Gujarat polls: Congress promises farm loan waiver, compensation for kin of COVID victims

Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election in 2022, the Indian National Congress (INC) on Monday said that they will waive all agricultural loans in their first Cabinet meeting if elected to power in the state. The Congress also assured that the kin of those who died of COVID-19 in Gujarat will be given a compensation of Rs 4 lakh. 

Addressing INC workers at the party's state headquarters, former MP and state party chief Jagdish Thakor said, ''My priority is farmers of Gujarat and over 50 lakh unemployed youths. Traders and shopkeepers are fed up with the BJP government and they want Congress to come to power. We could not win in the past because we are not good at marketing. Let us start our preparations at the ground level to win the upcoming elections."

Earlier this month, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) had decided to appoint former MP and OBC community leader from North Gujarat, Jagdish Thakor, as the party president, and MLA Sukhram Rathva as the Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the state. Chavda had resigned as GPCC chief and Paresh Dhanani as opposition leader following the party's defeat in the local body elections in March this year

Gujarat Assembly polls: TMC, AAP and AIMIM to contest

The upcoming elections in Gujarat will witness the participation of new entrants Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM).

Gujarat AITC convener Jitendra Khadayta had said the TMC will contest as many seats as possible in the 2022 polls. He also confirmed that the TMC will not have any tie-up with any other party.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will lead the ruling party into the 2022 Assembly polls.

BJP sweeps Gandhinagar municipal corporation polls

The BJP registered a landslide victory in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections - its first majority for a decade. Of the 44 seats that went into the polls, BJP won 41 seats. Congress won two seats while Aam Aadmi Party won one seat.

Other parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Communist Party of India among others could not win a single seat. The votes for the local polls were cast on September 30.

Of the 5,69,785 votes polled, 2,64,902 votes (46.49%) were polled in favour of the BJP that fielded candidates from all 44 seats. 1,59,669 votes (28.02%) went in favour of Congress that fielded candidates on 44 seats and 1,24,054 votes (21.77%) in favour of AAP that fielded candidates on 40 seats.