PM Modi to interact with 3K youths at Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue on Monday
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with more than 3,000 youngsters from across India and abroad at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue here on January 12, the PMO said in a statement on Saturday.
Selected participants of the 2026 edition of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue will make their final presentations to the PM across 10 thematic tracks, sharing youth-led perspectives and actionable ideas on key areas of national importance.
On the occasion of National Youth Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the prime minister will participate in the concluding session of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam, the statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
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During the programme, the prime minister will release the Essay Compilation for Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026, comprising selected essays authored by young participants on India's developmental priorities and long-term nation-building goals.
The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue is a national platform designed to facilitate structured engagement between India's youth and national leadership.
"Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue aligns with the prime minister's Independence Day call to engage 1 lakh youth in politics without political affiliations and provide them a national platform to make their ideas for Viksit Bharat, a reality," the PMO said.
The dialogue, being held from January 9 to 12, has witnessed participation from over 50 lakh youth across the country at various levels.
The young leaders converging at the national-level championship have been selected through a rigorous, merit-based three-stage selection process, comprising a nationwide digital quiz, an essay challenge and state-level vision presentations.
The second edition of the dialogue builds upon the success of its inaugural edition with key new additions, including the introduction of Design for Bharat, Tech for Viksit Bharat - Hack for a Social Cause, expanded thematic engagements, and international participation for the first time, further strengthening the dialogue's scope and impact, the statement said.
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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.
