Election 2022: PM Modi to Kickstart Rally Marathon in Gujarat on Nov 20

The focus on women, who make up 49.5 per cent of total voters in Himachal Pradesh, and the announcement of freebies by major parties are seen to be the contributing factors behind their higher turnout in the recent Assembly elections. According to constituency-wise data procured from the election department, votes polled by women exceeded that of men by 4.4 percentage points. Himachal witnessed a record 75.6 per cent turnout for the Assembly polls on November 12. The turnout of women in 42 of the state’s 68 constituencies was more than men, the data showed.

BJP’s manifesto for the civic body elections is a “betrayal document” to mislead Delhiites for the party has no work to bank on, Congress spokesperson Alka Lamba said. Alleging that the BJP in the MCD has failed to fulfil its promises in the past, the former MLA claimed that the party does not have any achievements to highlight. “Despite ruling the MCD for 15 years, the BJP does not have any achievement to highlight or any issue to project. They failed to implement any of its promises in the past. Their manifesto for the MCD election is nothing but a betrayal document for the people of Delhi,” she said. She appealed to the slum dwellers not to fill out the forms given by the BJP, promising them flats as it will “rob” them of their rights to free accommodation. “The BJP and the AAP had made a scheme to rent out the 46,000 flats, whose construction was started by the Congress government under the Rajiv Rattan Yojna for slum dwellers,” she said.

The trade wing of the AAP will release a separate manifesto for the upcoming civic polls. It will also conduct 100 meetings with traders in the lead-up to the high-stakes elections.

The 250-ward Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) goes to polls on December 4 and counting of votes will take place on December 7.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier this month launched the party’s 10 guarantees for the civic polls. One of the guarantees was an assurance to end the “inspector raj” and provide other benefits for traders. The party had also said it had fielded more than 30 business leaders in the polls.

Bobi was only 15 when her family handed her over to a ‘guruji’ from the transgender community under societal pressure. Now, more than 20 years later, the AAP’s first transgender candidate wants to beautify her constituency and improve the lives of her neighbours.

Inspired by and having participated in Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, the candidate from Sultanpur Majra Vidhan Sabha under SC-10, 43 A, wants to weed out corruption from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

“I was associated with the Anna movement. At that time, I was inspired that a man in his 70s was sitting in a protest against corruption. I was also part of that movement,” Bobi told PTI.

The PM is scheduled to arrive in the poll-bound state on November 19. The plan of PM addressing rallies have been finalised by the state, awaiting PM’s final approval.

• On November 20, he is scheduled to hold three public meetings in Saurashtra region.
• On November 21, the PM is expected to hold two rallies.
• On November 22, he is scheduled to hold three rallies in Saurashtra region and South Gujarat region each.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially blow the campaign bugle for the Gujarat Assembly polls on November 20, when he is scheduled to hold three public meetings in Saurashtra region.

The prime minister is expected to hold about 30 rallies across the state over the campaign.

Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had estimated that PM will hold close to 25 rallies.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that polls can be rigged through social media, and that if social media companies want, they can make any party win an election.

Without naming any party, he also said that communal violence has been planted as a strategic weapon to cause disharmony in the society by one ideology and its leaders.

“Even if the EVM (electronic voting machine) is secure, Indian elections may be rigged through social media. If large social media companies want, they can make any party win an election. Systematic bias is being applied there and my social media handles are a live example of it,” the Congress MP said.

More than 1,100 nominations for the municipal election in Delhi have been rejected after scrutiny, according to data shared by official sources on Wednesday, with the Congress’ tally going below 250, the total number of wards.

Congress party has lined up its popular leaders including Sachin Pilot, Kanhaiya Kumar and Salman Khurshid as its campaigners for the civic polls.

The party’s list of star campaigners also include Uttar Pradesh MLA Aradhana Misra, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and senior Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit.

The grand old party was in power in the  Municipal Corporation in Delhi (MCD) until 2007. In 2017 MCD elections, it managed to win only 27 seats.

The AAP is set to launch the first phase of its campaign for the MCD polls on Thursday and has appointed observers for every assembly constituency to ensure that party candidates take out padyatras and hold public dialogue across wards.

The first phase of campaigning will start from November 17 and go on till November 22. The second phase will start on November 23.

The Election Commission on Wednesday asked the Gujarat chief electoral officer to inquire and take action “as warranted” after the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that its Surat (East) candidate was abducted and coerced by the BJP to withdraw from the poll fray.

A four-member delegation of AAP led by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met the Commission officials this evening and handed over a representation after holding a protest outside the EC office here.

Coming down heavily on his own party over his “kidnapping” claims, AAP candidate from Surat (East) Kanchan Jariwala on Wednesday issued a video statement in which he purportedly said he “withdrew his nomination without any pressure” and by listening to his conscience after the voters of his constituency called him “anti-national” and “anti-Gujarat” for fighting the Gujarat assembly polls from the Aam Aadmi Party.

Jariwala was purportedly heard saying in the video, “People used to ask me during my campaign why I became a candidate of an anti-national and anti-Gujarat party. I listened to my inner voice. I withdrew my nomination without any pressure. I can’t support such a party.” READ MORE 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the BJP does not do what we AAP did in five years in Delhi by building wonderful schools and making electricity free. “They do not care for you, they think the people of Gujarat will eventually end up voting for them,” he said.

There was no use of voting for Congress either, Kejriwal added. He reiterated the AAP’s promises to build good schools, open 20,000 mohalla clinics and provide 10 lakh government jobs.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged the people of Gujarat to “try” him once and give his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) five years in power.

Speaking at a roadshow in Valsad city in poll-bound Gujarat, he promised relief from inflation through the “guarantees” including the waiver of electricity bill, free and quality education and medical care, among other things.

“You have given BJP 27 years, give us five years. Five years is nothing. Try me once….If you do not like my work, then send me away. You gave them (BJP) 27 years which is not a short period,” Kejriwal said.

The Congress on Wednesday in its final list, fielded former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela’s son from the Bayad constituency.

The seventh list of 37 candidates included Mahendrasinh Vaghela from Bayad, Ramesh Koli from Sanand, Chirag Patel from Khambhat, Harshadbhai Ninama from Dahod (ST) and Mahesh Patel from Palanpur.

Mahendrasinh Vaghela joined the Congress last month. The 58-year-old former MLA was a Congress legislator from Bayad in north Gujarat between 2012 and 2017. He had quit the party in August 2017, a few months before the Assembly elections, and later joined the BJP.

The Congress on Wednesday released its final list of 37 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections.

With the declaration of the seventh list, the Congress has announced 179 candidates for the polls to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly. The Congress has an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the assembly polls and the Sharad Pawar-led party is set to contest on three seats.

Several millionaires, a slum dweller, and a trans gender are among the candidates from diverse socio-economic backgrounds who have been hand-picked by the AAP, the BJP and the Congress for the high-stakes Delhi civic polls, PTI reported.

➡️One of the richest candidates in the fray is AAP’s Babita who is contesting from Bakhtawarpur ward. She, along with her husband, owns immovable assets worth more than Rs 13 crore, according to her affidavit.

➡️Another AAP candidate — Punardeep Singh Sawhney (41) — son of Chandni Chowk MLA Parlad Singh Sawhney is contesting from the Chandni Chowk ward and owns immovable assets worth Rs 9 crore while his wife owns properties worth Rs 35 lakh.

➡️BJP candidate from Lajpat Nagar ward Kunawar Arjun Pal Singh Marwah, an advocate by profession, owns immovable assets, including properties in Chandigarh, worth Rs 2.68 crore, while his movable assets are worth Rs 22.25 lakh, including cash amounting to over Rs 23.73 lakh.

➡️On the other end of the spectrum, BJP’s Ramesh Nagar ward candidate Pradeep Kumar Tiwari, who lives in Chuna Bhatti slum in Kirti Nagar, has declared movable assets worth more than Rs 8.45 lakh while he has taken loans worth more than Rs 9.27 lakh, including one for a car, from banks.

➡️Bobby Kinnar, AAP’s transgender candidate from ward Number 43 A, Sultanpur Majra, has declared movable assets worth Rs 12.10 lakh, including gold worth Rs 10 lakh.

AAP MLA and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak on Wednesday said that the party will sweep the civic body polls and will implement the ‘Delhi model’ into it.

In an interview to PTI, Pathak also ruled out any competition from the Congress, saying that the Delhiites have forgotten whether the party even exists. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had earlier this month launched the party’s 10 guarantees for the MCD polls.