Voting underway for 2nd phase of gram panchayat elections in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Polling is underway for 2,709 panchayats in 109 taluks of Karnataka in the second phase of the gram panchayat elections on Sunday.
The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm in 20,728 booths, the state election commission officials said.
The polling has not yet picked up the pace in most of the places but the poll officials expressed the confidence that it would gain momentum by afternoon and there will be a good voter turnout by the end of the day.
According to the officials, there are 1,05,431 candidates in the fray for 39,378 seats. A total of 3,697 candidates have already been elected unopposed, they said.
The election is happening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who have tested positive or are under primary/secondary contacts can vote in the last hour of polling, they said.
In view of the pandemic, masks and social distancing have been made mandatory. There will be hand sanitisers at all the polling stations.
The number of voters in each booth has been limited to 1,000 from 1,500. About 80,000 police and security personnel have been deployed for the safe conduct of elections.
Besides them, Anganwadi, ASHA workers and Health Department officials have been roped in for poll duty.
Though these polls don't take place on party symbols, all political parties have put in efforts to ensure that the candidate supported by them wins, so as to have their hold on grassroots level politics, which may prove advantageous for them in taluk or zilla panchayat and even assembly polls whenever it happens.
Polling for 3,019 panchayats in 117 taluks were held in the first phase on December 22, and the counting for both the phases will take place on December 30.
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Rahul Gandhi to go on two-day Raebareli visit from May 19
Raebareli (UP) (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Raebareli Rahul Gandhi will arrive here on May 19 on a two-day visit, a Congress office-bearer said on Monday.
Congress district president of Raebareli Pankaj Tiwari said that on the first day, Gandhi will inaugurate a marriage hall at Thakurain Kheda in Bachhrawan. Subsequently, he will address a public meeting in Khiron. In Lalganj, he will participate in a 'mahila samvaad' programme.
He further said that on May 20, he will meet the public during a 'Janata Darshan' programme at the Bhuyemau Guest House. Following this, he will participate in the unveiling of a statue of Veera Pasi and attend a public meeting in Lodhwari.
He will then depart for Amethi.
In Amethi, Gandhi will hold meetings with party functionaries, workers and senior leaders at the party's district headquarters, Congress district unit chief Pradeep Singhal said on Sunday.
According to political observers, this meeting would form a part of the strategic preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, alongside an organisational review.
Discussions during the meeting are likely to focus on strengthening the party organisation down to the booth level, increasing participation of youth and women workers, and accelerating public outreach campaigns across villages.
According to sources, a large number of party workers -- from Gram Sabha to the district level -- have been invited to attend the meeting.
Gandhi is expected to interact directly with workers.
During the one-day visit, the Congress leader will also travel to Poore Ramdeen Pandit -- the native village of late Congress district president Yogendra Mishra -- to meet his family members.
Mishra, considered a close associate of the Gandhi family, passed away on March 1 following a prolonged illness.
Political activities in the district have intensified ahead of Gandhi's visit, and party workers have already started making arrangements for his reception.
Kishori Lal Sharma, the Congress MP from Amethi, is also holding regular meetings with local leaders and functionaries to review the preparations.
