Amid ongoing protests against Union Minister and BJP's Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala, Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil convened a meeting with leaders of the Kshatriya community on Thursday.

In Rajkot, a stronghold of the BJP, Minister for State Purshottam Rupala, hailing from the Patidar community, encountered backlash for a comment made at a Bhajan event, which offended the Kshatriya community, escalating their discontent and presenting a significant challenge to Rupala's candidacy.

The five assembly constituencies - Vijapur, Porbandar, Manavadar, Khambhat, and Vaghodia - fell vacant after their sitting MLAs resigned between December 2023 and March 2024 and subsequently joined the BJP. 

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated the Hovercraft Maintenance Unit of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Okha, Gujarat, marking a significant step in enhancing the country's maritime security capabilities.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat has unveiled the names of six candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, completing its roster for all 26 constituencies set for elections on May 7.