PM to lead main International Day of Yoga event at Mysuru
New Delhi(PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the mass Yoga demonstration event in Mysuru on June 21 on the International Day of Yoga.
The programme is being held in the physical mode after a gap of two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As the country is celebrating the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Day will be observed at 75 iconic locations across the country and will focus on branding India on a global scale, Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
A series of mega events are being planned in the run up to Day with a 25-day countdown to observed in Hyderabad on May 27, wherein around 10,000 Yoga enthusiasts will participate in the Yoga demonstration.
The earlier mega countdown events were organised at Shivdol (50-day countdown on May 2) and at the Red Fort here (75-day countdown on April 7).
Apart from the main event at Mysuru, another attraction on June 21 this year will be the Guardian Ring -- a relay Yoga streaming event -- which will capture and weave together digital feed of International Day of Yoga programmes organised by Indian Missions abroad.
The proposed plan is to initiate the streaming from Japan, the land of the rising sun, at 6 am local time, and it will culminate in New Zealand, Sonowal stated. Around 70 countries are likely to participate in the relay event.
Union ministers, film and sports personalities, Yoga experts and enthusiasts will be among those who will attend the event.
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Maharashtra: Voting begins in 5 Lok Sabha seats in first phase
Nagpur (PTI): Polling began Friday morning in five Lok Sabha seats of Maharashtra, where more than 95 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase.
Polling in the 43 other Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in four more phases later this month and in May.
Altogether 97 candidates, including Union minister Nitin Gadkari, are in fray in Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) constituency, all located in eastern-most parts of the state.
There are 95,54,667 voters in the five Lok Sabha constituencies in the Vidarbha region. Of these, 48,28,142 are male, 47,26,178 female and 347 transgender voters, an election official said.
In Nagpur, there is a direct fight between senior BJP leader Gadkari, who is seeking a third term, and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre. The high-profile constituency, which houses the RSS headquarters, has a total of 22,18,259 voters -- 11,10, 840 male, 11,07,197 female and 222 transgender persons.
In Chandrapur, BJP candidate and Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is facing Congress nominee Pratibha Dhanorkar, wife of late parliamentarian Suresh Dhanorkar, who was the lone MP from the grand old party to be elected to the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra in 2019. Chandrapur has 18,36,314 voters, including 9,45,026 males and 8,91,240 females.
In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sunil Mendhe, who is pitted against Congress candidate Dr Prashant Patole. Bhandara-Gondia has a total of 18,75,106 voters (9,36,041 males, 9,39,056 females and 12 transgenders).
Two-time Lok Sabha MP of BJP, Ashok Nete, is contesting against Congress nominee Dr Namdev Kirsan in Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), where some areas are affected by Naxal insurgency. The constituency has 16,12,930 voters (8,11,836 males, 8,01,082 females and 12 transgenders).
In Ramtek, the fight is between Shyamkumar Barwe of the Congress and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's candidate Raju Parwe. The constituency has a total of 20,45,717 voters (10,43,266 males, 10,02,396 females and 55 transgenders).
Five assembly segments, spread across two Lok Sabha seats, including Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur, are voting between 7 am and 3 pm, unlike other areas where voters can exercise their franchise until 6 pm.
In the assembly segments of Amgaon, Armori, Gadchiroli and Aheri of Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency and Arjune Morgaon in Bhandara-Gondia seat, polling is being held between 7 am and 3 pm, the official said.
VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: “We are celebrating the festival of democracy with great enthusiasm, and I believe that the citizens of our country will exercise their duty and responsibility of voting. I would like to appeal to the people of Nagpur to come and vote as soon as… pic.twitter.com/c4f5uZxcHS
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