Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, a popular actor, said Thursday that he was ready to serve the people of Mandya from where he is expected to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Nikhil, the third generation of the mighty Deve Gowda clan, said he would go by the decision of the party on fielding him from Mandya, a Vokkaliga community bastion of JD(S).

"Senior leaders took a decision after discussing with party workers and the MLAs. Most importantly, the party has come forward to give (me) a ticket after understanding the sentiments of the people of Mandya. So, I am ready to serve the people of Mandya," Nikhil told reporters in Sringeri.

The Congress and the JD(S) have decided to go to polls together and are in the last phase of finalising the seat-sharing arrangement.

The list has not yet been made public but insiders said the JD(S) is all set to field Nikhil, who made his acting debut in 2016 with Kannada-Telugu bilingual film 'Jaguar'.

Presently, L R Shivarame Gowda of JD(S) represents Mandya in the Lok Sabha. He won the bypoll last year.

However, the coalition is facing a challenge from film actress Sumalatha Ambareesh.

She has communicated to the Congress leadership, with which her husband was associated from the beginning, that she would contest from Mandya. She has even hinted that if she is denied ticket, she may contest as an independent.

The BJP has kept its Mandya card close to its chest. There have been speculations that the party may back Sumalatha if the Congress-JD(S) alliance denies her a ticket.

Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, BJP state chief B S Yeddyurappa said, "We have not yet discussed (whether to field or support Sumalatha in Mandya). We will take a decision after seeing her decision."

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Dehradun: Nearly nineteen years ago, at a Passing Out Parade of the Indian Military Academy, then President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam held the hand of a three-year-old boy standing with his father and remarked, “Yeh fauji ka haath hai” (This is a soldier’s hand). On Saturday, at a similar parade, Dr. Kalam’s words came true in the most literal sense, as the same boy was commissioned as an officer in the Indian Army, drawing attention across the parade ground.

The inspiring story is that of Lieutenant Harmanmeet Singh, who was commissioned into the Indian Army at the age of 22.

With Harmanmeet Singh’s commissioning, a long-standing family tradition of serving the Indian Army, dating back to the early years after Independence, continues. He has become the fourth generation from his family to don the olive green uniform.

Lieutenant Harmanmeet Singh’s great-grandfather, late Subedar Pratap Singh, joined the Army in 1948. The legacy was carried forward by his grandfather, late Sepoy Daljeet Singh, his grand-uncle Major Bhagwant Singh, and Colonel Ujagar Singh.

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Born in Kanpur, Harmanmeet Singh trained as a cadet under the Technical Entry Scheme at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, where he won a silver medal. He has been commissioned into the 6 Maratha Light Infantry, the same regiment in which his father, Colonel Harmeet Singh, had earlier served as the Commanding Officer.

Colonel Harmeet Singh himself graduated from the Indian Military Academy on December 9, 2000, exactly 25 years before his son’s commissioning. He said the Army had always been an integral part of Harmanmeet’s world. Growing up, Harmanmeet admired his father in uniform and often wore outfits resembling Army uniforms and badges. “That was his favourite attire. Even at the age of three, while studying in kindergarten, he expressed his desire to become a Gentleman Cadet,” Colonel Harmeet Singh said with pride.

The moment marked not just a personal achievement for Lieutenant Harmanmeet Singh, but also the fulfillment of a prophecy-like remark made years ago by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, now remembered as a symbol of inspiration and destiny fulfilled.