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Press Trust of India
Ahmedabad, December 25: Narendra Modi, who last week led the BJP to a near landslide victory in Gujarat, took oath today as chief minister for a third term at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.

His swearing-in ceremony, coinciding with former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's birthday, was attended by senior leaders, including L K Advani and Rajnath Singh, and chief ministers of BJP and other NDA-ruled states.

On Monday, Modi met Governor Nawal Kishor Sharma and submitted the resignation of the state cabinet, following the expiry of the term of the state government.

While accepting the resignation, Sharma asked Modi to continue as the "care-taker" chief minister till the new government is formed.

The Governor also congratulated Modi for his victory in the state Assembly elections.

Press Trust of India
Ahmedabad, December 22: Hindutva poster-boy Narendra Modi today powered BJP to a near two-thirds majority in the Gujarat Assembly elections and for a record fourth term giving himself a third stint as Chief Minister.

In the elections that were seen as a referendum on Modi, the ruling BJP trounced main rival Congress securing 117 seats, five less than a two-thirds majority in the 182-member Assembly and 10 less than it had notched in the 2002 elections.

The Congress marginally improved its position bagging 59 seats, increasing its tally by eight while its ally NCP won three. The party's defeat triggered a debate whether its president Sonia Gandhi's controversial "merchants of death" remarks was a factor that contributed to saffron consolidation.

Modi, who had replaced Keshubhai Patel in 2001 and had led the party to a sweeping victory in 2002, will be sworn in as Chief Minister on December 25. The swearing-in ceremony will concide with the birthday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Earlier, Modi was scheduled to be sworn in on December 27.

The 57-year-old former RSS pracharak's performance bettered exit poll projections by TV channels, the highest of which was 110, and enthused the party's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani to claim that the BJP was on a "comeback trail" at the Centre.

The JD(U) won one seat while independents accounted for the remaining two. The BSP, with ambitions of expanding its presence outside Uttar Pradesh, the CPI-M and the Lok Jan Shakti of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan drew a blank.

Factors like incumbency and challenge from party rebels could not stop the Modi juggernaut which swept Saurashtra, North and South Gujarat holding on to BJP's existing seats.

The saffron party suffered reverses in Central Gujarat, the theatre of post-Godhra riots in 2002, where it lost about a score of seats to Congress which was made up by wins elsewhere.

Party	Seats Held(2002)	Contested	Won
BJP	127	182	117
Congress	51	174	59
NCP	0	9	3
Independent	2	480	2
Janata Dal (United)	2	35	1
Total	182	1268	182

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP is poised to retain power in Gujarat but with a reduced majority losing some ground in Sunday's second phase of polls in northern and central parts of the state which was worst hit by 2002 communal riots, according to most exit polls.With the winning party required to get the magical 92 mark in a House of 182, the NDTV exit poll projected that BJP will win between 90 and 110. BJP had won 127 seats in 2002.The Congress' share was put at somewhere between 70 and 95 with others three to five.The Star News-Nielsen exit poll saw BJP getting 103, losing about 24 seats of which a loss of 18 is in the second phase in Central and Northern Gujarat.In the 2002 elections in these regions, the party had swept winning 73 of the 95 seats at stake. The Congress party may get 76 seats, a gain of 25 seats, it said. Zee News and C-Voter projected BJP getting 93 to 104 seats followed by Congress at 75 to 87 seats.

Source: www.ibnlive.com
Posted: 12.00 am, December 17, 2007

Ahmedabad/New Delhi (PTI): Polling for the Gujarat Assembly elections ended on Sunday with an estimated 63 to 65 per cent of voters casting the ballots in the second and final phase in the Northern and Central districts of the state which was at the eye of the 2002 communal riots. The fate of several BJP and Congress heavyweights including Chief Minister Narendra Modi were sealed in Sunday's polling which covered 95 of the 182 constituencies including Godhra, the epicentre of the riots. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 23. "The polling was by and large peaceful and orderly with no major incident being reported," Deputy Election Commissioner Jaiprakash told reporters in New Delhi.Four cases of bogus voting was registered in Limidi and an election agent was booked under section 135 of People's Representation Act for canvassing within 200 metres of polling stations. According to reports from Godhra, both the majority and minority community members came out in large numbers to vote.

Source: The Hindu
Posted: 12.00 am, December 17, 2007

New Delhi: The bitter election campaign in Gujarat draws to a close on Friday.Polling for 95 seats in the central and eastern districts of Gujarat will take place on Sunday. They include: Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana Banskantha, Patan, Sabarkantha, Dahod, Kheda, Panchmahal, Vadodara and Anand. The districts that had witnessed the worst of post-Godhra violence will also vote on the same day.The most prestigious among them is Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, Maninagar. Congress has fielded Union Minister Dinsha Patel from here. Former deputy CM Narhari Amin, who is contesting from Matar, is the other prominent candidate in this round.The BJP had won a majority of these seats in the 2002 polls but opinion polls are predicting a tough battle for the party this time around.Not surprisingly, personal attacks from the BJP and the Congress camps have intensified in the campaigning for this crucial round despite notices by the Election Commission and the Supreme Court.The counting for elections will take place on December 23 and the results will be out on December 26.

Source: www.ibnlive.com
Posted: 11.00 am, December 14, 2007

Ahmedabad: While the rest of Gujarat is festooned in garish election garb, Gulbarg society wears a haunted look. The charred walls and windows and the ruins of what was once a bustling neighbourhood are a grim reminder of the nightmare that tore through Gujarat in 2002.The silence is deafening, the steps leading to the rundown buildings remain desolate and the doors are locked. The people who lived here are either dead or chose to stay away. Fear still looms large.But as the polling day draws near, the Election Commission has taken upon itself the task of convincing the voters from the society – the worst-hit during the Gujarat riots – to come out and cast their ballot. The EC has put up notices urging residents and ex-residents to vote without fear. Zakia Jaffri, the widow of former MP Ehsaan Jaffri who was also killed at Gulbarg, says she’ll vote even if not from her society’s polling booth."It’s impossible to stay and vote in Gulbarg society.So I decided to vote from where I am living now,” she says.

Source: www.ibnlive.com
Posted: 11.00 am, December 14, 2007

New Delhi: As he awaits an Election Commission decision on his remarks justifying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ran into more trouble today when the Supreme Court issued him a notice, wanting to know why action should not be initiated against him for contempt of court over his public utterances on a case still being heard in court.The bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and Dalveer Bhandari asked the Chief Minister to file his response before the next hearing and exempted him from appearing in person “at this stage”.“Issue notice to the alleged contemnor,” the court ordered, also making it clear that there would be no stay on the trial proceedings in Ahmedabad in the Sohrabuddin case.The SC directive came on an application moved by Sohrabuddin’s brother, Rubabuddin Sheikh, who was present in the court during the hearing today.

Source: Indian Express
Posted: 11.20 am, December 13, 2007

Narmada records highest polling percentage in Gujarat

Ahmedabad (PTI): In the first phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat, 59.61 per cent exercised their franchise 14 districts to select candidates to 87 seats, official sources said on Wednesday. Out of the 1.78 crore voters in the 87 constituencies, 1.06 crore exercised their right to vote yesterday of which 57.19 per cent were women and 61.84 per cent male, sources at Gujarat's Chief Electoral Office said. Narmada district in South Gujarat recorded the highest voting percentage of 69.63 while Saurashtra region's Jamnagar district recorded the lowest at 55.73 per cent. Kutch had recorded 58.48 per cent voting. The polling percentages in other districts in Saurashtra region were Surendranagar (59.84), Rajkot (58), Junagadh (62.07), Amreli (59.39), Porbandar (56.96) and Bhavnagar (57.77). The polling percentage in other districts in South Gujarat were Bharuch (64.36), Surat (58.54), Valsad (61.84), Dangs (58.87) and Navsari (64.65).

Source: Hindu
Posted: 11.20 am, December 13, 2007

Ahmedabad: The battle for Gujarat is now well and truly underway with the first phase of the two-phase poll ending on Tuesday.Eighty-six assembly seats voted in south Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch, areas where the rebellion against Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the strongest. In the exit NDTV exit polls BJP with 40 seats is pitched against Congress with 40 seats. It predicts the BJP will get 13 seats less than 2002, while the Congress gains in all the seats. The BJP is likely to get only 26 seats in Saurashtra as opposed to 39 in 2002. The Congress meanwhile gets 31 as against 18 seats in 2002.Among the candidates were key BJP rebels who have thrown their weight behind former chief minister Keshubhai Patel. The Saurashtra region is home to Patel who himself did not come out to vote on Tuesday.

Source: www.ndtv.com
Posted: 11.00 am, December 12, 2007

GANDHINAGAR/NEW DELHI: An estimated 58 to 60 per cent voting was recorded on Tuesday in the first and relatively more decisive round of the two-phase polling in Gujarat. This round covered 1.78 crore voters in 87 Assembly constituencies in 14 districts in the Kutch-Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions.There were widespread complaints of names missing from electoral rolls.The polling began at a slow pace at 8 a.m. Till afternoon the average turnout was only 20 to 25 per cent in the 19,900 polling booths. The pace soon quickened, and by 4 p.m. more than 50 to 55 per cent people had voted.In Vapi in south Gujarat, several housing societies with more than 1,000 voters each did not figure in the list. Some voters said they had voted in the last elections and wondered how their names had disappeared.Voters in one village in Dwarka constituency in Jamnagar district boycotted the polling, complaining that the government had failed to provide a school for them.

Ahmedabad: A sex scandal CD involving Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki has rocked the state unit of the party a few hours before the first phase of the Assembly polls on December 11.

The 21-minute CD featuring Solanki and a girl was circulated by unidentified persons to some of the newspapers in the state.

AICC general secretary and Gujarat coordinator Manish Tiwari said that the allegations were a conspiracy against Solanki and the party in view of the Assembly elections.

Tiwari said: "The CD is totally doctored and morphed and there is not an iota of truth in it." He said the party was ready for any kind of inquiry by the CBI. "We don't have any trust in the local police under the existing political scenario," he said.

New Delhi: Polling for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections got underway on Tuesday morning with sporadic cases of violence in some constituencies.

In Rajkot, a BJP worker was stabbed by an assailant near a polling booth. The party worker identified as Bhujesh Mankad was stabbed in the Panchnath plot area.

Meanwhile, in Amreli, a commando accompanying Congress candidate Bhavku Undhad fired two rounds in the air when unknown persons surrounded his vehicle and allegedly threatened him, police sources told PTI.

The suspects fled from the spot, police sources said, adding that an FIR in this regard has been filed at Vadiya police station.

Undhad was a sitting BJP MLA in the Narendra Modi government and was one of the several BJP rebels who quit the party and joined the Congress recently.

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today filed her reply to the Election Commission's notice on her 'merchants of death' remark.

It is not immediately known as to what she has stated in her reply.

Congress had yesterday suggested that Gandhi did not name Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi but had the entire state administration in mind when she made those remarks.

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and senior BJP leader V K Malhotra, who were also issued notices by the EC, filed their replies

AHMEDABAD: Security forces are on high alert for the first phase of polling in Gujarat on Tuesday after mystery blasts rocked Borsad in Anand on two consecutive days, Sunday and Monday. A young girl, a ragpicker, was killed in Sunday’s blast which significantly was in the constituency of Bharat Solanki, who is seen as a strong contender for the chief ministership if the Congress comes to power.

Although Borsad will vote only in the second phase on December 16, the blasts served as reminder of the highly charged atmosphere in the state, which has prompted the Election Commission to push in as many as 52,000 central paramilitary forces for each phase of polling.

Source: DNA
Posted: 14.15 pm, December 11, 2007

Gujarat balloting begins amid tight security

Polling for the first phase of the Gujarat legislative assembly elections began amidst tight security arrangements on Tuesday. The polling is being conducted for 87 assembly constituencies of Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat regions.

Of these Saurashtra and Kutch account for 58 assembly constituencies while the remaining assembly seats are from South Gujarat. With a sizeable number of seats, Saurashtra and Kutch are expected to decide who will form the government in Gandhinagar after declaration of results on December 23. The polling is expected to be slow in the early hours of the day and is expected to pick up as the day progresses.

Source: Hindustan Times
Posted: 11.15 pm, December 11, 2007

Gujarat poll campaign for first phase ends

Ahmedabad (PTI): Campaigning for the first phase of one of the most bitterly fought elections to the Gujarat assembly, which was marked by caustic exchange of words between the Congress and the ruling BJP, ended on Sunday. From an initially staid campaign, electioneering in the past week suddenly became bitter after Congress President Sonia Gandhi in her poll speech made the "merchant of death" remark against Narendra Modi and, in a tit-for-tat, in another meeting in South Gujarat, the Gujarat Chief Minister kicked up a storm by referring to the fake encounter of Soharabuddin in December 2005.

While the Congress party stood by Gandhi's remark against Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister told the Election Commission that he never justified Sohrabuddin's encounter killing. As many as 87 constituencies in the 182-member strong state assembly will go to polls in the first phase on December 11. Polling for rest of the seats will be held on December 16.

Gujarati NRIs have launched a massive campaign on the phone and via email asking NRI Gujarati's to encourage their family members in India to go out and vote for Modi. Full-page advertisements have also been placed in local Indian papers. Non resident Indians do not have voting rights in India and US laws do not permit fundraising but many Modi supporters have left to campaign in Gujarat- a state that is flush with NRI remittances.

Source: NDTV.com
Posted: 14.00 pm, December 10, 2007

SC defers hearing on plea against Modi

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on Modi's comments on Sohrabuddin's case till Wednesday.After Modi's controversial speech during the election campaign allegedly justifying the encounter, petitions have been filed, asking for Modi to be named a co-accused in the fake encounter case.

Modi could also face contempt action for interfering with the judicial process as the Sohrabuddin matter is already in the Supreme Court. The petitions have been filed by Sohrabuddin's brother and lyricist Javed Akthar among others.

NEW DELHI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought more time from the Election Commission to file his reply to its notice seeking explanation for his election speech justifying the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter.

Modi's lawyer sought "few more hours time" to file his reply in the day, EC sources said here. The Commission, which held prima facie that his remarks amounted to indulging in activities which could aggravate communal hatred and tension, had earlier asked Modi to file his response by 11 a.m.

Taking cognizance of the two petitions filed against Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi for breaking the moral code of conduct, the Supreme Court on Friday posted the matter for hearing on Monday. The petitions have been filed by senior counsel Prashant Bhushan on behalf of film lyricist Javed Akhtar and by senior counsel Dushyant Dave on behalf of fake encounter victim, Sohrabuddin Sheikh's brother, Rubabuddin.

Both the counsels submitted that Modi had already justified the killings and he should, therefore, be prosecuted. The petitions filed in the SC demand two things. First, that a Special Investigation Team to probe all encounters in the state should be constituted and second, that an FIR should be registered against Modi for his "inflammatory" remarks on the Sohrabuddin killing.

If you are with the government you are safe, but if you are against it, then God help you. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked about fear in Gujarat and minced no words as he took on Chief Minister Narendra Modi in his own turf. Singh, who is campaigning for his Congress party in Gujarat today, said the atmosphere of fear in the state is dangerous for the entire country. He said a fear psychosis is being generated in Gujarat, which is disastrous not just for Gujarat, but for the entire nation.And in the land of Mahatma, those who beleive in violence want to come back to power.

Source: NDTV.com
Posted: 16.00 am, December 7, 2007

“Modi trying to provoke Centre into taking action”

MANDVI (Kutch District): The former Gujarat Chief Minister, Suresh Mehta, feels that the present incumbent, Narendra Modi, was trying to provoke the Centre into taking legal action against him to become a “hero” and turn the election in his favour.

The BJP dissident, who is all set to quit the party on Saturday, said Mr. Modi’s utterances on the Sohrabuddin case was an “expression of frustration” as the situation was turning “bleak” for the ruling party. Mr. Mehta, a former first class judicial magistrate, said Mr. Modi had virtually admitted his guilt in the Sohrabuddin case, and prima facie a police complaint could be registered against him. He was trying to provoke the Centre into taking action hoping that it would generate a sympathy wave in his favour. He believed that Mr. Modi would become more and more aggressive till the Centre took action.

Surendernagar, Dec. 6: An entirely new element, a new force, has now made its appearance in Gujarat politics in the shape of Ms Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party. The party supremo today addressed meetings in Junagadh, Surendernagar and Ahmedabad. And if the meeting here was any indication, she could well break the traditional voting pattern of either the BJP or the Congress and well emerge as the “third force.” Like chief minister Mr Narendra Modi and Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi, she toured the state in a helicopter ~ a fact not lost upon her supporters.

Addressing a crowd of some 8,000 enthusiastic people, most of whom were wearing blue scarfs with the “elephant” motif, Ms Mayawati spoke in an even tone about what she had done in UP. The UP chief minister made it clear that her party which is fighting in 168 constituencies, out of 182, has not tied-up with any other political party. “We have no understanding with any other political party” she said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's audacious remarks justifying Sohrabuddin's fake encounter killing has landed him in trouble from unexpected quarters. Peeved with Modi's comments, senior advocate K T S Tulsi, who defended the state government in the fake encounter case has opted out saying that he will no longer fight the case.

Tulsi accused Modi of playing "ducks and drakes" with the rule of law and the Supreme Court by making remarks justifying the extra-legal killing. Tulsi said: "On the one hand, as Chief Minister, he is prosecuting the police officers responsible for the fake encounter and on the other hand, he is justifying the killing. It is a case of serious impropriety."

A contingent of 108 seers led by Avichaldasji Maharaj from Sarsa, a supporter of Chief Minister Narendra Modi [Images] during the 2002 assembly polls, is now 'indirectly' canvassing in various parts of Gujarat against the Bharatiya Janata Party, a move which has taken the party by surprise. Though the 'sants' have not been directly campaigning against the Modi government, they have been making short stoppages across the constituencies in central Gujarat saying, "The present government has been in power for five years, but now it is time for change."Sources in the BJP said that after a meeting of the group of seers in Amereli in October 2007 where it had pledged to oust Modi, a compromise had been brokered with Avichaldasji Maharaj. The present move of this religious group has taken the BJP by surpise, the sources said.

Source: Rediff.com
Posted: 10.45 am, December 6, 2007

With the last date of withdrawal over, picture of 182 constituencies in Gujarat has become clear. There are seven parties are in the fray besides 480 independents. As a result there are only two constituencies where there is direct fight between the two major parties ruling BJP and rival Congress.

For the 182 seats in the state, 1268 are in the fray. These candidates belong to seven parties. Only BJP has fielded 182 candidates. Congress has 172 candidates as it has shared seven seats with NCP, one each with LJP and CPM, Lok Jan Shakti of Uma Bharati 51 and BSP 180. The other seat where there are only two candidates is Randhikpur.

Strewn Congress flags are the only sign of political activity in Juhapura in Ahmedabad , where ninety-nine per cent of the population are Muslims. The Congress has opened a small election office here but other parties haven't even done this much.

Muslims in Gujarat have little reason to like the BJP, but the Congress is apprehensive of losing Hindu votes in this neighbourhood. Resultantly, Juhapura appears to have fallen off the political map and is a glaring example of ghettoisation in Gujarat.There are many such Muslim dominated areas in the state where parties do not bother to even put up an election campaign poster. Even though nine per cent of the voters in Gujarat are Muslims, the BJP has not fielded a single Muslim candidate, while the Congress has fielded just six.

Modi supporters launch campaign in US

NEW YORK: .A massive campaign is on in the US to support Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who faces the electorate along with other candidates for Gujarat Legislature this month. This effort is initiated and supported by "Friends of Gujarat's Progress", an independent NRI group that claims to care about India's development, and works for a secure future for the peace loving people of India. The group credits Modi for Gujarat's phenomenal progress and for making Gujarat the "best governed state" in India. The 'Friends of Gujarat's Progress' thinks it is vital for Modi to win the elections so that Gujarat's progress may continue unhindered.

Urging NRIs living around the globe to help support Modi's team, the group has asked supporters to volunteer to literally call friends and relatives back in Gujarat to vote as well as to campaign for Modi; and to help with telephone calls, e-mails and grass roots level campaigning in Gujarat. The group feels it important to be involved in the politics of Gujarat considering the "current unfortunate situation of poor politics and biased media" in India.

BJP complains to EC about Sonia's speech

AHMEDABAD: The BJP on Sunday filed a compliant with the Election Commission against Congress president Sonia Gandhi saying her speech at one of the election rallies violated the model code of conduct.

"Sonia Gandhi, through her speech on Saturday at Chikli in Navsari district, had tried to divide people on caste lines and arouse religious sentiment before the elections. She had also levelled baseless allegations against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi," general secretary of the Gujarat unit of BJP, Jayanti Barot, said in a statement here on Sunday night. The UPA chairperson had said in Navsari "those ruling Gujarat are "dishonest" and "merchant of death". Barot said the BJP has requested the Commission to take immediate steps on the party's complaint.

Source: Times of India
Posted: 11.00, December 3, 2007

Congress headquarters locked, supporters clash

Ahmedabad: Since morning it is a drama of violence wrapped in suspense and anxiety driven uncertainty at the Congress headquarters in Ahmedabad. The office at Rajeev Bhavan is locked and no concerned top brass is available on telephone. The main scene today is centered in volatile Dariapur-Kazipur and Rakhial constituency. In Dariapur former Congress MLA Surendra Rajput claims that he has the official mandate and has filed nomination. At the same time Mukesh Gurjar of LJP has also filed the nomination. Rumours are rife that Surendra forcibly took away the mandate from the party office and filed the nomination. In Rakhial constituency the battle for ballot has got violent shades of a different kind. Here supporters of former Mayor Himmatsinh Patel and Dhirubhai Dudhwala clashed and some of them had bloody injuries.

Party isolates Uma, to remain in Gujarat poll fray

BHOPAL, NOVEMBER 30: After her flip-flop over Gujarat elections, Uma Bharati finds herself isolated in the Bharatiya Janshakti, the party she founded on April 30, 2006. The sadhvi is taking ‘rest’ in Omkareshwar. On Friday, her party formed a five-member steering committee to take important decisions and to run party affairs. Rejecting her appeal to withdraw from the Gujarat elections, the committee announced that the party would contest both the phases.

Modi, not cricket, driving betting frenzy

Raipur: In a cricket crazy nation, political leaders seldom figure in the betting scene. But Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has become an exception, with bookies betting heavily on his chances of retaining power in the assembly polls next month.

Akib Bhai, a top punter in Sadar Bazar in the Chhattisgarh capital, told IANS: "Narendra Modi, who is seeking to retain power for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly polls, has created a sensation in the betting market. "During just the past one week, the market has collected Rs 510 million from over 33,000 bookies through 18,000 centres on whether Modi will be able to install the saffron government again."

Modi files nominations, says polls will be different

Ahmedabad (PTI): Filing his nomination papers from the Maninagar constituency here, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the ensuing state assembly elections will be "different" from those held in the past.

"In the year 2002 when I fought the (assembly) elections, not many people were acquainted with me or with my work", Modi said after filing his nominations at electoral office here. "But now, people have seen my work and have no doubts in their mind (about me), a confident looking Modi dressed in a saffron-coloured kurta told mediapersons. "The elections in Gujarat this year is different from those held earlier", he remarked.

Bureaucrats raising funds for Modi

Ahmedabad: Leader of opposition Arjun Modhwadia has alleged that few bureaucrats, known to be close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, were collecting election funds for the CM. He said that these officers had become puppets in the hands of Modi.

Modhwadia has made a complaint to the Election Commission against K Kailashnathan, D J Pandian, D Rajgopalan and P K Taneja. He said that these officers were serving at one place since last five years and during election time they were working as political agents of Modi. He had submitted a list of seven top officers who were working for Modi and had demanded their transfer. One of them was B H Ghodasara, former municipal commissioner of Jamnagar who ultimately resigned and is now contesting elections on BJP ticket.

Source: Gujarat Global Network
Posted: 14.15, November 29, 2007

Congress gives tickets to Muslims on all except one seat in old Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: In what can be described as major political gamble the Congress party has decided to field Muslim candidates on all the seats barring one of the old Ahmedabad. They are Kalupur, Jamalpur and Shahpur. While the former two had sitting Muslim MLAs, the party has given ticket to a Muslim in Shahpur for the first time.In Kalupur sitting MLA Faruq Sheikh has been re-nominated and in Jamalpur Sabir Kabliwala would be fighting for the second time. But in Shahpur, a constituency, which has 38,000 votes Gyasduin Sheikh, has been nominated as the party candidate.

The party had decided to nominate a woman candidate on the Shahpur seat but Muslim leaders fiercely opposed it as they say that women candidates are not acceptable at large to the community. The party had finalized the name of former Mayor Aneesa Mirza for Shahpur but had to change at the last moment.Political observers feel that this will give leverage to BJP to launch its pro-hindu campaign in the walled city severely affected by the post-Godhra riots.