1. Gujarat: 1.20 Lakh Police, Security Personnel to Be on Guard
More than 1.20 lakh police and security personnel will be on the guard in the state to ensure free and fair elections on Tuesday, 23 April, election authorities said. State's chief electoral officer S Murali Krishna said on Monday that all preparations for free and fair conduct of elections have been completed.
"The number of eligible voters in the state is 4.51 crore, including 10.06 lakh voters in the age group of 18-19. There are also 1.68 lakh Divyang voters," Krishna told reporters.
Ramps, drinking water arrangements, wheel-chairs, special parking arrangements, and Braille voter guide and voting slip would be provided to Divyang voters, he said.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
2. Gujarat Voters Choose Today: PM Modi, Advani, Shah, Jaitley Among Voters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, party patriarch LK Advani and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley are among top leaders who will vote on Tuesday, 23 April in Gujarat, which will have a single phase polling for its 26 Lok Sabha seats.
Also Governors Vajubhai Vala (Karnataka), Anandiben Patel (Madhya Pradesh) and OP Kohli (Gujarat) are among 4.51 crore electorate who will cast their vote in Gujarat that is likely to see a straight contest between the BJP and Congress.
In 2014 all 26 seats were won by the BJP. Poll officials said bypoll in Dhrangadhra, Manavadar, Unjha and Jamnagar (Rural) Assembly seats in the state will also be held Tuesday. Altogether 45 candidates are contesting. The bypolls were necessitated after Congress MLAs in the four seats quit and joined the BJP.
(Source: Indian Express)
3. Ahmedabad: Textile, Spice Traders Will Down Shutters to Improve Turnout
In a bid to increase voter participation, major markets in the city will remain closed on Tuesday, 23 April. The initiative is purely on a voluntary basis and no businessmen will be forced to put the shutters down, they said.
Choksi Mahajan, Manek Chowk Sona Chandi Bazar, Panchkuwa Kapad Mahajan, Gujarat Garments Manufacturers Association, the retail market along Gheekanta Road, and Madhupura market for spices are among the ones that will remain closed.
Gaurang Bhagat, president of Maskati Market Kapad Mahajan said that a formal notice has been issued on the same. "All shops in our market will remain closed. They are free to open their shops after casting their vote," said Bhagat. However, there is no hard-and-fast dictate to observe a strict bandh. Many businessmen have to adhere to compliance of GST. A day's off for them can be counterproductive, said market sources.
(Source: DNA Ahmedabad)
4. Gujarat: Police to Probe Complaints Against BJP State Chief, MLA for Campaign Remarks
Gujarat police will investigate into the complaints lodged against state BJP president Jitu Vaghani and party MLA from Vaghodia Assembly constituency, Madhu Srivastav, for their remarks made during their respective Lok Sabha poll campaigns.
“On 10 April 2019, a complaint had been filed before the local magistrate against BJP president Jitu Vaghani under Section 202 of the CrPC, 1973. The investigation is being done by police inspector D J Chaudhari,” said Gandhinagar IGP (law and order) Narsimha Komar during a briefing of the Election Commission held here.
The Election Commission has already issued a notice to Vaghani for the “harmzada” remark that he made in Surat a couple of weeks ago. “We have sent a report in this regard to the Election Commission,” said Dr S Murali Krishna, Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat, who briefed mediapersons jointly with Komar.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Maintain Status Quo on Dwarka Seat: Supreme Court
Clarifying that “the seat occupied by (Pabubha) Manek… shall not be notified to be vacant”, the Supreme Court on Monday said that status quo be maintained on the Dwarka seat held by the BJP MLA. Manek, a seven-time MLA from Dwarka, had challenged the Gujarat High Court order that had declared his election void.
However, a three-judge bench of the apex court did not order a stay on the Gujarat HC order of 12 April as sought by Manek. The apex court in its order noted that the case will now be further heard in September.
The Gujarat HC had declared that the nomination of Manek was defective and the said defect was “of substantial character”. Swarupama Chaturvedi, representing Manek, said, “Relying on SC judgments, our argument is that the defect is a technical error and not one of substantial nature.”
(Source: Indian Express)
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