Gujarat confidential: East-West Divide

Positions of mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee chairman have gone to western Rajkot while leader of the ruling party and the whip of the ruling party have gone to southern Rajkot.

Though eastern Rajkot, along the eastern bank of river Aji, elects more than a quarter of 72 corporators of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC), the area has historically been trumped by representatives from the western and southern Rajkot when it comes to important posts in the civic body.

The ruling BJP has selected only one corporator from this area as one of the 12 members of RMC standing committee. Positions of mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee chairman have gone to western Rajkot while leader of the ruling party and the whip of the ruling party have gone to southern Rajkot.

But Ward 5, 15 and 16 in eastern Rajkot and won by the BJP has not managed to get any important position.

By PM’s Side

At the launch of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate 75 years of Indian independence, while commemorating the 91st anniversary of Dandi March, Gujarat-cadre IAS officer Hardik Shah was seen right behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the dais near Abhay Ghat in Ahmedabad.

Shah, a 2010-batch IAS officer, is private secretary to the PM and is one of the youngest IAS officers to have held the post. Shah was Secretary of Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) before being elevated to the IAS cadre. He replaced another Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, Rajeev Topno, in the Prime Minister’s Office. Shah is among the 23 Gujarat-cadre IAS officers who are currently on central deputation.

Seizing The Moment

Freedom fighter Manu Vitthalani recited a few Sanskrit slokas and narrated the story of how he was sent to Wardha in 1945 during India’s freedom struggle when Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel went to facilitate him at Celebrating India’s 75th Azadi ka Amrit Mahotasav at Mohandas Gandhi Vidyalaya in Rajkot on Friday. The freedom fighter was not scheduled to make an acceptance speech, however, he seized the moment and the deputy CM listened patiently. Patel even held the microphone for Vitthalani.

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