Mangaluru: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader stressed on the role of karate in shaping students' personalities, describing it as a valuable supplement to education. Speaking at the inauguration of the Shaurya International Karate Championship on Friday, held at the Cordell Church Hall in Kulasekhara, Khader highlighted the importance of parental and teacher support in sustaining and promoting the art of self-defense.

Khader noted that previously, students from Mangaluru had to spend significant amounts, up to two to three lakh rupees, to participate in international karate championships. However, the local organization of this event now provides a crucial opportunity for young participants at the beginning of their journeys.

The event was also marked by Mangaluru Bishop Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha's blessing and a special address by Mangaluru Mayor Sudhir Kumar Shetty, who announced a donation of Rs 10 lakhs from the Mangaluru City Corporation to support the tournament. Shetty expressed his best wishes for the championship's success.

MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, presided over the function. Tournament Director A. Sadananda Shetty was felicitated during the event.

The inauguration saw the presence of several dignitaries, including Vidhan Parishad Member Ivan D'Souza, KIO President Hanshi Bharat Sharma, Self Defense School of Indian Karate President Kiosi Ishwara Kateel, and other key figures from the karate community. Organizers and committee members, including the founder president of the Dakshina Kannada district karate organization, K. Tejomaya, played a significant role in the successful organisation of the event.

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Baramati, Nov 23: Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Saturday won from his traditional Baramati assembly constituency by defeating his nephew and NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar by more than one lakh votes.

Ajit, who parted ways with his uncle Sharad Pawar last year and was seeking an eighth term from this family bastion in Pune district, polled 1,81,132 votes while Yugendra Pawar polled 80,233 votes.

Ajit, thus, defeated his younger brother's son by 1,00,899 votes.

Five months ago, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) had triumphed in Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections, with incumbent MP and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule defeating Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes.

Both the NCP factions did not leave a single stone unturned during the assembly campaign, and even Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha Pawar and Sule's daughter Revati were seen campaigning for Yugendra, while Ajit Pawar brought his mother on stage during his concluding rally in Baramati.

While Sharad Pawar told the people of Baramati that they needed a new leadership, alluding to Yugendra Pawar whom he described as a highly-educated candidate, Ajit Pawar cautioned people not to fall prey to the "emotional pitch" by the senior Pawar.

After Saturday's results, Ajit Pawar, who along with several other NCP legislators sided with the BJP-Shiv Sena government in 2023, could claim to be the real political heir of his estranged uncle who founded the NCP in 1999.

Sunetra Pawar, now a Rajya Sabha member, thanked the people of Baramati for reposing their faith once again in `Dada' (elder brother in Marathi, as Ajit is fondly called).