Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Modi's home state Gujarat votes, seen as easy mid-term test for India's leader

In the last state election five years ago, the BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member assembly while Congress got 77.

Modi's home state Gujarat votes, seen as easy mid-term test for India's leader

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat began voting on Thursday with his party expected to win a seventh straight term, but any unexpected slip could herald a tighter contest in national polls due by 2024.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not lost in the western industrial state since 1995 and Modi served as its chief minister for nearly 13 years before becoming prime minister in 2014 after trouncing the Congress party.


Opinion polls conducted in the lead-up to the Gujarat polls projected the BJP to comfortably retain power in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was formed only a decade ago and has claimed power in Delhi and the state of Punjab, is set to become one of the main opposition parties in Gujarat at the expense of Congress.

Early on Thursday, voters in Surat, the state's second-largest city and a diamond-cutting and polishing hub, lined up to cast their ballot in the first of the two-phase election.

The city is expected to witness a three-way contest with Congress and AAP also looking to make inroads in the BJP bastion. The second phase of voting is on Monday and results are due on Dec. 8.

In the last state election five years ago, the BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member assembly while Congress got 77.

The BJP is expected to win between 131 to 139 seats this time, ABP-CVoter projected in November. Congress could win 31 to 39 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party could bag up to 15.

According to an India TV-Matrize opinion poll, also conducted in November, the BJP may win up to 119 seats.

Modi remains popular in many parts of the country despite criticism of inflation and unemployment, and his party also expects to emerge victorious in state assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh in the north, which were held last month with results to be declared on Dec. 8.

AAP has promised voters subsidies on electricity and other bills in their bid to become the main challenger to the BJP.

Congress, on the other hand, launched a cross-country march in September against what it calls "hate and division", hoping to revive its fortunes and regain some popularity.

More For You

bangladesh-rally-getty

Activists of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the labour wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) take part in Labour Day rally in Dhaka on May 1, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Bangladesh begins three-day political rallies ahead of elections

THREE days of political rallies began in Dhaka on Thursday, with rival political groups holding mass demonstrations to mobilise support ahead of national elections.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, has been leading the interim government since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country in August after protesters stormed her palace. Yunus has said that elections could take place as early as December, or by mid-2026 at the latest.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pratham's teaching method among finalists for global grant

Pratham envisions a world where every child is in school and learning well (Photo: Pratham.org)

Pratham's teaching method among finalists for global grant

GLOBAL charity Pratham's educational approach called 'Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) has been selected as one of five finalists in the global 100&Change competition, organisers announced on Wednesday (30).

Run by the MacArthur Foundation, the competition will award a £75 million ($100m) grant to fund a solution to a significant global challenge. Pratham reached the final round alongside four other organisations from 869 applicants.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK and India 'near trade deal' after years of talks

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer (L) and Narendra Modi talk during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024. (Photo by STEFAN ROUSSEAU/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UK and India 'near trade deal' after years of talks

THE UK and India are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) that could be Britain's most significant trade deal since leaving the European Union in 2020, according to sources close to the talks.

Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal met UK officials in London this week, with reports suggesting that most issues have now been resolved after intensive negotiations.

Keep ReadingShow less
court

Evidence provided by Gurwinder and her children played a central role in securing the unanimous verdict (Representational image:iStock)

Gurwinder Kaur’s legacy recognised as SBS demands reforms after rape conviction

SOUTHALL Black Sisters (SBS) has honoured the legacy of Gurwinder Kaur and renewed its call for urgent action against domestic abuse, following the conviction of her husband, Ravi Yadav, for rape and financial abuse.

The group described the guilty verdict, delivered on 29 April 2025, as a significant moment of justice. SBS said it is one of the first cases in the UK where a conviction for rape has been secured after the victim’s death.

Keep ReadingShow less
Birmingham bin strike

A huge pile of Rubbish on Bromfield Close in Aston on April 8, 2025 in Birmingham.

Getty Images

Birmingham bin strike talks begin with Acas mediation

TALKS to resolve the ongoing bin strike in Birmingham are set to begin on Thursday through mediation facilitated by conciliation service Acas.

Bin workers began an all-out strike on 11 March after several weeks of intermittent industrial action.

Keep ReadingShow less