Gujarat News

Ahmed Patel, who is known to be the Congress party's most reliable crisis manager, was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha for the fifth term in a nail-biting contest in which he defeated Balwantsinh Rajput of the BJP.

The high-voltage drama around the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat had all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler. 

The Election Commission has not announced the formal result.

The order by Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti and Election Commissioner OP Rawat came after a high-pitch battle between the BJP and the Congress.

The development forced the Congress to go in back-foot as it feared more defections and shifted all its MLAs to Bengaluru ahead of the crucial polls.

A day prior to the Rajya Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is confident that it will acquire all three seats in Gujarat.

Asked about allegations of surveillance on him and Congress MLAs, Ahmed Patel asserted that he was not surprised, "This is the example of a banana republic."

A court in Surat issued an arrest warrant against Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel for not appearing for the hearing of a sedition case against him on Saturday.

The woman, her daughters Jyoti, 11, and Nikita, 9, mother-in-law Nanduben, 55, and father-in-law Merubhai, 60, were rushed to the hospital.

Earlier, the Congress vice-president was heckled by protesters at an event.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is on a  brief visit to flood-hit Dhanera in Banasakantha district of Gujarat, was shown black flags by the locals on Thursday. 

Tanzeem Merani had attempted to unfurl the tricolour in Srinagar on August 15, 2016, too. 

The announcement was made by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who spent five days in that region to get first-hand information about the losses caused by the flood, a government release said.

Patel quota leader Hardik Patel along with a few other members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) have been detained by police on Thursday for staging a dharna (sit-in protest) outside the premises of Umiya Dham Campus here.

The BJP has fielded its national president Amit Shah, Union minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput for the three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat against the lone Congress candidate Ahmed Patel.

Yesterday, the Congress had approached the EC against the use of NOTA option in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, claiming it was violative of the Constitution and electoral laws. 

The I-T department recovered around Rs 7 crores from Shivakumar's properties that it found to be questionable.

The resignations brought down the Congress's strength in the Assembly from 57 to 51. Three of the six later joined the BJP.

A joint investigation by the Coast Guard, Intelligence Bureau (IB), police, Customs, Navy and other agencies is currently underway.

Indian Coast Guard has seized 1,500 kgs of heroin from a merchant vessel off the Gujarat coast.

The Centre has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs. two lakhs for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50, 0000 to those seriously injured in the floods.

An EC spokesperson said the Gujarat Chief Secretary has been asked to furnish a report to the poll panel in this context by the evening (5 pm) of July 31.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani assured Saturday that the situation with regard to floods in the districts is under control. He said that over 8000 people have been rescued and 70,000 people have been shifted to safer places.

The Congress has shifted 44 of its MLAs from Gujarat to a resort outside Bengaluru in order to fend off what they call 'horse trading', by the BJP ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha election in the state. 

Congress MLA Raghavjee Patel, considered close to former party strongman Shankersinh Vaghela, indicated he would also resign and join the BJP.

The Congress decided to confine its 44 Gujarat MLAs outside the state until Rajya Sabha elections are held in Gujarat.

The developments come a day after three legislators resigned from the party and joined the BJP. 

When the House met at noon, Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the proceedings, first briefly for 15 minutes and then till 1430 hours.

More than a million households had been affected and losses to farmlands were being assessed.

On Friday, three MLAs from the grand old party considered close to Shankarsinh Vaghela on Thursday quit and joined the BJP.