Morning briefing: PM’s late-night meet on LS polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday night convened its central election committee (CEC) meeting to finalise the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda were among those who attended the meeting. The meeting, which began around 10:30 pm on Thursday, lasted for more than four hours and was held at the party’s headquarters in Delhi. Leaders from various states, including Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Gujarat’s Bhupendra Patel, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Chhattisgarh’s Vishnu Deo Sai, Uttarakhand’s Pushkar Singh Dhami and Goa’s Pramod Sawant, were among those who arrived at the BJP headquarters for the meeting. Dig Deeper
Protesting farmer Shubh Karan Singh, who was killed in clashes with the Haryana Police at Khanauri last week, died of a firearm injury to the head, according to the 21-year-old man’s post-mortem examination report, which also detected “foreign bodies” in his head. A CT scan conducted before the autopsy detected several metal pellets in his head. Wounds caused by metal pellets were found on the upper bodies of several protesting farmers who were injured in police action, said medico-legal reports issued by hospitals in Patiala last week. The examination, which was conducted on Wednesday, found an injury mark on the occipital region (the rearmost region of the skull) and also showed that his body bore no other injury marks. HT has seen the report. Dig Deeper
Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant pre-wedding bash: List of guests who arrived in Jamnagar. Dig Deeper
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On Thursday evening, parents-to-be Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh were clicked at Mumbai and Jamnagar airports. The actors had just shared their pregnancy news earlier in the day and were adorably twinning in white as they arrived for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar. As Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh arrived at Jamnagar, they were mobbed by fans, who wanted to click pictures and selfies. Ranveer could be seen holding Deepika’s hand and helping her make her way to their car. He even put his arms around her to protect her from the crowd. Ranveer looked happy as he couldn’t stop grinning and waved to fans. The couple was also flanked by security, who kept the crowd from getting too close. Dig Deeper
In a series where four youngsters made their India debut, Dhruv Jurel’s was probably the most memorable one. After Rajat Patidar skidded off the runway, Sarfaraz Khan’s blistering twin fifties in Rajkot and Akash Deep’s wreckage of England’s top order with three quick wickets in Ranchi, Jurel’s knocks of steel in both innings of a Test match could well be labelled as the performance of this series. A big claim considering there’s Yashasvi Jaiswal’s tally of 652 runs, but that’s how good Jurel was. In fact, so impressive was he that the legendary Sunil Gavaskar referred to him as ‘another MS Dhoni in the making’, and while the former India captain also mentioned that no one can be Dhoni, Jurel’s initial impressions have all the characteristics to make him an all-time great. Dig Deeper
International pop sensation Rihanna arrived in Jamnagar on Thursday evening to attend the pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. The high-profile couple are hosting their grand pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar, Gujarat, from March 1 to 3, which promises to be a much-anticipated star-studded event. The buzz around the couple’s wedding is already high and there is no doubt that the event will be a glamorous affair, with several famous personalities from around the world set to mark their presence. Rihanna, one of the most popular pop singers, turned heads and sent social media into a frenzy as she arrived in Jamnagar. Wearing a bodysuit and cargo pants, she kept her stylish airport look casual yet trendy. Let’s decode her sartorial picks and get some style inspiration. Dig Deeper