Seven synchronised blasts ripped through the Indian tourist city of Jaipur Tuesday evening, killing at least 60 people and injuring nearly 100 others - and officials feared the death toll could rise.
The carefully choreographed blasts at six spots went off within a space of 20 minutes and occurred in the Tripolia Bazar, where a Hanuman temple that draws a large number of devotees is located, as well as at Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal, Chhoti Choupal, Sanganeri Gate and Johari Bazar areas that are home to mixed populations of Hindus and Muslims.'Such acts of terror will not be tolerated and..
Police forces have been placed on high alert in Tamil Nadu following the Jaipur blasts, which killed at least 60 people, to prevent any untoward incident, Director General of Police K.P. Jain told reporters here Tuesday night.
'All leave has been cancelled in the state and pickets have been posted at all vulnerable points to prevent anti-social elements exploiting the situation,' Jain said.However, the police said the overall situation in the state was peaceful.
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In yet another sad commentary on female foeticide practised in Punjab, an infant girl thrown away in a Ludhiana locality was eaten up by stray dogs Tuesday.
Locals on Tibba road saw the dogs around a gunny bag. By the time help could reach the infant, the dogs had already eaten the head and one hand.The residents informed the police who took away the body. Police officials said they were investigating who could have thrown the infant. The dead infant appeared to be just two days old. The police were checking the births in nursing homes and hospitals to find out about the parents.Punjab has o..
Seven synchronised blasts ripped through the Indian tourist city of Jaipur Tuesday evening, killing at least 60 people and injuring nearly 100 others - and officials feared the death toll could rise.
The carefully choreographed blasts at six spots went off within a space of 20 minutes and occurred in the Tripolia Bazar, where a Hanuman temple that draws a large number of devotees is located, as well as at Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal, Chhoti Choupal, Sanganeri Gate and Johari Bazar areas that are home to mixed populations of Hindus and Muslims.'Such acts of terror will not be tolerated and..
Police forces have been placed on high alert in Tamil Nadu following the Jaipur blasts, which killed at least 60 people, to prevent any untoward incident, Director General of Police K.P. Jain told reporters here Tuesday night.
'All leave has been cancelled in the state and pickets have been posted at all vulnerable points to prevent anti-social elements exploiting the situation,' Jain said.However, the police said the overall situation in the state was peaceful.
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In yet another sad commentary on female foeticide practised in Punjab, an infant girl thrown away in a Ludhiana locality was eaten up by stray dogs Tuesday.
Locals on Tibba road saw the dogs around a gunny bag. By the time help could reach the infant, the dogs had already eaten the head and one hand.The residents informed the police who took away the body. Police officials said they were investigating who could have thrown the infant. The dead infant appeared to be just two days old. The police were checking the births in nursing homes and hospitals to find out about the parents.Punjab has o..
Delhi Police Tuesday arrested two men, who allgedly murdered an 18-year-old boy at his Lodhi Road home Saturday.
'We have arrested Harish Rawat and Surinder Singh Rawat from Uttrakhand for murdering Sanchit Sachdeva. Robbery was one of the motives behind the killing,' said a senior police official.The police also recovered a new car from them.Sanchit, who appeared for his Class 12 board exams from the Delhi Police Public School recently, was found murdered at his home around 5.30 p.m. Saturday when his mother Preeti returned from her office. She works in the information and broadca..
A string of blasts rocked the walled areas of this historic central Indian city Tuesday evening killing at least 45 people and injuring over 100, police said.
'At least 45 people have been killed in seven explosions,' Rajasthan police chief A.S. Gill told IANS outside the Sawai Mansingh Hospital here where the dead and injured were rushed after the blasts.Over 100 people were injured in the explosions at various places that were triggered by bombs placed on cycle rickshaws, Pankaj Singh, the inspector general of police of the Jaipur range, said.He described the blasts as being of &..
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati announced a number of development projects in sectors like power, higher and technical education and urban development in a function organised here Tuesday, marking her one year in office.
In the power sector, Mayawati unveiled the Anpara-D (1,000 MW) thermal power project that will be set up at an investment of around Rs.53 billion and new sub-power stations of 1,210 KV capacity.She announced the water supply projects for Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi that will cost respectively Rs.10.77 billion, Rs 2.7 billion and Rs 1.11 billion. For upgrading higher educ..
A series of synchronised bombings ripped through crowded market places in the central Indian tourist city of Jaipur Tuesday evening, killing at least 60 people and injuring nearly 100 others and setting off panic and a stampede in congested neighbourhoods with mixed populations of Hindus and Muslims.
The carefully choreographed blasts - timed to go off within a space of 20 minutes - took place in Tripolia Bazar, where a Hanuman temple that drew a large number of devotees is located, as well as Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal, Choti Choupal and Johari Bazar areas.This is perhaps the worst terror ..
Election authorities rejected the nomination of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate from one assembly constituency as he was convicted in a criminal case.
Nomination of Ramesh Rathod from Khanapur assembly constituency in Adilabad district was rejected by the Election Commission officials during scrutiny Tuesday.By-elections to four Lok Sabha and 18 assembly constituencies are scheduled to be held May 28.Rathod was last year sentenced to two years' imprisonment by a local court for attacking the officials of forest department. He has challenged the sentence in a higher court.T..
A case for fraud was registered Tuesday against the former Jamnagar sub-registrar and five others for causing a loss of Rs.6.5 million to the state exchequer.
Former sub-registrar office in-charge M.J. Rajya Guru, who is at present posted at Jamjodhpur, in collusion with five others deliberately under-assessed stamp duties leading to a loss of Rs.6.5 million, the police complaint said. Those named in the police complaint are all working at the sub-registrar office. They are J.M. Dave, K.S. Jadeja, B.J. Agrawal, Milan M. Pandya, and Ashish Shantilal.
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Condemning the serial bombings that rocked Jaipur Tuesday evening, US Ambassador to India David C. Mulford said there was 'no justification' for strikes on 'innocent people'.
At least 60 people were killed in a string of bomb blasts that rocked Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, Tuesday evening. Over 100 other people were injured in the blasts, which took place in crowded areas of the city.In a statement released by the US embassy, Ambassador Mulford said: 'The United States condemns the vicious acts of terrorism in Jaipur this evening'. Extending 'deepest ..
The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to entertain a lawsuit protesting against a controversial French law that prevents Sikhs in that country from wearing turbans or other tell-tale religious symbols in public places.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices R.V. Raveendran and M.K. Sharma dismissed the petition, pointing out that the apex court has no jurisdiction over foreign territory.'We can protect the Fundamental Rights of the citizens only within the boundary of India. Fundamental Rights cannot be protected in foreign land,' the bench observed.The bench also said..
A 27-year-old disc jockey's (DJ) body was found in Manori beach in north-west Mumbai Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Police Inspector Manor Kalekar said: 'DJ Reves D'costa's body was found here at 11:30 a.m. near the shores.'There were scratches all over his body, suggesting the death to be suspicious, officials said.'We are still trying to establish the circumstances surrounding his death. An autopsy will determine his exact cause of death,' he said.According to the police, D'costa had gone to Gorai beach in north Mumbai with a group of friends Sunday to ce..
India Tuesday offered China 'any assistance' to help it deal with the situation in Sichuan province where an earthquake has killed more than 12,000 people as Beijing expressed its willingness to accept international aid to handle relief measures.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao expressing India's grief with the quake-hit 'brethren of China' and offered assistance to deal with the situation.'The prime minister has expressed deep sorrow at the loss of lives and property caused by the earthquake in China that struck Sichuan..
' To run a party, you need advice of the people around you, and if that is called coterie, I have nothing to say', Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday.
Gandhi was responding to a query over the allegation that he has been guided by a 'coterie'. Former central minister Akhilesh Das , who recently quit the Congress and the Rajya Sabha membership, hit out at what he called 'flatterers and inexperienced coterie' surrounding Gandhi, whom he derisively dubbed as 'yuvraj' (prince).Earlier, while addressing a huge public meeting organised..
Former Kerala education minister and opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) leader T.M. Jacob Tuesday here accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of using liberal valuation norms to push up the pass percentage in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination.
The SSLC results, announced Tuesday, created an all-time record in the state with 92.09 percent of students, numbering 415,747, clearing the class 10 board examination.Jacob said the record-breaking result was a cruel joke perpetrated on the people by Education Minister M.A. Baby, who wanted to show that the ..
A string of blasts rocked the walled areas of this historic central Indian city Tuesday evening killing at least 45 people and injuring over 100, police said.
'At least 45 people have been killed in seven explosions,' Rajasthan police chief A.S. Gill told IANS outside the Sawai Mansingh Hospital here where the dead and injured were rushed after the blasts.Over 100 people were injured in the explosions at various places that were triggered by bombs placed on cycle rickshaws, Pankaj Singh, the inspector general of police of the Jaipur range, said.He described the blasts as being of &..
India plans to 're-engineer' its immunisation programme by introducing additional vaccines for children up to the age of five years, a norm followed in 114 countries, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Health Secretary Naresh Dayal Tuesday said apart from 're-engineering' the immunisation programme, the government was also updating its three public sector laboratories, which have been closed since December as they do not meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) Good Medical Practices guidelines.The suggestion to introduce a pentavalent vaccine came from the sub-committee..
A jeep that formed part of Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui's convoy mowed down a man here in Hazratganj Tuesday.
The victim, Ashwani Tiwari, was hit by the Scorpio jeep and died on the spot. Tiwari, a fourth class employee, was going to his office when the vehicle hit him, said the police. The minister's convoy was returning from a function organised by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to commemorate one year of her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in the state.
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With Monsoon clouds gathering over parts of Bay of Bengal and the south Andaman Sea, the weather conditions in these areas as well as the north and central parts of the country remained pleasant Tuesday.
According to the Met Department, the southwest Monsoon is likely to hit the Kerala coast about five to seven days before the scheduled date of June 1. The news of approaching Monsoon, which accounts for four-fifths of the nation's annual rains, brought cheer to farmers across the country.The overcast conditions kept the temperatures in most of the places adjoining southeast Bay of Benga..
The oozing of a lava-like substance from the earth created panic among villagers in Murti and surrounding areas of Baramati in Maharashtra Tuesday and the police cordoned the area off and sent then liquid's samples for analysis.
A hot jet of the molten substance was thrown out of the earth's bowels Sunday night. Though the substance has stopped oozing out since early Tuesday morning, it has turned into a semi-solid brackish rock like formation spread over more than 30 square feet.Confirming the incident, assistant police inspector Vivek Lawand of the Vadgaon-Nimbalkar police statio..
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader M. Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday warned party leaders and workers against airing in public their grievances and views on the party's internal matters.
'Do not air views on internal matters in public. If you have any suggestion, discuss it with the leaders and at the proper party forum,' Naidu said at the inaugural session of the party's two-day Madhya Pradesh state executive meet here. 'Also, let the people in the government and the party form a separate team and evolve a programme to visit all districts to review fulfilment of pro..
India Tuesday offered China 'any assistance' to help it deal with the situation in Sichuan province where an earthquake has killed more than 12,000 people as Beijing expressed its willingness to accept international aid to handle relief measures.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao expressing India's grief with the quake-hit 'brethren of China' and offered assistance to deal with the situation.'The prime minister has expressed deep sorrow at the loss of lives and property caused by the earthquake in China that struck Sichuan..
A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on all villages along the 187-km India-Pakistan international border in the Jammu region to check infiltration following gun battles with militants over the past two days in which nine people were killed.
Jammu Deputy Inspector General of Police Farooq Khan told newspersons Tuesday that the cooperation of villagers has been sought in the matter. The police and villagers have mounted joint patrolling in the villages where wild bushes and jungles and ravines pose a challenge in checking intrusion from across the border.Farooq Khan said curfew had been im..
The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Shia Ismaili Muslims, Tuesday called on President Pratibha Patil and discussed a host of issues, including reforms in madrassa education and the conservation of monuments in India.
The Aga Khan, who is on a week-long trip to India, met Patil for about half-hour. According to official sources, the 70-year-old leader - also known as Prince Karim Aga Khan IV - spoke enthusiastically about the need for reforms in Islamic religious schools. 'He talked about the possibility of replicating a programme of reform of madrassa education at the Aga Khan's ..
Claims of a woman that she possessed divine powers that could resurrect her from 'death' were exposed when social activists reached her house in a village near Bhawanigarh town in this district.
The family of the 'deceased' kept her body in the house and started an 'akhand path' (recitation of the holy book of the Sikhs) for her. Many people from the village and nearby areas started arriving to witness the miracle.However, a few activists from social organisations also reached the house and exposed the fact that Kaur was breathing and still alive. After being ex..
Former Kerala education minister and opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) leader T.M. Jacob Tuesday here accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of using liberal valuation norms to push up the pass percentage in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination.
The SSLC results, announced Tuesday, created an all-time record in the state with 92.09 percent of students, numbering 415,747, clearing the class 10 board examination.Jacob said the record-breaking result was a cruel joke perpetrated on the people by Education Minister M.A. Baby, who wanted to show that the ..
After keeping 'all options open' Tuesday morning, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ruling alliance partner Akali Dal reached a political truce by evening after poll-related violence Monday between workers of the alliance partners showed signs of rocking the 14-month-old Punjab government.
Addressing a joint press conference Tuesday after a day of political tension between both sides in which the state BJP leadership even contemplated pulling out of the alliance government and give it only outside support, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and BJP central leader Balbir Punj sai..
The pristine glory of the 17th century Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque in Delhi's old quarters, is nowhere close to being restored as a Rs.2.5-billion project for its beautification has failed to take off.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan is said to have built the grand mosque in such a manner that it would be visible from the majestic Red Fort. But a cluster of shops and residences cal..
The national bird peacock is in real danger in Rajasthan as the number of attacks on them is increasing by the day.
Eight peacocks were found dead in an agricultural field in Suriyapada village in Banswara district Thursday while three were shot dead by poachers in Ajmer district.
'We have sent the carcasses of the peacocks found in the field for post-mortem. Preliminary investigations r..
The body of internationally-renowned spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who popularised transcendental meditation across the globe reached here from his base in Netherlands Saturday.
The seer, who initiated the British pop-rock band Beatles into Indian spiritualism and transcendental meditation, died Tuesday.
The chartered flight carrying the body of the Maharishi, along with at leas..
Maoists are turning cannibals. They eat human flesh to terrorize villagers. This was revealed by the residents of Bandiguda, 45 km from the district headquarters town of Malkangiri. The district police, under the leadership of daredevil SP Satish Kumar Gajbhiye, risked in organizing a community policing programme in a far-flung area, known as the Red Terror Zone of the district. On August 3, 2007,..
Some 20 people Saturday protested at the office of news television network NDTV after it ran an SMS poll listing disgraced anti Hindu painter M.F. Hussein as a potential contender for Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian honor. The "attackers", claimed NDTV, allegedly ransacked the office here, broke windowpanes, air conditioners and electrical fittings and damaged other equi..
A door to door inspection of people with suspected symptoms of avian influenza began in West Bengal's Margram village Tuesday amid fears of the return of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus that causes bird flu.
More than 15,000 chickens have died in Margram, about 280 km from here, in Birbhum district in the past two weeks, raising the spectre of a bird flu attack similar to the one in Feb..
The campaign to bring exiled Bangladeshi writer and gender crusader Taslima Nasreen back to Kolkata, her adopted home, is gaining momentum.
Magasaysay award winning writer Mahasweta Devi has urged Hindi and other vernacular language writers to campaign for the Bangladeshi author's freedom so that she can return.
The ruling communists shunted out Taslima Nasreen after street riots ove..
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Tuesday advocated trifurcation of the state but put the onus of initiating the move on the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
'I am all for the division of Uttar Pradesh into three parts and would heartily support the creation of a separate Bundelkhand as a first step, provided the move is initiated by the Congress-ruled centre,' Mayawat..
After the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Indian Army too is hedging its bets on the indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile, saying it would test the weapon before deciding on its deployment.
'Akash has been tested for the IAF. We were not present at the trials,' Indian Army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor said at a press conference here Monday.
'Some of our requirements are ..
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Monday had a lunch meeting with Tamil Nadu's main opposition leader, AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha, sparking speculation that her party would again join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also attended the meeting on the first day of Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu.
Prasad later told the med..
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's 52nd birthday Tuesday may not witness the usual bash seen on her birthdays in the past but her followers have planned a big fanfare on the occasion across the state.
Unlike her past three stints in office when her birthday functions were openly sponsored by the state government, it was her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) that has been entrusted with the t..
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled luncheon meeting with AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa at the latter's Poes Garden residence in Chennai on Monday has set off speculation about the beginning of a revival of alliance between the two parties.
Modi will be in the city on Monday to take part in the 37th annual day celebrations of Tamil magazine 'Tughlaq', run by journal..
A little-known village in Bihar has found fame and is set for a facelift as it has been officially identified as the native place of former Mauritius prime minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.
Harigaon in Bhojpur district, about 60 km from here, was like any other village in rural Bihar without roads, electricity connection and a health centre.
The Bihar government will now develop it as a mo..
Suspecting a tribal woman to be involved in the murder of her husband, other residents of her village in Andhra Pradesh's Warangal district disrobed her in public, thrashed her, and paraded her round the village.
The shocking incident occurred Saturday at Jalli tanda, a tribal hamlet of Chennaraopeta mandal (circle) in Warangal district, about 250 km from here.
Hemli, 28, was accused of ..
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be offering prayers at the famous Sree Krishna Temple here Monday and will be weighed with lotus flowers and plantains too.
Modi, who arrives Sunday evening, will be bringing the lotus flowers, the symbol of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
'We have been told that Modi would be offering two 'tulabarams'. This means he would sit on one ..
Kolkata's worst fire in living memory continued to rage for the second day Sunday at the city's biggest wholesale market, engulfing thousands of shops amid fears that a multi-storied building could come crashing down.
The blaze, which destroyed at least eight buildings, broke out at 1 a.m. Saturday in the Tirpalpatti and Nandaram complex of Burrabazar - eastern India's largest who..
The BJP today alleged that the CPI(M) in Kerala was "appeasing" the muslim community while it was "attacking" the Christians. Party National Secretary Balbir Punj lashed out at the CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan for lauding various muslim organisations while flaying the church for not coming to the negotiating table to discuss fears over reglious freedom for muslim stu..
Amid reports that the Congress, leading the UPA government, wanted to delay resumption of the Sethusamudram Project, CPI today asked Centre to complete the project as "promised" in its common minimum programme. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar were attempting to stall the project by giving it a communal colour. Some parties like AIADMK were also supporting them on the issue, CPI national se..
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, basking in the glow of a landslide victory in state polls, Wednesday sought to showcase Gujarat as India's number one state and offered to host the first People of Indian Origin (PIO) University in the state.
Modi, attired in a dapper suit, made a strong pitch for attracting investment from NRIs and exhorted them to make the most of the $100 billion Jap..
A Delhi court Wednesday summoned eminent painter M.F. Husain to appear before it in a case pertaining to some of his works that have allegedly hurt religious sentiments of some people.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) A.K. Kuhar directed Husain to appear before it March 29.
'Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, the investigating officer (IO) is directe..
By 2010 India will have an indigenous ballistic missile defence system to intercept and destroy intermediate ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), a top defence official said here Monday.
'We are developing a robust anti-missile defence system that will have high-speed interceptions for engaging ballistic missiles in the 5,000 km class and above. We ha..
The army Thursday continued marching through Assam's Goalpara district as the death toll from the police firing on protesters demanding rural polls mounted to eight with four more people succumbing to their injuries.
A police spokesperson said the army was deployed in strength across Assam's Goalpara district, about 170 km west of the state's main city of Guwahati.
'The ..
The West Bengal government Wednesday said paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will remain deployed in restive Nandigram in West Bengal, where violence over the proposed land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ) has claimed 35 lives since January last year.
'We don't want the CRPF to be withdrawn from Nandigram. As of now, the CRPF is there and it would be there in..
The Assam government Tuesday offered peace talks with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), but ruled out discussing the outfit's main demand to discuss the issue of the state's sovereignty.
'We want the ULFA issue to be resolved politically through negotiations and want their leaders to come for talks. But there is no question of discussing the sovereignty issue as..
Farmhouse bashes, galas at five-star hotels, intimate family gatherings...residents of the Indian capital partied every which way to usher in the New Year, the coldest in five years.
Unlike in previous years, the spirit of celebration was slightly different at the close of 2007 Monday night. Delhi chose to play it safe and a tad low-key though the clubs, discotheques and party venues were packed..
What will the city of Taj Mahal get as a New Year's gift? A long awaited makeover.
A city, which is just 200 km fm the Indian capital New Delhi and draws tens of thousands of foreign visitors every year, is so full of squalor and eyesores in parts, that many first time visitors to the country recoil from it. But now the Agra Municipal Corporation has launched one of the biggest cleanliness ..
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi was early Tuesday admitted to a hospital here after complaining of chest pain.
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital chairman B.K. Rao said: 'Mrs. Sonia Gandhi came to our hospital with cough and a light breathing problem. She has a chest infection.'
Rao added that her treatment has begun and her condition is stable.
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Bharatiya Janshakti (BJS) Party chief Uma Bharati Saturday indicated she might withdraw her party's candidates in the Gujarat assembly elections in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Before leaving for Gujarat by a train Saturday evening, the former central minister who was expelled from the BJP told the mediapersons that she was compelled to leave for the neighbouring state to dis..
Two tiger cubs have been sighted at the Ranthambore national park in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, forest officials said here Saturday.
'Two tiger cubs, around four months old, were sighted by tourists in Baidra area of the park Friday after which we have beefed up security arrangements in the area,' officials told IANS.
Many forest officials, including deputy conservator of..
Gujarat's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) late Sunday announced a list of 74 candidates for the assembly election next month, with Chief Minister Narendra Modi contesting from his Maninagar constituency in Ahmedabad.
The BJP central election committee chaired by party president Rajnath Singh met here to deliberate on the names recommended by the state election committee. Senior leader L..
