request made by political parties citing law and order situation.

Watch: PM Modi visits Ambaji temple via sea plane

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conclude the last of the election&nbsp;campaign in Gujarat with a visit to Ambaji Mata temple.</p>

<p>While addressing a press conference BJP President Amit Shah said that&nbsp;PM Modi will visit Ambaji temple on 12 December.</p>

<p>He added that his&nbsp;visit will be done uniquely to promote tourism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said, &quot;Modi will take off in a seaplane&nbsp;from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dam&#39;s pond and will proceed to the temple by road.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="it"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, shortly <a href="https://t.co/GWjrVO5Sgz">pic.twitter.com/GWjrVO5Sgz</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940429243011317761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/C8mqgzm1LA">pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940432703161110529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Amit Shah&#39;s clarification came after<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-gujarat-police-denies-permission-to-pm-modi-rahul-for-roadshow-26431" target="_blank"> the state police denied the request for a&nbsp;road show</a> on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Since admn asked to not conduct road show of PM Modi on 12th he&#39;ll go to Ambaji Mata temple tomorrow. It&#39;ll be done uniquely. To promote Gujarat tourism, he&#39;ll take off in a sea plane from Sabarmati river front, land in Dharoi dam&#39;s pond &amp; will go to temple by road: Amit Shah <a href="https://t.co/5L7Tam3AMD">pic.twitter.com/5L7Tam3AMD</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940264089737076742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Gujarat police had turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state.</p>

<p>BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation.</p>

<p>The state will undergo the second phase of elections on December 14&nbsp;for 93 seats in North and Central Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The counting of votes is scheduled for December 18.&nbsp;</p>
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The Gujarat police turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state on the last day of election campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conclude the last of the election campaign in Gujarat with a visit to Ambaji Mata temple. While addressing a press conference BJP President Amit Shah said that PM Modi will visit Ambaji temple on 12 December. He added that his visit will be done uniquely to promote tourism. He said, "Modi will take off in a seaplane from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dam's pond and will proceed to the temple by road." #Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, shortly pic.twitter.com/GWjrVO5Sgz — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × #WATCH: #Visuals of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × Amit Shah's clarification came after the state police denied the request for a road show on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat. Since admn asked to not conduct road show of PM Modi on 12th he'll go to Ambaji Mata temple tomorrow. It'll be done uniquely. To promote Gujarat tourism, he'll take off in a sea plane from Sabarmati river front, land in Dharoi dam's pond & will go to temple by road: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/5L7Tam3AMD — ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017 × The Gujarat police had turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state. BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation. The state will undergo the second phase of elections on December 14 for 93 seats in North and Central Gujarat. The counting of votes is scheduled for December 18.

Gujarat elections: On last day of election campaign PM Modi to visit Ambaji Temple via seaplane

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