Latest news with #AshishPatel
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Gujarat winning the ‘plot', 215 projects in '24-25 alone
Ahmedabad: Gujarat continues to see an upward trend in plotted projects, with 215 registered with GujRERA in 2024-25 alone, the highest ever in a single year in the state. Experts said the actual number could be higher as many plotted projects do not require RERA registration. In 2024-25, a total of 14,339 new units in plotted development were registered, which is also 43% higher than the previous year. Since RERA implementation, Gujarat has seen the registration of a total of 851 plotted projects with an investment of Rs 5,942 crore and 66,314 units. Ashish Patel, national vice president, Credai, said, "Plotted schemes have increased in recent years because it gives faster rotation of money to developers because construction is less. People want to buy a piece of land in gated communities, and this is driving demand. Plots give good appreciation on the money invested, and therefore, investor demand is better in this segment." A recent GujRERA report says, "Plotted development projects saw explosive growth in 2018-19 (265.2% projects, 340.3% units) but declined in 2019-20 (-28.6% projects, -63.1% units). Strong recoveries in 2021-22 (46.9% projects, 123.2% units) and 2022-23 (69.1% projects) continued, with 2024-25 showing robust growth (41.4% projects, 56.8% investment, 43.3% units). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pensia Pilon 3 NN Pensia Facultativă NN Vezi oferta Undo Plotted development prices rose from Rs 6,863 per sq mt to Rs 14,124 per sq mt, reflecting high land demand. " You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Ajal Patel, a developer active in plotting schemes, said, "Ahmedabad has seen higher demand for plotted development after Covid. People want to ensure a certain future lifestyle, and therefore, they prefer plotted development. Ahmedabad is growing rapidly, and the plotted development offers an upgraded lifestyle." A leading developer said, "After Covid, plotting schemes saw good demand because many investors decided to invest in plots because other business sectors were not performing well. There was a good return also on their investment." According to sources, the actual number of plotted projects is higher than the RERA registered numbers because a large number of plotted projects do not fall in the geographical areas where RERA registration is a must. However, for the last few months, real estate is passing through a sluggish phase, and plotted development is also experiencing relatively low demand as people are in a wait-and-watch mode, said a developer.
India Today
07-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Can BJP keep dissent-hit, peeved ally Apna Dal (S) in embrace?
Uttar Pradesh regional outfit Apna Dal (S), in a show of strength last week, lined up all its MLAs and senior leaders on stage to mark the birth anniversary of party founder Sone Lal Patel. At the July 3 event in Lucknow, party vice-president and state minister Ashish Patel not only targeted rebels, who had recently broken away, but also fired indirect salvos at ally open demonstration of power has sparked speculation about the Apna Dal (S) preparing to exit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and whether it will join the Opposition combine for the assembly elections in party is in a crisis after some founding members and leaders, led by Brajendra Pratap Singh, recently announced a new outfit, 'Apna Morcha', and claimed the support of nine of the 13 Apna Dal (S) Apna Dal (S), which is headed by Union minister and Ashish Patel's wife Anupriya Patel, hit back, saying these leaders had been expelled back in 2022 for anti-party activity. However, the new front went a step further, declaring it would field candidates in the upcoming panchayat polls and support the NDA in the Uttar Pradesh assembly mounting, Apna Dal (S) state president R.P. Gautam wrote to chief minister Yogi Adityanath to remove the rebel leaders and their relatives from government-nominated posts in order to restore mutual trust in the there has been growing talk that after indirectly targeting the BJP, Ashish Patel may step down as the state's technical education minister. At the event on July 3—attended by 12 of the 13 party MLAs—he had questioned the BJP's commitment to the alliance. He alleged a conspiracy against Apna Dal (S) because of its growing support base and warned of attempts to destabilise the party, including through false legal next day, Ashish Patel quit as Apna Dal (S) working president and was appointed national vice-president, adding to more speculation about the equation within the Patel, in her message, urged Apna Dal (S) workers to stay prepared, saying that the coming days would be crucial. In a pushback to the dissenters, she underlined that the party remained united and firm on its the BJP, the timing and public nature of the rift could pose a challenge. The Apna Dal (S) has been one of its most reliable allies in attracting Kurmi OBC votes in Uttar Pradesh. Kurmis are about 6 per cent of the population of Uttar Pradesh and comprise about 35 per cent of the OBCs in the Apna Dal (S) was formed in 1995 by Sone Lal Patel, also a founding member of the Bahujan Samaj Party, to champion Kurmi representation. He died in 2009. Anupriya first became Union minister in the Narendra Modi government in 2016. Ashish Patel is its own minister in the Adityanath the longstanding association, open attacks on the BJP by senior Apna Dal (S) leaders, internal rebellion and past family disputes risk weakening the equation. As the Apna Dal (S) prepares for assembly elections two years away while signalling frustration with its partner, the BJP faces the delicate task of keeping its ally in embrace without letting these tensions affect its own image among OBC voters in the state. advertisementSubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
The Print
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
UP Info dept with Rs 1,700-cr budget used to ‘break' Apna Dal—BJP ally Ashish Patel's dig at Yogi govt
In a strongly worded social media post, Patel launched a scathing attack on his own government and the media by alleging that a section of the press is operating under 'pressure' from the Yogi Adityanath government to spread false narratives and create confusion within Apna Dal (S), a party which has a considerable sway among the Kurmi OBC caste. Ashish Patel's attack comes in the wake of a group of dissident leaders launching a new political outfit called Apna Morcha after parting ways with the Apna Dal (S), a BJP ally in the state and at the centre. Lucknow: Union minister Anupriya Patel's husband Ashish Patel, himself a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, has accused the Yogi Adityanath government's information department of trying to destabilise his party Apna Dal (Soneylal) by 'pressuring' a section of the media to run false and misleading stories about dissension in the party. He claimed the information department has been allocated a huge budgetary outlay to pursue this objective. 'What kind and how much pressure does a Rs 1700-crore budget of the information department exert! Ask a section of the media about what they have to write and do under this pressure. They have to show the Apna Dal (S) is falling apart every day,' he said in a post on X in Hindi. 'Sometimes they have to run stories about nine MLAs defecting, sometimes they have to host news of 12 MLAs switching sides. They are under quite a heavy compulsion,' he claimed. He went on to throw further taunts at the media, giving them 'unsolicited but sensible' advice. 'Don't go through this hassle everyday. Just today, once and for all, break the Apna Dal (S) into as many parts as you want. Nine MLAs or 12 MLAs—assign them to whichever party you wish. And for the satisfaction of your heart, go ahead and write that the Apna Dal (S) no longer exists.' 'That way, the entire hassle ends, those pressuring you will be happy, and the Rs 1700-crore budget of the information department will have been properly utilised. You also won't have to act like slaves to baseless statements and false information from politically dead leaders every single day.' He then asserted the Apna Dal (S) has been nurtured with the sweat and blood of millions of the marginalised and oppressed, and the party has fought such conspiracies and its workers are well-trained to do so. 'The Apna Dal is not a fragile house of cards, but a kind of grass that sprouts even in adversity.' He ended his post with a poem of resolve penned by Mahakavi Pash. 'Main ghaas hoon, main aapke har kiye-dhare par ug aaunga. Bomb fenk do chahe vishwavidyalay par, bana do hostel ko malbe ka dher, suhaaga phira do bhale hi hamari jhopadiyon par, mujhe kya karoge? Main to ghaas hoon, har cheez dhank loonga, Har dher par ug aaunga. Main ghaas hoon, main apna kaam karoonga, main aapke har kiye-dhare par ug aaunga. (I am grass. I will sprout back on everything you do. Throw bombs at the university if you must, reduce the hostel to a heap of rubble, smash our huts to pieces if you wish, but what can you do to me? I am grass — I will cover it all. I will sprout from every heap. I am grass — I will do my work. I will grow back over everything you do.' Also Read: Why Raj Kumar Pal stepped down as UP chief of Apna Dal (S), a '2-personality show' The beginning of current crisis On 1 July, a group of Apna Dal(S) dissidents including its former general secretary Arvind Singh Patel, spokesperson Chaudhary Brajendra Pratap Singh Patel, youth wing chief Hemant Chaudhary and almost a dozen Kurmi caste leaders declared the new outfit Apna Morcha as the 'real voice' of Apna Dal (S). Addressing reporters, these leaders launched a scathing attack on the current leadership of Apna Dal (S), accusing it of sidelining and humiliating founding members and long-time party workers. They also said both Anupriya and Ashish Patel were ignoring Kurmis in the party. The morcha leaders also claimed to be in touch with nine current MLAs of Apna Dal (S). Earlier this year, Raj Kumar Pal resigned as the Apna Dal(S) state president after accusing the Patels of neglecting him and mistreating party workers. As per sources, Pal has not joined the rebel morcha as he is in talks with the Samajwadi Party. Ashish Patel said all these are part of a 'gameplan'. 'There is a clear conspiracy against our party. After some rebels formed a morcha, we wrote to the chief minister to remove two rebels as the members of the Purvanchal Vikas Board but that did not happen. We also got inputs that these rebels have the back up of some power centres. We understand this whole gameplan against us. Now, we will not stay silent,' he told ThePrint. This is not the first time that Ashish Patel has attacked the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government. In January this year, he not only accused then Uttar Pradesh director of information Shishir Singh and chief minister's media advisor Mrityunjay Singh of tarnishing his image by 'planting false stories', but he also dared the Amitabh Yash-led Special Task Force (STF) to shoot him in the chest 'if they have the guts'. Patel was facing flak from his sister-in-law Pallavi Patel for alleged irregularities and corruption in promotion of candidates in technical education department, which he heads as the minister. His wife and Apna Dal (Sonelal) national president Anupriya Patel has also been targeting the Adityanath-led government for some time. Just after the Lok Sabha poll results in 2024, she wrote to him, alleging that reserved seats meant for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) had been 'unreserved' during the government recruitment process. The letter came in the backdrop of the BJP's relatively weak performance in the Lok Sabha polls and the concern among the coalition partners about SC and OBC voters shifting to the Opposition bloc. Both husband and wife always praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in their speeches but avoid taking the name of Yogi Adityanath. In Uttar Pradesh, Kurmis are considered the second largest OBC group after Yadavs, holding significant political influence across various regions of the state. Given their importance, the BJP cannot afford to lose a key ally representing this community. Though chief minister Aditynath has not responded to this issue yet, a senior functionary at the chief minister's office said, 'The matter is essentially a tussle between the Centre and the state. While Anupriya and Ashish Patel enjoy a strong rapport with the central leadership, their relations with the state leadership are strained. As a result, they are now being used as pawns to tarnish the image of the state government.' (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: Behind Apna Dal (S) naming a Dalit UP chief, a bid to cut into BSP's voter base
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Information dept funds being misused to spread rumours on Apna Dal(S): Ashish Patel
HAVING EARLIER alleged that a 'conspiracy' was afoot to hamper Apna Dal (S), party leader and state minister Ashish Patel took to social media to allege that funds of the information department were being 'misused to spread rumours about split of Apna Dal(S).' In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ashish Patel wrote, 'What is the pressure of the Information Department's Rs 1700-crore budget and what all one has to write and do under this pressure? One should ask a section of the media.' He added, 'Under the pressure of this budget, Apna Dal-S is broken every day. Sometimes they have to run the news of nine MLAs fleeing and sometimes they have to spread the news of 12 MLAs switching sides. My wise and unsolicited advice to this section of the media is that do not keep up the daily hassles. In a single day, in fact today itself, divide Apna Dal (S) into as many parts as you want. As per your wish, get as many MLAs nine, ten or twelve included in whichever parties you want, get them done today itself.' Targeting the media and alleging that it was writing under pressure from the information department, Ashish said that this way 'people pressuring you will also be happy and the Information Department's budget of Rs 1700 crore will also be utilized properly.' Patel, who had in the past also alleged 'conspiracy at work' claimed that Apna Dal is built by deprived and exploited sections of the society. He said that the party is used to such conspiracies since its inception and that workers would not be misled by it. When contacted Ashish Patel said that the reason for this post was that perception was being created on the basis of statements of those, who were expelled by the party a few years ago. 'Statements of those who were expelled from the party years back are being taken into consideration to project a 'split' in the party. What else can we say, except that we would. Ot be demoralized by these conspiracies and rumours. As for the rest, I have said in my post,' Ashish told The Indian Express.
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
With next year's panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, parties gear up to test waters for 2027
ALTHOUGH PANCHAYAT elections in the state are not contested on symbols of political parties, considering the significant role played by the grassroot representatives in the Assembly elections, major political parties — both national and regional — have already begun preparations for the 2027 Assembly polls, treating the grassroots polls as a key battleground to show their strength. In the recent past, several parties, be it NDA allies such as Apna Dal, NISHAD party, SBSP or INDIA alliance partners such as the Congress, announced that candidates they support should be fielded separately. Although this sparked speculation over potential trouble for alliances for both the ruling BJP party and the INDIA alliance, leaders across party lines spoke to The Indian Express about the reasons for their parties to strongly pitch for supporting their own candidates in these polls while continuing with the alliances in the Assembly polls. A mammoth affair Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh are a mammoth affair, covering over 8 lakh posts, at different levels of panchayat. There are over 12 crore voters for the forthcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2021 polls, elections were held for 7.32 lakh wards across 58,189 Gram Panchayats, 75,855 wards of 826 Kshetra Panchayats, and 3,051 members of 75 Zila Panchayats. Despite being held during the pandemic, parties like the BJP had officially declared their list of supported candidates. However, this time, it is not just the national parties but even the regional parties who are eying the polls to strengthen their ground and 'bargaining power'. With elections expected around January-February 2026, as per sources, preparations have begun much earlier. Why parties are keen on chipping in Both the NDA alliance partners and the INDIA alliance have emphasised the importance of clearly announcing their intention to contest these elections separately. They believe that strengthening their parties at the grassroots level is crucial, which includes supporting their grassroots workers, some of whom will contest these polls. To address concerns that their participation in these elections might negatively impact their alliance partners, these parties clarified that since the elections are not held under party symbols, they can still form alliances for assembly polls. They believe their ground strength will ultimately benefit their alliance partners. Additionally, some partners of the NDA expressed willingness to support BJP-backed candidates for chairman positions while allowing their own candidates to run for grassroots-level positions. 'It is a small election focused on the workers. For the BJP to return to power in 2027, it is essential that the workers stay active. If alliance partners like myself, Ashish Patel, or SBSP each have 10,000 supporters in any segment, then our combined efforts would benefit the alliance,' explained Sanjay Nishad, Chief of the NISHAD party and a minister in the state government. He cited an example from the previous panchayat elections, noting that the BJP and the NISHAD party had contested separately. In some segments of Sultanpur, candidates backed by the NISHAD party received more support than those from the BJP. However, when it came time for the Jila Panchayat Chairman election, most voters supported candidates aligned with the BJP. 'It is difficult for our workers to reach the level of contesting MLA elections, but these are their elections, and our candidates would certainly weaken the Samajwadi Party (SP),' he added. 'All smaller parties empower themselves, and we are also preparing for the panchayat elections,' said Apna Dal leader and Union Minister Anupriya Patel. She assured they would remain allied with NDA. Direct block pramukh elections this time? Uttar Pradesh's Panchayati Raj Minister and Chief of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Om Prakash Rajbhar, recently announced that following multiple discussions with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, an agreement has been reached to conduct Block Pramukh elections directly through public voting. At present, these elections are held indirectly, with candidates being selected by Block Development Committee members, which has led to concerns about corruption. Rajbhar said the chief minister has agreed to send this proposal to the central government. 'After four rounds of dialogue, he has given his approval for the proposal to be forwarded to the centre. The goal is to eliminate the influence of money and muscle power,' Rajbhar explained. Although an official decision is still pending, both NDA allies and opposition parties have expressed their support for the proposal. Sanjay Nishad affirmed their backing for direct elections, stating, 'This change would reduce the likelihood of candidates winning through financial means and provide opportunities for grassroots workers.' Previously, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has also backed this proposal. 'What do we, as opposition or regional parties, have to lose? It is the BJP that has a bigger stake in this election and faces significant infighting since they are in power. By contesting these elections independently, we can strengthen our presence on the ground. We have already asked all our leaders interested in running for the 2027 Assembly polls to identify and nominate their candidates for pradhans and other posts. This would not only enhance their chances but also represent the party effectively,' said a senior Congress leader. The ruling BJP has also begun its preparations by forming committees. These committees will aid in the ongoing delimitation process, which is being closely monitored by opposition parties. However, party leaders claim that their allies' decision to field candidates separately will not impact them. 'Every alliance partner has the right to grow and develop independently, and we see no issue with that. We are strong at the grassroots level,' said senior BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
