Articles by "Rajkot"
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Hello Jammu News at 2:29:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Oct 5: Virat Kohli breezed to a 24th Test hundred while Rishabh Pant missed out after a blistering 92 as India amassed 506 for five at lunch on day two of the series opener against the West Indies here on Friday.

Kohli, who was 72 not out overnight, took time to knock off the 28 runs needed for yet another hundred while his partner Pant (92 off 84), who resumed at 17, went all guns blazing.

A second Test hundred in his fourth Test was for the taking but Pant, attempting another six over mid-wicket, failed to pick the googly and top-edged it for a simple catch to Keemo Paul at backward point. His entertaining innings was laced with eight fours and four sixes.

Kohli (120 not out) had the company of Ravindra Jadeja (19 not out off 33) when lunch was taken. India, aiming to bat only once in the game, scored 142 runs in 29 overs bowled in the session.

With Pant picking boundaries at will, Kohli was in no hurry get to the hundred and when he did get there, the India skipper became the second fastest to 24 Test hundreds behind only Donald Bradman, who took 66 innings to Kohli's 123.

Pant, who made memorable in his debut series in England, played his usual attacking game from ball one, flicking it nonchalantly through square leg to get going.

Kohli enjoyed his teammates' fluent strokeplay from the other end as Pant raced to his half century with a four and six off pacer Paul. He used his strong wrists to get to the desired elevation and distance. It was a sheer display of brute power.

His eyes lit up when spinners were employed after first hour of the morning. He welcomed Roston Chase with a four and six and did the same to Devendra Bishoo in the following over.

Anything pitched up, he was quick to clear his one leg and deposit the ball over mid-wicket and long on.

The way Pant was plundering the bowlers, it seemed he would get to three figures before his skipper. But that did not happen as Kohli completed his century with a flick off his pads towards fine leg.

Pant was on 87 when Kohli raised his bat but the wicket-keeper batsmen ended up throwing it away as he went for another six. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:04:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Oct 3: India captain Virat Kohli Wednesday said top-order batting is the only aspect left to be sorted in the Test team and "enough space" would be given to youngsters such as Prithvi Shaw to showcase their talent confidently.

Kohli said experimentation can only be done in the top-order and has high hopes from the 18-year-old Shaw, who will make his Test debut on Thursday in the opening game against the West Indies here. Shaw is expected to open alongside K L Rahul.

"We have a change at the top of the order. We will give these guys enough space and enough chances to feel comfortable at that position. We want them to be confident of what they are doing," Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.

"The lower-order is all about contribution, there is no change needed there. Rishabh (Pant) is new but Ashwin and Jadeja have performed in so many games at home they just need to replicate it abroad.

"Apart from the top-order getting cemented, I don't think with these Two Test there is a lot we are looking at. Rest of the things are quite settled," he added.

After series losses in South Africa and England, the Indian team management was slammed for making too many changes in the playing eleven but Kohli justified the decisions made.

"...you need your best eleven on the park. In the past, most of the changes have been made in the bowling combination and people have conveniently taken otherwise. The bowlers that have sat out have never felt they have been hard done by," said Kohli.

"The motive has always been to pick the best eleven and we have hardly tinkered with the batting order barring a couple of guys who have not been in form. We have utilised the conditions to the maximum wherever we have gone," he said referring to the bowlers' good work in South Africa and England.

Kohli said the final XI is always picked based on the conditions that the team is facing.

"We have been able to pick up 20 wickets because of the fact we played people who are suited for the conditions. Batting has not been up to the mark and that is why we have not done well in England.

"No one wants to do something different every game. It is all about what is in front of you and accordingly you pick your best eleven," said the skipper.

Contributions from the lower-order helped England win the series 4-1 as openers from both teams struggled in tough conditions for major part of the five-Test series. While India's lower-order comprising R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have done well at home, they can do a lot better overseas, according to Kohli.

"Everyone on the outside also knows the areas we need to improve on. If you look at the sides which win Test matches, contribution at the top and contribution of the lower-order are more crucial than contribution of the middle order.

"Whatever happens in middle order is connected to either what top-order or lower-order does. The reason England were better than us because their lower-order did well. I won't say their top-order did better than us. We realise that," he explained.

Kohli said the lower-order must perform better ahead of the Australia tour next month.

"See in home conditions, we are not bothered by it because we have done really well as far as lower-order contributions are concerned. But definitely we would like to take the West Indies series as a benchmark we want to set.

"With a couple of new guys coming at the top, they have an opportunity to showcase their skill sets and show why selectors have backed them," he said.

Kohli is back in action after a break. He missed the Asia Cup in Dubai to give his back much-needed rest and is raring to go again.

"I feel rejuvenated again both mentally and physically. I needed the break after the intensity with which the tours of South Africa and England went. People usually talk about workloads but they don't usually understand the concept. They refer to workload as number of games played," he said.

"There is no workload if you make zero in every game. If I bat for six hours that is workload," he added.

Managing the workload of players will be given top priority ahead of the 2019 World Cup, he said.

"I definitely needed a break because of my back . Looking at the World Cup these things are very important to consider, to give players ample rest and opportunity to train well and come back stronger. You don't want them breaking down in crucial times," asserted the skipper. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 4:07:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Oct 3: Teenage prodigy Prithvi Shaw is set to open alongside KL Rahul in the first Test against the West Indies after India on Wednesday started the practice of naming their final 12 before the start of every game.

The move of naming the final 12 ahead of the game has more or less settled the debate on the playing eleven.

Shaw, who earned a maiden call-up midway into the England tour but did not get a game, has been preferred over Mayank Agarwal for the series opener.

Agarwal had broken into the team after scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket and at India A level. What is also clear now is that India will go in with five specialist bowlers and the most likely 12th man will be Shardul Thakur.

Three specialist spinners -- Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav -- have been picked and the pace pairing will be of Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav.

Hanuma Vihari, who had a made gritty 56 on debut at The Oval against England, has been dropped.

Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will bat at six while Jadeja will be expected to make vital lower-order contributions in the absence of injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

The West Indies series presents a good opportunity for Shaw to make his case for the upcoming Australia tour as pointed out by captain Virat Kohli, who said the top-order is the only area where experimentation is needed.

It will be a dream come true for Shaw when he walks out to bat here. The 18-year-old's India debut will hardly be a surprise to those who felt the supremely talented bastman was destined to play for the country ever since he started scoring bagful of runs in school cricket in Mumbai.

And when Shaw led the India U-19 to the Word Cup title in New Zealand earlier this year, it was only a matter of time before he graduated to the highest level.

Another strong indicator of his rare talent is his first-class record. In 14 games, he averages 56.72 and has made seven hundreds and five half centuries including a ton on Ranji Trophy debut in November 2016. And almost a year later, he became the youngest to reach three figures on Duleep Trophy debut.

There was an intense debate on the opening combination going into the first Test since India had dropped Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan for young blood. The picture on whether Shaw or Agarwal will open alongside Rahul only became clear after Kohli's pre-match press conference here.

Both the uncapped openers had batted in the nets on Tuesday and even on Wednesday morning the mystery remained as Shaw took gentle throw downs.

Local hero Cheteshwar Pujara and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane spent the maximum time in the nets.

It all became clear with the announcement of final 12 as India took the cue from the likes of Australia, who name their final eleven before the start of the match. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 3:56:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Oct 3: Scarred by yet another overseas debacle, India will once again seek home comfort when they take on an inexperienced West Indies in a two-Test series starting here Thursday, aiming to get their combinations in order before the gruelling assignment in Australia.

India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format.

A comprehensive beating of the West Indies at this stage can only serve as a morale-booster to the Virat Kohli-led side which faces another stern test with the Australia tour beginning late November.

There is not much to gain for India against the eighth-ranked West Indies who, on their part, will be trying their best to make an impression in one of the toughest places to tour and against a side which they have not beaten since 2002.

The Indian team was criticised for making too many changes in England and as it panned out, openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan lost their place in the side.

Even Karun Nair, who warmed the bench in England, was ignored for the West Indies, triggering an intense selection debate.

What is certain is that a brand new opening combination will be tried in the next couple of games with K L Rahul opening with exciting uncapped talent Prithvi Shaw.

But even if the move works, it will not be a decisive indicator of the partnership working in Australia given the drastic difference in batting conditions.

However, the series does provide a good opportunity to Shaw and another uncapped player Mayank Agarwal, who had been knocking on the door for quite some time.

On the bowling front, India are expected to play three spinners -- R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav will pair up with Mohammad Shami, who will be leading the pace attack in the absence of the rested duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and an injured Ishant Sharma.

Jadeja will be expected to perform with both bat and ball in the absence of an injured Hardik Pandya. After a successful ODI comeback with the Asia Cup, Jadeja will be raring to go on his home ground.

Another man who would be itching to take the field will be Rishabh Pant, who expectedly retained his place after a memorable 114 at The Oval in his debut series.

Hanuma Vihari, who too impressed at The Oval with a fighting 56 on debut, will not feature in the eleven as the team fields five specialist bowlers (three spinners and couple of pacers).

It is not a full strength Indian team but still capable of dominating an inexperienced West Indies. There is abundance of talent in the Caribbean outfit too but it lacks the experience required to be competitive in India.

Only five players in the 15-man squad have played a Test in India and to make matters worse, one among them lead pacer Kemar Roach will be missing the series-opener due to the death of his grandmother back in Barbados.

The others who have played on the Indian soil are Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell and Shannon Gabriel.

In fact, the West Indies will be playing a Test in India for the first time since November 2013 when they had become part of Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series.

Under coach Stuart Law, the team has produced some stellar performances including the shock win over England at Leeds last year after Shai Hope smashed 147 and 118 not out to set up an improbable victory.

The West Indies come to India after drawing with Sri Lanka 1-1 and beating Bangladesh 2-0 at home.

Law, who is nearing the end of his stint with the West Indies, has high hopes from his wards. The squad prepared in the heat of Dubai before playing a two-day warm-up in Vadodara.

"We have talked a lot but it is time now to stop talking. It is time the boys show what they have got on the field. They are a great bunch of guys who always give their 100 percent," Law had said.

"Touring India has always been tough for teams but we have to show the world that we can play the game and grab hold of those opportunities," said the Australian in the lead up to the first Test," he added.

Squads:

India Final 12: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur

West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Sherman Lewis, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.

Match starts: 9:30am IST. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 4:22:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Aug 20: A 63-year-old woman was arrested with cannabis here in Gujarat early this morning, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the police intercepted the woman who was moving in a suspicious manner in the Jungleshwar area, they said.

On searching her, 1.3 kg of cannabis worth Rs 7,380 was found from her possession, the police said, adding the woman was identified as Amina Sunna.

"We have seized the drug and arrested the woman under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act," said SOG police inspector S N Gaddu.

This is the second time in as many days that cannabis was seized in the Saurashtra region of which Rajkot district is a part.

Yesterday, the police had arrested two persons and seized 9.5 kg of cannabis worth of Rs 57,000 from them in the Morbi city of the region.

"The two were coming to Morbi from Rajkot in an auto- rickshaw. We had a tip off that they were carrying cannabis.

We intercepted their vehicle near the Shanala Road area in the Morbi city and recovered the drug from them," said Morbi SOG inspector S N Sati. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 3:22:00 PM 0

Rajkot (Guj), Aug 13: Three people, including a father-son duo, were killed and two others injured in a clash between two groups over a land dispute in Gujarat's Morbi district, police said today.

Twelve people have been arrested in connection with the incident, they said.

A group, led by one Dhanji Dabhi and his accomplices, attacked members of another group late last night with sharp weapons on Leelapur Road, around 90 km from Rajkot, Morbi taluka's police sub-inspector S A Gohil said.

Three members of the other group were seriously injured in the attack, he said.

"They were rushed to the Morbi Civil Hospital where doctors declared them dead," he said.

The deceased were identified as Dilawarkhan Pathan (55), his son Momin (30) and nephew Afzal (22).

Two members of the group led by Dhabi were also injured in the clash and admitted to hospital, he said.

"Based on a complaint lodged by a relative of the deceased, the police arrested 12 people of the Satwara community, who were named in the FIR," Gohil said.

"A land dispute is suspected to be the reason behind the clash," he added. (PTI)

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Hello Jammu News at 2:46:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Aug 13: Four people were arrested for allegedly manufacturing firearms illegally at a factory in Gujarat's Rajkot district, a police official said today.

Acting on a tip-off, a Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Rajkot Police raided the factory, located in Kothariya Road area, last night and seized some pistols and raw material used for making the firearms, he said.

The factory owner and three other persons were nabbed following the raid.

"We raided the factory and seized 17 country-made pistols and some raw material which the accused were using to make the weapons," SOG police inspector S N Gadu said.

The factory owner, Hiren Sardhara (32), and his three accomplices - Harshad Hothi (28), Alpesh Vasani (35) and Balu Sisodiya (38) - were arrested, he said.

The police were trying to ascertain where and to whom the accused were selling these weapons, he added. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:32:00 PM 0

Rajkot, Aug 3: Three people were arrested today in connection with alleged adulteration of groundnuts procured by the Central agency NAFED in Rajkot district of Gujarat, a police official said.

The opposition Congress has alleged large-scale corruption in procurement of groundnuts in the state and demanded a judicial probe into the matter.

Nearly 30,000 sacks of groundnut (each weighing 35kg) were found mixed with sand and stones four days back. They were kept at a private godown taken on rent by the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) in Pedhla town under Jetpur taluka of Rajkot district.

The NAFED had purchased the groundnuts from farmers under the minimum support price (MSP) scheme.

An FIR was lodged in this connection on a complaint by the NAFED and the police had detained nearly half a dozen people for questioning a couple of days ago.

"On the basis of the FIR, we arrested three persons, who were found to be involved in the scam," Jetpur Deputy Superintendent of Police J M Bharwad told media persons.

However, the official did not reveal the names of the arrested persons, saying he will do so later.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Paresh Dhanani and Congress MLA from Dhoraji in Rajkot district Lalit Vasoya today staged a sit-in near the godown along with party workers.

Talking to media persons before the protest, Dhanani alleged large-scale corruption in groundnut procurement in the state and accused the BJP government of hiding irregularities in purchase of the commodity.

"We demand a probe by a sitting (High Court) judge and also urge the chief minister to constitute a house committee comprising MLAs of both the parties (the BJP and the Congress) to bring out the truth behind the scam," Dhanani said.

"Earlier, a couple of godowns caught fire where a huge stock of groundnut was gutted and now a huge stock of groundnut is found to be adulterated with sand and stones.

"The state government has hatched a conspiracy to hide large-scale corruption in groundnut procurement and to conceal evidence of corruption, the godowns were set on fire," the Leader of Opposition alleged.

In February, groundnuts worth Rs 28 crore were gutted in a fire in a godown in Gondal, Rajkot district. In May, a similar incident took place in Shapar town of the district, where groundnuts worth Rs 3 crore were gutted in a warehouse.

"We have written several letters to the chief minister seeking a probe and stern action against those involved in the scam. We also wrote a letter to Governor (O P Kohli) and demanded transparent probe to punish the culprits, but no action has been taken so far," Dhanani said.

On last Wednesday, the police registered a case against unnamed officials of the NAFED and the GUJCOT (Gujarat State Co-Operative Cotton Federation Ltd after groundnuts procured by a state agency and stored at a warehouse in the district were found to be adulterated with stones and soil.

Some traders had refused to take the delivery of groundnuts they had bought from the warehouse. The groundnuts were procured by the GUJCOT on behalf of the NAFED.

The case was registered under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating), officials had said. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:04:00 PM 0
Rajkot, Aug 2 : Four persons including a three-year-old boy were killed when a state transport bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck this morning, police today said.

The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) bus was going to Unjha from Savarkundla when the accident took place.

A truck coming from the opposite direction collided with the bus, killing four of the passengers on the spot

The deceased were identified as Himmat Sarvaiya (53), Rohit Sarvaiya (40), Dwamitra Chauhan (23) and Fazim Quereshi (3).

The injured were rushed to the Amreli civil hospital and the condition of two of them was critical, police said.

Police lodged a complaint against the truck driver who fled from the spot and is yet to be traced.   PTI

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Hello Jammu News at 1:13:00 PM 0
Rajkot, Jun 23 :  At least seven persons were killed and 24 others injured when a truck carrying them fell into a rivulet near Rajula town of Amreli district, police said today.

The incident took place late last night when people from Mahuva town in Bhavnagar district were returning home from Amreli after attending a marriage ceremony, they said.

The driver of the truck lost control over the vehicle due to which it veered off the bridge and fell into the water body, police said.

"At least seven people, including three women, were killed, while 24 others sustained injuries when the truck fell into the rivulet near Rajula town of Amreli district," Nirlipt Rai, Superintendent of Police of Amreli, said.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, he said.

The deceased were identified as Kesarben Baraiya, Jaysukh Shiyani, Samjuben Arjanbhai, Bhanuben Kanabhai, Bharatbhai Lakhabhai, Haresh Jesa and Shobhaben Rameshbhai, police said.

A complaint has been lodged against the truck driver, who fled from the spot after the mishap, police said.PTI

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Hello Jammu News at 5:24:00 PM 0

Rajkot, May 18: Altogether 21 Congress leaders and workers were detained on Friday during their demonstration and protest, in front of the residence of Karnataka governor and former Gujarat finance minister cum assembly speaker Vajubhai Vala in Nutan nagar-Kotecha area under Malviyanagar police station of Rajkot city in Gujarat.
PI of Malviyanagar N N Chudasama said that 21 local leaders and activists of Congress including its working city president Maheshbhai Rajput and some corporators were detained at around 1100 hrs and later released at around 1330 hrs.
Notably, to protest the decision of Mr Vala to invite BJP legislature party leader B S Yeddyurappa for making government in Karnataka, Congress is organizing the save democracy protests all over the country.
The protest in front of the 'locked' house of Vala here was a part of that.
The house where Vala, the former MLA of Rajkot-west seat, used to live with family during Rajkot visits before his appointment as governor of Karnataka in 2014, is under lock and key now.
Chudasama told that the house was cordoned by police today in the wake of the protest to prevent any damage to it during the demonstration.
The Congress leaders were shouting slogans against Vala and BJP. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 6:28:00 PM 0


 

Rajkot, Dec 18: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani won the Rajkot seat by a margin of 53,755 votes, defeating his Congress rival Indranil Rajguru.
As per the Election Commission data, the chief minister has got 1,31,586 votes while the Congress candidate received 77,831 votes. 
In the initial trend, Mr Rupani was trailing behind his Congress rival.
There were 15 candidates in the fray.
So far, the BJP has won 68 seats while the Congress 61.
Currently, the ruling dispensation is leading in 31 seats while the main opposition in 16 seats.
Former JDU lawmaker Chhotubhai Vasava’s Bhartiye Tribal Party has won two seats out of five.
Sharad Pawar-led NCP also won one seat in this election. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 2:32:00 PM 0


Rajkot/Ahmedabad, Dec 9: An estimated 23 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1200 hrs on Saturday in first phase of polling to 89 seats in Gujarat Assembly elections.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also exercised his franchise and tweeted, "I have exercised my right to vote. Have you? Don’t miss it," he said urging citizens to exercise their democratic right. 
The voting is being held in 19 districts spread across 89 Assembly seats in Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat.
The polling began at 0800 hrs and in the first two hours, voter turnout was over 13.3 per cent.
A total of 977 candidates are in fray in the first phase. Prominent candidates include Chief Minister, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), and Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli).
BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the turnout is good but due to the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in many booths voting is taking place slowly.
In a tweet in the morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn out in record numbers and vote.
"Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turn out in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise," Mr Modi tweeted. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 4:10:00 PM 0


Rajkot, Gujarat, Dec 7: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday exuded confidence that Rahul Gandhi, who is all set to be elevated as Congress president, would be able to lead the country into progress and prosperity and also that under him the Congress party will regain its "past glory".
"The youthful vigour and idealism of Rahul Gandhi is now before the public. People of Gujarat are already realising this. I am confident that Rahul will lead the country into prosperity and under him the Congress party will also regain its lost glory," Dr Singh told a press conference here.
Fielding questions on wide range of issues, the former Prime Minister alleged that there has been huge "inconsistency" in Modi government's policy on Kashmir issue. 
"I am not aware of any achievement of the Modi government on Kashmir. It has been moving from one extreme to another. One day they have a harsh policy towards people and on the other hand, he has gone to Lahore for dinner with Nawaz Shariff," Dr Singh said, adding - such inconsistency "has hurt" national security. 
".....There is no doubt in my mind (on this inconsistent policy)," he said.
To a question on Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy endeavours, former Prime Minister said,
"While we do not want to divide the country based on foreign policy matters.....but there are instances wherein the government has taken some steps and these were not necessarily in the interest of our country".
Dr Singh also said to conceive dreams that India will turn into a developed country in 'five years' is like a "pipe-dream". 
"It is unlikely to cross all barriers in five years and emerge as a developed country," the former Prime Minister said. UNI 
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Hello Jammu News at 3:51:00 PM 0


Rajkot, Gujarat, Dec 7: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday 
alleged that his successor Narendra Modi has "betrayed" the trust Gujaratis had reposed on him and asserted that the "blunders" committed by BJP-led dispensation should not be allowed to repeat. 
"The government likes to describe demonetisation as a bold decision, but there is a 
difference between bold and disastrous decision," Dr Singh said here.
The former Prime Minister wondered how as a Gujarati leader, Prime Minister Modi "did not foresee" the troubles and sufferings that were unleashed by the government decision on noteban and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.
"You cannot fool all the people, all the time," Dr Singh said here --- considered the hub of politically sensitive Saurashtra region.
Chief Minister VIjay Rupani is pitted against Congress candidate Indranil Rajyaguru and polls in entire Saurashtra region will be held on December 9 -- the first phase of polling. UNI 
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Hello Jammu News at 5:15:00 PM 0


Jasdan/Rajkot, Dec 4: At a time when election fever has gripped entire Gujarat, the farmers community in Rajkot district’s Jasdan Assembly constituency is comparatively cool, busy only in selling their cash-crop produce.
Jasdan, one the most backward areas in Gujarat, falls under the Saurashtra region. The area has no fertile land and it also lacks irrigation and drinking water facilities.
Saurashtra is the stronghold of BJP but Jasdan is the only assembly seat, where the Congress has had an upper hand since Independence. The Saffron party has been able to wrest the seat only once in 2009 bypoll.
This assembly segment is known for the productions of groundnuts and cotton. The groundnuts crop is ready and the farmers are trying to get a better price for their crops.
Crop growers from Baankia, Kanslolia, Khambala and Vankia are happy as they have got a minimum support price of Rs 4,500 for per quintal of groundnuts. However, some of farmers, from the same areas who have failed to organise themselves into a cooperative group are in distress as they have not been able to receive the MSP for their products.
There are many marginalized farmers whose agriculture is based on rain in this hilly region of central Kaathiwada. 
A total of 15 candidates are in the fray for the drought-ridden Jasdan constituency. Kunvarji Bavaliya and Bharatbhai Boghra are contesting on the Congress and the BJP tickets, respectively.
Mr Bavaliya is a seasoned politician and has been winning the election since 1995 from the same seat. He had to vacate the seat in 2009 after being elected to the 15th Lok Sabha election from the Rajkot seat. In 2009 bypoll, BJP’s Bharatbhai Boghra won but in 2012 he lost the election to Bholabhai Gohel.
The constituency which faces the acute shortage of drinking water in summer, is dominated by Koli caste and generally they vote for their caste candidate. The Congress has fielded its candidate from the same caste while the BJP is banking upon candidate from the Patidar community.
In a strength of over 2.28 lakh voters assembly segment, over one lakh voters belong to Koli caste . The Koli people are of the view that issues pertaining to malnutrition, unemployment among others are there but having a representative from their caste had benefited the village as they started getting 10 hours power for agriculture. 
According to the Reliance Foundation’s survey, “Around 20 per cent of people in Jasdan were shifted to diamond cutting work while 15 per cent had adopted handicraft work, after failing in agriculture.”
In 1980s-90s, the government had constructed check-dam for water conservation but with passage of times, all of them got collapsed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the public gatherings twice in the area and said there was a BJP wave in the state. The BJP has trying hard to project its developmental work,including the planned bullet train, to the electorate.
However, the political observers in the constituency said there is low turnout in Mr Modi’s rally this time as compared to the one in the last elections rally.
The region has seen a massive increase in energy generation through windmill but cleanliness is still an issue. 
Despite a huge success of Ujjwala Yojna --- scheme to provide free LPG connection to BPL families throughout the country, the local ladies are still depending on fossil fuels for cooking.
The polling in Jasdan will be held in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections on December 9. It would be interesting to see whether the Congress would be able to retain the seat or the BJP would create the history. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 1:59:00 PM 0


Rajkot, Nov 30: Hardik Patel, who emerged from the massive Patidar movement for reservation on Thursday, met one of the two prominent religious trusts of the community after which political tittle-tattle have started in the state. 
The community has two top religious trusts that include — the Umiya Dham and the Khodaldham. 
Mr Patel met the Khodaldham Chief Naresh Patel and said, “It was a courtesy call. There was no discussion on any political issues but they have nodded for our cause.”
In the past, the Trust had denied that they have approved of quota reservation formula between Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader and the Congress. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 2:16:00 PM 0


Rajkot, Nov 29: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday will arrive in Gujarat for two days to seek votes for his party’s candidates.
In the afternoon, he will land at Diu airport and directly head towards Somanth temple by a chopper.
Later in the day, Mr Gandhi will hold a corner meeting in Junagarh’s Visavadar and address a public gathering in Amreli’s Sabarmati.
He will address a number of public rallies on Thursday before leaving for Delhi.
For the first time, the star campaigners of both the parties, who are fighting neck-and-neck to win the elections, are holding public rallies in the same region, Saurashtra. 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had arrived last night in Rajkot and will address four rallies in the region.
Besides, Patidars Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel will address a gathering of farmers in Rajkot and also hold “Chowk pe Charcha”.  UNI 
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Hello Jammu News at 1:02:00 PM 0


Ahmedabad/Rajkot, Nov 28: Compared to 2012, the Congress has fielded fewer Muslims and more OBC candidates for the crucial two-phase Gujarat polls this year.
A closer scrutiny to the list of the party candidates nominated by the Congress reveal the party led by Sonia Gandhi-Rahul duo has fielded six Muslims this year as against seven the party had named in 2012 polls.
"The Congress party has always been a unifying factor. Ticket distribution is done based on winnability and not whether he or she is a Muslim or whether one belongs to caste A or B. The Congress has tried to distribute tickets by taking all communities and the spirit of national integration together," Congress candidate in Jamnagar City Ashok Lal told UNI."There is no soft-Hindutva from our side," he said. 
According to Congress sources, on average, Muslim candidates’ performance in Gujarat has been always poor."This is not new. Even in 1990s, the Muslim candidates fielded by Congress drew only 2.6 per cent of votes," local party leader Salimbhai Bakerywala said in Rajkot.
In 2012 - five years back - from the seven Muslim candidates only 2.37 per cent of voters preferred to vote for minority candidates.This is in contrast to about 9.7 per cent of Gujarat population being Muslims. 
In 2002 - immediately after anti-minority post-Godhra mayhem, Muslim candidates by Congress had garnered only 1.40 per cent votes.This had slightly increased to 1.9 per cent in 2007.
Interestingly, Muslims in many constituencies this wonder express surprise as to why and how - the Congress party has played up 'soft Hindutva'.
"Rahul Gandhi visited number of temples. The Congress leaders in their campaign make no mention of post-Godhra riots.Are they taking us for granted," wondered Ahmedabad-based trader Mofidul Ibrahimbhai. 
Compared to Muslims, the Congress share of OBC candidates this year increased to 50 from 42 in 2012.This is largely seen as party's calculation to rope in OBC votes. 
The Congress also played accommodating role to keep Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani in good humour. It shifted Vadgam MLA, Manibhai Vaghela, to Idar SC seat and announced that it would not field any candidate in Vadgam reserved seat where Jignesh Mevani is contesting as an independent candidate.
By coming together with Alpesh Thakore, the Congress is also eyeing Thakor, Kshatriya, Koli and other smaller caste groups. 
Surprisingly to many, the Congress has fielded only 45 Patidars while BJP has named 49 from the politically sensitive caste.
"Looking at the ticket distribution, both parties have gone more by pragmatism and have not been influenced by the Patidars' stir," one Rajkot-based Law College teacher said. 
In the BJP list among the OBC candidates, the number is 49 - slightly less than 51 OBC candidates fielded by the saffron outfit in 2012. 
Like last assembly elections in 2012 - the BJP list of candidates for 182-member assembly has no Muslims. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 5:34:00 PM 0


Rajkot, Nov 27: Praising the security forces for their untiring efforts in safeguarding the Indian territories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the security forces have scored a “double century” in eliminating the militants.
Addressing a public gathering in Rajkot’s Jasdan, the Prime Minister said, “After the note ban, I got to know how the funding from Pakistan was coming to Kashmir for distribution among the stone-pelters. But now there is a total ban and many of them are in jail in this connection.”
On Indian Army, para-military forces that include BSF and CISF and Jammu and Kashmir Police, he said, “I would like to congratulate the security forces for safeguarding the Indian territories. The number of the killed terrorists has crossed 200... Over half of the killed militants were from our neighbouring country (Pakistan)."
Referring to the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, in which eight people were killed, Mr Modi said, “Same kind of attack had happened when I was the Chief Minister. During that time, they all fled to Pakistan but this time within a month all attackers were killed.”
Still around 200 militants are active in the Kashmir Valley and over 250 are waiting to trespass in the border from Pakistan, he added. UNI
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