Articles by Melvyn Thomas
Nine dead as SUV collides with bus in Gujarat’s Navsari
Nine people were killed and 29 others were injured when a sports utility vehicle collided with a luxury bus on a national highway in Navsari district of Gujarat early on Saturday morning, police officers said
Published on Dec 31, 2022 10:40 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Navsari
Nine dead, 11 injured in SUV-bus collision in Gujarat’s Navsari
Police have identified the SUV driver as Nitin Ghanshyam Patil, 30, of Kosmadi village in Bharuch. The eight victims were all workers at Pro-Life Chemo Pharma and were on their way to back Ankleshwar from Valsad when their car jumped the divider on NH-8 near Vesma in the morning hours on Saturday
Published on Dec 31, 2022 01:34 PM IST
5 MLAs who trumped top guns to secure wins for AAP in Gujarat
Four of the AAP’s five MLAs have previous political histories with either the BJP, the Congress or the Bharatiya Tribal Party. Four of the MLAs are from Saurashtra, and one from south Gujarat.
Updated on Dec 10, 2022 01:33 AM IST
AAP’s entry helps BJP seal seats in tribal belts
Broadly in south Gujarat, which has a considerable tribal presence, the BJP enhanced its dominance improving its tally from 25 of the 35 seats in the region in 2017, to 33 seats
Updated on Dec 09, 2022 04:02 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Surat
In Gujarat’s tribal belt, BJP leads on 24 of 27 seats
The BJP is leading in all important assembly segments in Gujarat’s tribal belt that has been considered a stronghold of the Congress for years. In 2017, the Congress won 15 of the 27 seats reserved for scheduled tribes (ST)
Updated on Dec 08, 2022 02:25 PM IST
I-T dept raids diamond firms, realtors in Surat
The Income Tax (I-T) department in Gujarat conducted raids at homes, offices and factories of various diamond firms and those linked to realtors in Surat on Friday, officials familiar with the matter said
Published on Dec 03, 2022 12:33 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Surat
‘BJP is trust’: PM Modi slams Oppn as Gujarat enters final leg of elections
Gujarat elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held his second roadshow in two days in Ahmedabad, as he appealed to voters to re-elect the BJP.
Updated on Dec 04, 2022 01:30 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Ahmedabad
In Gujarat’s battle for Bharuch, BJP hopes to make inroads into new territory
Voters in 89 assembly segments in south Gujarat and parts of the Kutch and Saurashtra regions will vote on Thursday
Published on Nov 30, 2022 09:05 PM IST
Gujarat assembly polls: AAP pulls out all stops in Surat
The AAP hopes to replicate its successes in the 2021 civic polls in the city when it replaced Congress as the second-biggest party and secured about 28% of the vote share
Published on Nov 30, 2022 01:01 PM IST
Maulik Pathak and Melvyn Thomas
Gujarat polls: Modi, Shah step up attack on Congress as poll battle intensifies
The Congress will have to leave divisive and vote bank politics if it wants to win the trust of the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as campaigning in Gujarat heated up in the closing stages of the assembly elections.
Published on Nov 29, 2022 12:24 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Surat
Gujarat elections: BJP has established ‘permanent’ peace in state, says Shah
Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said that incidents of communal violence were once commonplace in Gujarat because anti-social elements, supported by the Congress, indulged in such activities.
Published on Nov 26, 2022 12:00 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Surat
Gujarat free of curfews, communal riots since 2002: Amit Shah
Amit Shah on Friday addressed election rallies at Mahudha in Kheda district, Jhalod in Dahod district, Vagra in Bharuch district, and Naroda in Ahmedabad
Published on Nov 25, 2022 09:06 PM IST
Gujarat polls: Diamond workers union urges artisans to boycott BJP
DWUG chief Ramesh Jilariya said as an umbrella organisation, they have been asking the BJP government to resolve the issues diamond workers face but it did not care
Published on Nov 25, 2022 01:56 PM IST
Gujarat elections will decide state’s fate for 25 years: Modi
The assembly elections in Gujarat are all about deciding the fate of the state for the next 25 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he targeted the Congress and AAP over a range of issues in the poll-bound state.
Updated on Nov 30, 2022 06:37 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Surat
PM Modi calls for record turnout in Gujarat polls
Modi was speaking at rallies as he resumed his extensive campaign for Gujarat elections, holding events in Dahod, Mehsana, Vadodara and Bhavnagar.
Updated on Nov 24, 2022 07:48 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas, Ahmedabad
Gujarat polls: BJP intensifies campaigning for 2nd phase
BJP’s star campaigners including JP Nadda, the party chief, Union home minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among those who hit the campaign trail on Tuesday
Published on Nov 23, 2022 09:25 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas and Amit Cowper
Gujarat poll: PM , Shah mount attack on Cong for ‘ignoring growth and security’
Modi took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, and Shah attacked the opposition party for allegedly compromising with development and national security during their rule at the Centre.
Updated on Nov 22, 2022 06:24 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas and Amit Cowper, Hindustan Times, Surat/gandhinagar
Gujarat polls: Modi attacks Congress, says Bharat Jodo Yatra a march for power
Addressing a rally at Surendranagar in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, Modi on Monday listed the insults Congress has allegedly subjected him to
Published on Nov 21, 2022 03:32 PM IST
Gujarat polls: AAP dissidents organise sammelan in Surat
The sammelan was organised by AAP rebel leaders and activists, led by dissident AAP leader Raju Diyora
Published on Nov 20, 2022 05:54 PM IST
In show of strength, BJP holds rallies in 89 Gujarat constituencies
The campaigning comes a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to the state, during which he is scheduled to hold eight rallies.
Updated on Nov 19, 2022 01:26 AM IST
Amit Cowper, Gandhinagar/surat
Gujarat elections: AAP fields prominent Patidar leaders in BJP bastion in Surat
AAP, which emerged as the main opposition replacing the Congress by winning 27 seats with a 28% vote share in the 2021 municipal elections in Surat, is banking heavily on the memories of the Patidar agitation
Published on Nov 18, 2022 05:42 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas
Gujarat polls: BJP fields Mohan Konkani, 1st Christian candidate in 20 years
Of the 27 tribal seats in the 182-member House, at least eight seats are predominantly Christian-dominated, though as a token gesture Congress has fielded only one Christian candidate for years.
Updated on Nov 17, 2022 05:19 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas
AAP’s Surat candidate backs out amid ‘abduction’ furore; No role, says BJP
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate for Gujarat’s Surat (East) constituency withdrew his candidacy on Wednesday amid allegations by the party that the leader was abducted by political rivals, a charge rejected by the leader later in the day
Published on Nov 17, 2022 12:48 AM IST
Melvyn Thomas
AAP candidate withdraws from Surat (east) assembly seat after high drama
AAP candidate Kanchan Jariwala withdrew his candidature from Surat (east) constituency, hours after the party leadership claimed that he was missing
Published on Nov 16, 2022 06:07 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas
Gujarat polls: Blood relatives battle it out in 3 constituencies
Close family members have been pitted against each other in at least three constituencies in Gujarat- Jhagadia, Ankleshwar and Morbi
Updated on Nov 15, 2022 01:57 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas
Congress, BJP face protests from workers on some seats over party tickets
Congress workers on Monday stormed into the Gujarat party headquarters in Ahmedabad to protest the decision to nominate sitting MLA Imran Khedawala from the Jamalpur-Khadia seat
Updated on Nov 14, 2022 10:21 PM IST
Amit Cowper and Melvyn Thomas
Surat textile industry sees spurt in demand for caps, flags ahead assembly polls
The assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have turned into money-spinners for weavers in the country’s largest man-made fabric hub of Surat
Published on Nov 14, 2022 02:54 PM IST
Melvyn Thomas