Sadhvi Pragya, Ramesh Bidhuri, Parvesh Sahib, Meenakshi Lekhi among 33 candidates dropped by BJP in first list

News Network
March 3, 2024

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced the replacement of 33 incumbent MPs with fresh candidates in its first list of 195 nominees for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

As per this candidate list, five candidates for Delhi include Praveen Khandelwal from Chandani Chowk, dropping two-term MP and former Union Minister Harsh Vardhan. Late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri Swaraj has been named as the saffron party’s candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, replacing Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi. 

Some of these leaders have made headlines for their controversial, provocative and anti-Islamic remarks inside and outside Parliament, and the BJP's move to drop them sends a message that the party is taking no chances ahead of an election in which it faces a joint Opposition.

The BJP named Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from South Delhi, dropping Ramesh Bidhuri. From the West Delhi seat, the BJP replaced two-term MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma with Kamaljeet Sehrawat. 

In Madhya Pradesh, seven sitting MPs have been replaced. The saffron party named Bharat Singh Kushwaha from Gwalior, replacing MP Vivek Narayan Shejwalker. 

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been named from Guna, dropping Krishnapal Singh Yadav. Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Vidisha, currently held by MP Ramakant Bhargava. In Bhopal, Alok Sharma will be the candidate instead of Sadhvi Pragya Singh. 

BJP nominee Lata Wankhede has been named from the Sagar Lok Sabha seat, replacing Rajbahadur Singh. Virendra Singh Khatik will contest from Tikamgarh seat. Party nominee Anita Nagar Singh will contest from Ratlam seat, currently held by BJP MP Guman Singh Damor. 

Besides this, the list also includes 11 seats from Assam, with five new faces and six current MPs. Parimal Suklabaidhya will contest from Silchar, previously held by Rajdeep Roy. Amar Singh Tisso, Bijuli Kalita Medhi, and Ranjit Dutta are contesting from Autonomous District (ST), Gauhati, and Tezpur respectively. 

Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal is the candidate from Dibrugarh, dropping sitting MP Rameswar Teli.  Four new candidates are named for 11 seats in Chhattisgarh. Senior leader Brijmohan Agrawal from Raipur and Roop Kumari Choudhary from Mahasamund are among them. 

In Gujarat, five incumbents have been replaced for 15 seats. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will contest from Porbandar, currently held by party MP Rameshbhai Lavjibhai Dhaduk.  In Rajkot, the BJP named Union Minister Parshottam Rupala as the candidate, dropping sitting MP Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya.

Party nominee Rekhaben Hiteshbhai Choudhary will contest from the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Prabhatbhai Savabhai Patel. Dineshbhai Kidarbhai Makwana replaced three-term MP Kirit Solanki on Ahmedabad West seat. BJP nominee Rajpalsinh Mahendrasinh Jadhav will contest from the Panchmahal seat, dropping sitting MP Ratansinh Magansinh Rathod. 

Moreover, Manish Jaiswal and Samir Oraon are the new faces in Jharkhand. While Jaiswal replaced former Union Minister Jayant Sinha in Hazaribagh, Oraon replaced three-time MP Sudarshan Bhagat in Lohardaga seat. 

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News Network
May 13,2025

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Srinagar: Following an unprecedented episode of intense cross-border shelling by the Pakistan Army that directly targeted the towns of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government is moving to construct community bunkers in these towns and other vulnerable areas along the Line of Control (LoC).

While the government has, over the past decade, supported the construction of both individual and community bunkers along the LoC and the International Border (IB), towns like Rajouri and Poonch had been excluded from such initiatives. These towns were considered safe, as previous shelling incidents were largely restricted to forward villages closer to the border.

Officials now say the latest shelling marks a dangerous shift in the pattern of cross-border hostilities.

“The nature and intensity of the attack marked a significant departure from past ceasefire violations. For the first time in years, heavily populated towns like Rajouri and Poonch were directly hit,” a senior official said.

Caught unprepared, residents in both towns had little access to protective infrastructure as long-range mortar shells struck deep inside civilian areas.

“People weren’t expecting this—these towns had never been targeted before. Without bunkers, many had nowhere to go for safety,” the official added.

In response, the government now plans to build community bunkers at strategic locations throughout Rajouri and Poonch. These reinforced shelters will offer immediate protection to civilians during any future shelling incidents.

“In areas where individual bunkers aren't viable, community shelters become essential. These will provide residents with quick access to safety in emergencies,” the official noted.

The attacks have left local communities rattled.

“This is the first time shells landed so close to our homes in Poonch town,” said Abdul Rashid, a resident. “We never thought this would happen here.”

The sudden escalation has disrupted the fragile calm along the LoC, raising concerns over a potential return to more violent confrontations in the region.

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News Network
April 29,2025

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Mangaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara has expressed concern over the mob lynching of an unidentified man in Mangaluru, in which several Hindutva activists have been arrested. The incident took place on April 27 near Bhatra Kallurti Temple in the Kudupu area on the outskirts of the city.

“Even if someone uttered offensive slogans, violence is not acceptable. The law must take its own course — taking matters into one’s own hands is completely wrong,” the Home Minister said, calling the act "deeply concerning."

He also urged the public to remain calm and avoid speculation. “We still don’t know if the victim was a local or from outside Karnataka. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and communal harmony.”

What Happened

The incident occurred around 3 PM on Sunday, during a cricket tournament that involved ten teams and more than 100 players. The accused have reportedly told the police that the victim shouted "Pakistan Zindabad" — a claim now central to the investigation. A physical altercation began between the man and a local youth named Sachin (26), which quickly escalated into a violent group assault.

Eyewitnesses said while some bystanders tried to intervene, others in the crowd beat the man with sticks and kicked him repeatedly. The body was discovered near the temple later in the day, around 5:30 PM, prompting a police alert.

Post-Mortem Reveals Brutality

Initially, police did not observe major visible injuries and suspected a natural death. However, further investigation and a post-mortem at Wenlock District Hospital revealed that the man had died from internal bleeding and shock due to multiple blunt-force injuries, especially to the back, limbs, genitals, and buttocks. The injuries were consistent with an assault using wooden logs.

“This was a brutal and unprecedented case,” said Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal. “We have not seen anything of this nature in the city before. The victim received no medical attention, and that proved fatal.”

Arrests and Legal Action

As of now, 15 individuals — including Sachin — have been arrested, all from Kudupu, Neermarga, Vamanjoor, and surrounding areas. The First Information Report (FIR), filed by local resident Deepak Kumar (33), names 19 individuals, with police expecting the number of accused to grow as they analyze CCTV footage and mobile data.

Authorities estimate that around 25 people were involved in the lynching. Given the number of attackers, the case has been registered under Section 103(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which specifically addresses mob lynching. The section allows for life imprisonment or death penalty for those found guilty.

“Everyone involved will be brought to justice. We will apply the strictest legal provisions,” Commissioner Agarwal stated.

Motive Under Investigation

While some arrested individuals claim the lynching was triggered by the man shouting pro-Pakistan slogans, the authorities have not yet confirmed the authenticity or context of those claims. The identity of the victim remains unknown, and forensic teams are working to establish his background and possible connections to the local area.

Police have emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and urged the public to refrain from circulating misinformation or communal narratives.

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News Network
April 29,2025

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The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a plea by former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, undergoing life imprisonment in connection with a 1990 custodial death case, for bail and the suspension of his sentence. While denying him the relief, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also directed that the hearing of his appeal be expedited.

“We are not inclined to enlarge the appellant Sanjiv Kumar Bhatt on bail. However, we make it clear that the observations made herein above are restricted to the prayer for bail only and will have no bearing on the appeals of the appellant and the co-accused. The prayers sought by the appellant, Sanjiv Kumar Bhatt, for the grant of bail are dismissed. Hearing of the appeal is directed to be expedited,” Justice Mehta said while reading out the order.

The case dates back to 1990 when Bhatt was posted as the additional superintendent of police in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. He had detained around 133 people under the stringent Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) (TADA) Act during a communal riot in Jamjodhpur town.

On November 18, 1990, one of those detained, Prabhudas Vaishnani, died in a hospital after he was released, allegedly due to torture while he was in custody. A complaint of custodial death was registered against seven policemen, including Bhatt, by Amrutlal Vaishnani, the brother of the deceased, following which the investigation was transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) branch in Gandhinagar.

In 1995, the CID investigating officer requested sanction from the government to prosecute Bhatt as is required for the prosecution of a government officer when on duty. However, the government did not grant the sanction. After that, CID filed a summary report, which is a closure report, in the court. However, the court rejected this report in December 1995 and instead took cognisance of offences alleged against Bhatt and six others.

An A-summary report was filed in this case in 1995 after the Gujarat Government refused to grant sanction for prosecuting Bhatt. However, after Bhatt’s deposition in relation to the 2002 communal riots before the Nanavati and the Mehta commissions between May and July 2011, the state government withdrew protection granted to him, and the Jamnagar court began framing charges soon after.

A Jamnagar sessions court sentenced Bhatt to life imprisonment in June 2019. This was subsequently upheld by a Division Bench of the Gujarat High Court.

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