New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm

These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm BALLIA ELX11 UP-SBSP-BJP Ballia (UP): The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) will hold a meeting on Monday to decide whether to continue its alliance with the BJP for the general election. GORAKHPUR ELX39 UP-SP-2NDLD GORAKHPUR Gorakhpur (UP), Mar 30 (PTI) A day after the Nishad Party quit the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party Saturday named its own candidate for the prestigious Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, dropping sitting MP Pravin Nishad.

DEHRADUN ELX10 UKD-BJP-TOUGH SEATS Dehradun: With party stalwarts Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri deciding to stay out of the poll fray, retaining all five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand appears an uphill task for the ruling BJP. SHIMLA ELN4 HP-SHARMA SON Shimla: Power minister in the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh Anil Sharma has said that he would not campaign against his son Aashray Sharma, who has been declared the Congress candidate in Mandi.

CHANDIGARH ELX3 POLL-HR-CONG Chandigarh: Senior Congress leaders and their kin are among the contenders for party tickets in Haryana, which sends 10 MPs to the Lok Sabha. MATHURA ELN25 UP-HEMA MALINI Mathura: BJP MP Hema Malini has said it will be dangerous for the country if Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't return to power as he alone has the courage to do what is right for the country.

BANIHAL/JAMMU DEL13 JK-2NDLD EXPLOSION Banihal/Jammu: A CRPF vehicle was slightly damaged Saturday when a private car went up in flames after an explosion, apparently caused by a gas cylinder, on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, police said. CHANDIGARH ELX18 HR-BSF-CONSTABLE-VARANASI Chandigarh: The BSF constable who was dismissed in 2017 after he posted a video online complaining about the food served to the troops has said he would take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

KHANNA DES17 PB CASH-LD SEIZURE Khanna: The Punjab Police Saturday claimed to have recovered Rs 9.66 crore of hawala money from six men, including a church priest. JAMMU DES5 JK-GOVERNOR-TERROR Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Saturday said the newly set up multi-disciplinary terror monitoring group (MDTMG) would help put an end to the menace in the state.

CHANDIGARH ELX25 PB-PDA-CANDIDATE Chandigarh: Punjabi singer-actor-turned-politician Jassi Jasraj has been fielded from Sangrur parliamentary seat by the Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) on Saturday, said Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) chief Simarjeet Singh Bains whose outfit is a part of the tie-up. JAIPUR ELX22 RJ-CANDIDATES-SEARCH Jaipur: After declaring 19 nominees each so far for the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, both the BJP and the Congress are now looking for six strong candidates.

GHAZIABAD DES16 NCR-MURDER-ARREST Ghaziabad: A Delhi policeman allegedly shot dead a couple at a temple here, apparently because the woman had ended her relationship with him, police said Saturday. KOTDWAR ELX33 POLL-UKD-CAMPAIGN Kotdwar: With less than a fortnight to go for the April 11 polls to the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand, campaigning picked up pace in Pauri district Saturday with both the Congress and the BJP holding public meetings here to garner support for themselves. SRINAGAR DES9 JK-MEHBOOBA Srinagar: Hitting back at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for advocating repeal of special status of Jammu and Kashmir, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday that the relationship between the Union and the state would be over if Article 370 of the Constitution is revoked.

JALANDHAR DES15 PB-FAMILY-SUICIDE Jalandhar: Four persons of a family here allegedly committed suicide after consuming some poisonous substance, police said Saturday. PTI ASH ASH.