oppn parties BJP Springs Double Surprise In Gujarat

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
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  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
BJP Springs Double Surprise In Gujarat

By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-09-13 05:51:24

The BJP has sprung a double surprise in Gujarat. Without any buzz, it suddenly removed Vijay Rupani as chief minister ahead of the state polls next year and then selected first-time MLA Bhupendra Patel to be the new chief minister, bypassing several stalwarts whose names were said to be in the reckoning. Although Rupani said that the party reassigns roles to its leaders, it is clear even he was not ready for the shift. Later, Rupani proposed Patel's name for the top job and it was approved by the party legislators.

It is clear that the BJP wants to be battle ready for the polls next year. It is also clear that the party perceives that Vijay Rupani is not the ideal candidate to lead its fight. There are many reasons for this. The party wants to fight anti-incumbency by resetting the government. Rupani's handling of the Covid crisis has not won him many admirers. Further, the party wants to woo the Patidar's, the dominant community that is miffed at not having either the chief minister or the state unit president from their ranks.

Although the Congress is not likely to put up the same fight it did in 2017, hamstrung as it is with defections and loss of faith among voters (as evidenced in its declining vote share), the Aam Aadmi Party has made inroads in the state, especially in Surat. There is an indication that Patidar and Congress voters are shifting allegiance to AAP. That is a cause of worry for the BJP. Although a divided opposition will benefit the party, it cannot take chances. Thus, it wants to present a fresh face before electorate to lead its fight in 2022.

But it remains to be seen whether Bhupendra Patel will be given a free hand. With so many BJP stalwarts from the state at the helm in the Centre and in the party setup, Patel will always have to be on his guard. His only relief will come from the fact that the party will not like to effect another change going into the elections as it will give a wrong signal to the people. 

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