Congress victory in Karnataka Assembly polls is best birthday gift possible for me: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar said the thumping victory of the party in the May 10 Assembly elections is the best birthday gift possible given to him by the people.
"My life is dedicated to serving the people of Karnataka", said Shivakumar, an eight-time MLA who celebrated his 62nd birthday on Monday.
"On the eve of my birthday, the people of Karnataka gave me the best birthday gift possible. Thanks to my Congress family for their warm greetings," he said.
Shivakumar is engaged in an intense competition with senior party leader Siddaramaiah for the Chief Minister's post.
The Karnataka Congress Legislaure Party at its meeting on Sunday unanimously passed a resolution authorising AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the new Chief Minister of the state.
In the Assembly polls to the 224-member House, the Congress won 135 seats, the BJP 66 and the JD(S) 19. The results were declared on May 13.
My life is dedicated to serving the people of Karnataka.
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) May 14, 2023
On the eve of my birthday, the people of Karnataka gave me the best birthday gift possible.
Thanks to my Congress family for their warm greetings. #JaiKarnataka pic.twitter.com/j6RP30vX8k
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
