1. Lok Sabha Election 2019: BJP Names Candidates for 3 Lok Sabha Seats
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named candidates for three more Lok Sabha seats in the state on Wednesday, 27 March, dropping all three incumbent MPs, including Union minister Haribhai Chaudhary.
The BJP nominated minister of state Parbatbhai Patel as its candidate from Banaskantha, Ramesh Dhaduk from Porbandar, and Ratansinh Rathod from Panchmahal seat. Haribhai Chaudhary, Vitthal Radadiya, and Prabhatsinh Chauhan, who represent the three seats in the Parliament at present, were axed.
BJP insiders said that Chaudhary, a four-term MP and presently minister of state for coal and mines, was dropped because of bribery allegations against him during the unprecedented CBI versus CBI fight.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
2. Gujarat HC Quashes Plea Challenging Announcement of Talala Bypolls by EC
In a setback to Congress, the Gujarat high court dismissed its disqualified MLA Bhaga Barad’s petition challenging the Election Commission’s announcement of bypolls for Talala seat in Gir Somnath district, which he represented.
The court noted arguments presented by the petitioner that had stated hasty decision on behalf of the ECI to announce Talala bypolls on 10 March when a stay on conviction had been ordered by the Gir Somnath sessions court on 7 March.
Barad had been convicted on 1 March to two years nine months of rigorous imprisonment on a 24-year old limestone mining case, by a magistrate court. He was suspended on 5 March by Assembly speaker Rajendra Trivedi, noting which, the ECI announced bypolls.
However, the court noted that since a stay on conviction does not hold as of present day, disqualification remains.
(Source: Indian Express)
3. Gujarat High Court Stays Anandiben Patel's Appointment as Trustee
The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday, 27 March stayed an order of the Ahmedabad charity commissioner by which former chief minister Anandiben Patel, who is presently the governor of Madhya Pradesh, was appointed as a permanent trustee of an education trust at Palanpur in Banaskantha district.
The stay was granted by the single judge bench of Justice AY Kogje after members of the Vimalaben and Sarabhai Shah Education Trust moved the high court against the charity commissioner's order.
The court also issued a notice to the charity commissioner directing him to clarify his stand on the matter by May 1. Notably, the charity commissioner through the impugned order on February 20 had not just appointed Anandiben as a permanent trustee but had also requested her to propose the names of other trustees.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
4. Gujarat: Seven Women Arrested With Illicit Liquor
The Vadodara Crime Branch on Wednesday, 27 March arrested seven women aged between 30 years to 50 years carrying illicit liquor worth Rs 33,200. Acting on a tip-off, the police had intercepted the seven women who had tied liquor bottles around their bodies using tape underneath their clothes. According to the police, the women were to deliver the consignment to a person in Bharuch.
The women had received the liquor consignment from Madhya Pradesh and had boarded a truck to Vadodara on Wednesday morning. At Vadodara, they got down at the Golden Chowkdi to board another vehicle. They were waiting for the vehicle when they were intercepted by the police. All the women worked as contractual labourers in Dahod.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Three of 26 MPs From Gujarat Had Zero Queries in Parliament
Of the 26 MPs from the state, all from BJP, three never bothered to ask any questions during the last five years in the Parliament. KC Patel from Valsad Vitthal Radadiya from Porbandar, and Lal Krishna Advani from Gandhinagar had no queries from the government during the last five years. Interestingly, Radadiya attended the Parliament only 45 of the 314 days it was in session while Patel attended for 249 days.
Popular Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal who represented Ahmedabad East asked 185 questions and was present for 205 of the 314 days.
In fact, the highest number of queries were made by Naranbhai Kachhadia from Amreli. He asked 759 questions in all followed by Rajesh Chudasama of Junagadh who asked 546 questions. The third spot for the most number of questions went to Ramsinh Rathwa from Chhota Udepur who had made 499 queries.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
6. Gujarat Govt Opposes Hardik's Plea Seeking Stay on Conviction
The Gujarat government on Wednesday, 27 March, opposed Congress leader Hardik Patel's petition seeking a stay on his conviction in a rioting case. Patel has moved the High Court seeking a stay on the conviction as he wants to contest the Lok Sabha election.
Public prosecutor Mitesh Amin argued before Justice A G Uraizee that Patel was facing as many as 17 cases which reflected badly on his conduct.
Amin claimed that Hardik, who led the Patidar quota agitation in 2015, had accepted that he was at the site of the riot at Visnagar in Mehsana district, which was also proved by photographs submitted in the high court.
Patel had no respect for legal process, and he made "instigating and enraging utterances" during the agitation in 2015 and even later, the prosecutor argued.
(Source: PTI)
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