ULB polls begin at D.K, Udupi
Mangaluru: Elections began for Ullal and Puttur City Municipal Corporations, Bantwal Town Municipal Corporation and Udupi distrcit’s four local bodies today. Of the 89 wards, 1,17,979 voters are required to elect 89 Representatives, with a total of 250 candidates in the arena.
Of the 31 wards in Ullal, 102 candidates are contesting, with 44,132 voters. Out of 31 wards in Puttur, 77 candidates are in the fray, with 39,745 voters. Of the 27 wards in Bantwal, 71 candidates are in the arena with 34,102 voters.
Ullal has 43 polling stations, including 18 most sensitive and 11 sensitive stations. There are 41 polling booths in Puttur, with 27 sensitive. Bantwal has 18 very sensitive and 14 sensitive of 32 booths.
A total of 145 voting machines are being used for elections to three local bodies. Also, 145 ballet units and control units are also installed.
Nota usage
Voters who do not want to vote for any of the candidates are allowed to vote for NOTA option in the voting machine.
Polling booth Details of Udupi district
For the 35 wards of the Udupi Urban Local Bodies, 98 polling stations have been setup. Of 97,561 voters, there are 47,538 men, 50,022 women and one other.
There are 23,302 voters, including 11,292 men and 12,010 women in 23 Kundapura town Municipality.
In 23 wards of Karkala Municipality, there are 23 polling stations. It has 9,879 men and 10,725 women, with a total of 20,604 voters.
There are 16 polling stations for 16 wards of the Saligrama Town Panchayat, with 6,213 men and 6,748 women, with a total of 12,961 voters.
General Holiday:
In a bid to fecilitate voter to exercise their franchise, general holiday for all the state government offices, schools, colleges (including aided educational institutions) of the respective constituencies have been decleared holiday on August 31.
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Parliament passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Parliament early Friday passed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha had on Thursday approved the Bill after over a 12-hour debate.
In Rajya Sabha, the Bill got 128 votes in its favour and 95 against after all the amendments moved by the opposition were rejected.
In the lower house, the bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 voted against it.
Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought with a number of amendments based on suggestions given by various stakeholders.
"The Waqf Board is a statutory body. All government bodies should be secular," the minister said, explaining the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board.
He, however, said the number of non-Muslims has been restricted to only four out of 22.
Rijiju also alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties, and not the BJP, were trying to scare Muslims with the Waqf Bill.
"You (opposition) are pushing Muslims out of the mainstream," he added.
He said for 60 years, the Congress and others ruled the country, but did not do much for Muslims and the community continues to live in poverty.
"Muslims are poor, who is responsible? You (Congress) are. Modi is now leading the government to uplift them," the minister said.
According to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Waqf tribunals will be strengthened, a structured selection process will be maintained, and a tenure will be fixed to ensure efficient dispute resolution.
As per the Bill, while Waqf institutions' mandatory contribution to Waqf boards is reduced from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, Waqf institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.
A centralised portal will automate Waqf property management, improving efficiency and transparency.
The Bill proposes that practising Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their property to the Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.
It stipulates that women must receive their inheritance before the Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women and orphans.
The Bill proposes that an officer above the rank of collector investigate government properties claimed as Waqf.
It also proposes that non-Muslim members be included in the central and state Waqf boards for inclusivity.
