AMN / AHMEDABAD
The election campaign in Gujarat picked up momentum with the star campaigners of the political parties moving across the state seeking votes.
A total of 788 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of assembly polls which will be held on 1 December while 833 candidates will contest in the second phase which will be held on 5 December. Counting of both phases will be held on 8 December.
The ruling BJP kick-started an intensive election campaign for the second phase of the polls today. As part of the campaign, 27 senior party leaders including party president JP Nadda, Union Minister Amit Shah, Mansukh Mandaviya, Jairam Thakur, and GajendraSinh Shekhavat are scheduled to address rallies at various places in the 73 assembly constituencies.
BJP leaders will also conduct an outreach drive at booth level in all 93 assembly seats from today.
Congress party has also accelerated the poll campaign. Party leader Kanhaiyya Kumar addressed a rally at Dariyapur in Ahmedabad today. On the other hand, Aam Admi Party Chief Arvind Kejariwal will intensively campaign in the state today by addressing three rallies one at Khambhalia, and two in Surat.
Yesterday Rahul Gandhi took a break from his Bharat Jodo Yatra, currently passing through Maharashtra, and travelled to Gujarat, where he addressed a gathering of tribals at Mahuva in Surat district in support of his party, which is seeking to end its nearly three-decade stint in the opposition in the BJP-ruled state in the next month’s Assembly election.
While in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state over the Morbi tragedy in which 135 people lost their lives. Rahul Gandhi alleged no action was taken against the “real culprits” behind the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy.
“When journalists asked me what I think about the Morbi tragedy…I said around 150 people died and this is not a political issue and so I would say nothing about this. But the question arises today as to why no action was taken against those who were behind this [Morbi tragedy], why no FIR?” Rahul Gandhi asked.
The Congress MP added: “Will nothing happen to them because they share a good relationship with the BJP? They arrested chowkidars [watchmen] and put them behind bars, but no action has been taken against the real culprits.”