Mangaluru's Noushad on walking journey to Hajj stranded in Riyadh without Hajj permission
Mangaluru: Noushad, a 25-year-old from Uppinangadi, Dakshina Kannada, has undertaken an extraordinary journey from Karnataka to Makkah, covering a remarkable distance of 8640 kilometers. His trek, initiated in January 2023, is not just a pilgrimage but a testament to determination and the pursuit of dreams against challenges.
Inspired by his mother's unfulfilled dream of walking to Makkah for the Hajj pilgrimage, Noushad adopted this aspiration as his own. His aim is to inspire the youth by demonstrating that dreams can be realized through persistent efforts.
Having faced bureaucratic hurdles during his initial attempt in 2021, where he covered 3500 kilometers from Karnataka to Kashmir, Noushad retraced his steps. Undeterred, he embarked on a second attempt, overcoming visa challenges to enter Pakistan by foot. Despite being advised to take a flight from Pakistan to Oman due to extreme weather and security concerns, he resumed his journey from Muscat, walking through the UAE and reaching Riyadh after covering 7800 kilometers.
Currently stationed in Riyadh, Noushad faces a new challenge—he lacks the crucial Hajj permission despite being on an Umrah visa.
"It was my mother's dream to walk to Makkah for Hajj, and since she couldn't take the up the journey by walk, I made that dream mine. I want to inspire the youth that dreams can be achieved," Noushad said while he awaits for a solution to his issue of acquiring a Hajj permission.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
