Two phase polls in Gujarat on Dec 1, Dec 5; EC brushes aside allegations of bias
New Delhi (PTI): Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Thursday.
Of the total 182 assembly seats in Gujarat, voting for 89 seats will be held on December 1 and the balance 93 seats on December 5, Kumar told a press conference that was also attended by Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey and senior officials from the poll authority.
The Commission had announced elections to Himachal Pradesh on October 14 but skipped declaring polls for Gujarat.
Kumar also brushed aside opposition criticism of bias in delaying the poll announcement for Gujarat, contending that the Commission had to balance many things including weather, last date of the term of the assembly and the number of days the model code of conduct should be in force.
The term of the Gujarat assembly ends on February 18, 2023 and the elections have been announced 110 days in advance, Kumar said.
It is a combination of multiple factors and we are well within the factors of consideration, including polls in nearby states, the chief election commissioner said.
He indicated that the elections could have been announced a couple of days earlier, but for the tragedy that took place in the state.
We also had to take note of the tragedy that had befallen the state. That was also one factor for the delay. There was state mourning in the state till yesterday (Wednesday). So, it is (because of) multiple factors, Kumar said.
On the larger question of impartiality of the Election Commission, Kumar said a large number of assembly elections have thrown up surprising results.
Actually, actions and outcomes speak larger than words. In a large number of assembly elections, results have shown, at times, those who were critical of the Commission have got surprising results. I don't want to go into details, Kumar said.
The notification for the assembly elections will be issued on November 5 and November 10 for the first and the second phases respectively.
The last date for filing of nominations will be November 14 and November 17 for the first and second phase respectively. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on November 15 and November 18.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations for the first phase is November 17 and for the second phase it is November 21.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been visiting Gujarat to unveil a slew of schemes and lay the foundation for various projects ahead of the polls.
There are over 4.9 crore eligible voters in total in Gujarat, including 4.6 lakh first time voters. The EC will set up 51,782 polling stations for voters of which 34,276 will be set up in rural areas, while 17,506 will be in urban areas.
The BJP had pulled off its sixth consecutive victory winning 99 seats, while the Congress put up a spirited fight by bagging 77 seats in the last polls. In percentage terms, the BJP had polled 49.05 per cent of the valid votes, while the Congress had polled 42.97 per cent.
The Congress witnessed a series of defections after the assembly elections and the BJP increased its tally in the House to 111. The Congress numbers were reduced to 62.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has trained its sights on Gujarat and has already entered the election mode. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made several trips to Gujarat in a bid to make inroads for the AAP in the state after a successful foray in Punjab.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been visiting Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh frequently to inaugurate and launch several projects.
Also, these elections along with a few more in other states in 2023 are being seen as crucial in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Modi and BJP will bid for their third consecutive government at the Centre
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
