Election campaigning intensifies in Gujarat

In Guajrat, a high voltage election campaign is taking place in the state as just few days are left for the campaigning for the first phase of the Assembly elections. Senior BJP leader and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold public meetings in Mahuda, Jalod, Waghara and Naroda and lead a road show in Nandod today.

Union Minister Smriti Irani will also address two public meetings in Valsad district. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will campaign for the party candidates among the Odia people in Surat. Union Minister Purushottam Rupala will address five election rallies in Navsari, Dang and Surat districts.

On the other hand, senior Congress leaders Rajeev Shukla and Alok Sharma will address press conferences in Ahmedabad today.

Meanwhile, senior leader of Aam Aadmi Party and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Man is also scheduled to hold road shows at various places.

A total of 167 candidates, out of the 788 contesting for the 89 seats in the first phase of Gujrat Assembly election have



criminal cases against them. A report issued by the Association for Democratic Reforms-ADR based on the affidavit submitted by the candidates revels that nearly 100 of them have been facing serious charges like murder and rape.

The Aam Aadmi Party tops this list among major political parties in the fray with 36 percent of its candidates facing criminal cases.

Thirty percent of the party's candidates have declared criminal cases of serious nature against themselves. Thirty-five percent of the candidates fielded by the Congress party have criminal cases against them, out of which 20 percent are facing serious criminal cases. The ruling BJP party, which is contesting from all the seats in the first phase of elections has fielded 16 percent candidates with criminal records. While 12 percent have serious allegations.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, 15 percent of the candidates contested in the first phase had criminal cases against them, eight percent of them had serious criminal charges.