First phase of Gram Panchayat polls in Karnataka on Tuesday
A total of 1.17 lakh candidates are in the fray for 43,238 seats
Bengaluru, Dec 21: A total of 3,019 panchayats in 117 taluks across Karnataka will go for polling in the first phase of Gram Panchayat elections on Tuesday, poll officials said.
A total of 1.17 lakh candidates are in the fray for 43,238 seats, they said.
Half of the seats are reserved for women.
The election will be taking place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and those who have tested positive or under primary/secondary contacts can vote in the last hour of polling, officials said.
Polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm in over 23,000 booths.
Though these polls don't take place on party symbols, all political parties have put in efforts to ensure that the candidate supported by them wins.
A total of 4,377 candidates have been elected unopposed already, officials said.
Elaborate security and COVID related precautionary measures have been made for the voting, they said, adding that wearing masks and maintaining social distance are mandatory.
Hand sanitizers will also be available in polling booths.
The second phase of polls is scheduled on December 27.
Counting for both phases will be held on December 30.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
