No country more essential than India: US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor
New Delhi (PTI): No country is as essential as India for Washington and both sides are actively engaged in firming up a trade deal, US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor said on Monday.
Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences in the end, he said in his arrival speech while referring to the friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump.
ALSO READ: Indian High Commission hosts Pongal festivities for migrant workers in Singapore
"India is the world's largest nation. So it's not an easy task to get this across the finish line, but we are determined to get there," he said at a ceremony attended by US embassy employees here.
"And while trade is very important for our relationship, we will continue to work closely together on other very important areas such as security, counter-terrorism, energy, technology, education, and health," he said.
"I have travelled all over the world with President Trump, and I can attest that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real," he added.
Gor also announced that India will be a member of the Pax Silica alliance.
"I am pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month," he said.
The Pax Silica alliance is a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, resilient and innovation driven silicon supply chain.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
K'taka bypolls: Bagalkot records 43.75 per cent turnout till 1 pm, 37.17 pc in Davanagere South
Bengaluru (PTI): At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.
Davanagere South recorded a turnout of 37.17 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office said.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
