1. Lok Sabha Election 2019: BJP Cadres Say Amit Shah Will Surpass LK Advani's Margins
The sound of bursting crackers and beats of drums on Holi marked a phenomenal occasion for BJP cadres in Gujarat. The celebration was to raise a toast to BJP chief Amit Shah's nomination as the party's candidate for Gandhinagar seat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Shah is going to replace party veteran LK Advani, who had won from the constituency with record margins every election since 1998. BJP cadres in Gujarat now believe Shah will register an even bigger record.
BJP in-charge for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, Pruthviraj Patel, told DNA, "Amit Bhai contesting from Gandhinagar is a great occasion for all of us. He has a great understanding of organisational affairs and his candidature from Gandhinagar would mean a lot for us. We have great confidence that he would win with the record-breaking margin from this seat this time."
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
2. LS Polls: Congress Screening Committee Meet in Delhi Cancelled
Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda and his party colleague Paresh Dhanani dropped their plan to go to New Delhi on Friday, 22 March upon learning that a meeting of the party's screening committee to finalise Lok Sabha candidates for the state has been cancelled.
While the screening committee was supposed to meet on Saturday morning, both the leaders were scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Friday. "The meet was scheduled for tomorrow morning and we were supposed to attend it. Now, that meeting stands cancelled.
"We may be called again by central leadership once the new schedule for the screening committee gets finalised," said Dhanani, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
Till now, the Congress had declared its candidates for four seats in Gujarat for the 23 April general elections.
(Source: PTI)
3. Lok Sabha Election 2019: BJP May Take More Time to Name 25 Gujarat Candidates
BJP's candidate list for Lok Sabha polls on Gujarat seats may take more time as the party is considering making the announcement only after 29 March or release it in two phases.
Gujarat BJP leaders were in New Delhi to discuss the names of candidates with the central parliamentary board of the party on Thursday and Friday.
Gujarat BJP leaders including CM Vijay Rupani and party chief Jitu Vaghani and others were in New Delhi to attend the central parliamentary board of BJP. They had prepared the panel of names for all 26 seats and that was put before the central parliamentary board for further selection.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
4. Haku Shah, Painter Known for Gandhian Principles, Dies
Eminent artist Haku Shah, whose art works portrayed the simplicity of life, and who was known for staying true to Gandhian principles and philosophy, died on Thursday, 21 March aged 85 at his home in Ahmedabad after suffering a cardiac arrest.He was cremated at VS Hospital crematorium in Ahmedabad on Friday, 22 March.
Shah played a crucial role in conserving and preserving arts and crafts hiding in the lesser known parts of India. Born on 26 March 1934 in Surat, Shah donned many roles, including that of a cultural anthropologist, curator, and an author on folk and tribal art and culture.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Gujarat: Farmers' Bad Loans Rise 3.75 Times in Just Four Years
Bad loans of farmers in Gujarat have almost quadrupled in four years, according to a recent banking report.
Farmers' representatives and experts say that the statistics depict the distress experienced by farmers. They say this is proof that farmers' income has fallen to the extent that they are unable to repay their loans.
According to the report of State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) for the October-December quarter of the financial year 2018-19, total bad loans measured in terms of gross Non Performing Assets (NPA) stood at Rs 5,536 crore, up from Rs 1,474 crore recorded in the corresponding quarter in fiscal 2014-15.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
6. Togadia's Party to Contest on 100 Lok Sabha Seats
Former VHP leader Pravin Togadia on Friday, 22 March said his newly launched political party will contest on around 100 Lok Sabha seats across the country, including 15 seats in Gujarat.
Togadia, who recently floated the Hindusthan Nirman Dal (HND), released a list of 41 candidates. He also said that he may contest the upcoming elections from either Varanasi, Ayodhya or Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
Togadia said here the key focus of the HND will be construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, better prices for farm produce and creation of jobs by focusing on agriculture and small industries.
In the first list released on Friday, HND announced candidates for 41 Lok Sabha seats spread over Uttar Pradesh (19), Gujarat (9), Assam (7), Odisha (5) and Haryana (1).
(Source: PTI)