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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Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Indian Army
Dehradun(PTI): After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO Kamaljeet Singh for third place.
The silver medal for securing first place in the 'Technical Graduate Course' was awarded to Officer Cadet Jadhav Sujit Sampat, and the silver medal for first place in the 'Technical Entry Scheme-46' was awarded to WCC Abhinav Mehrotra.
The silver medal for the 'Special Commission Officer Course' was given to Officer Cadet Sunil Kumar Chhetri.
Among the foreign cadets, the first place in merit was secured by JUO Mohammad Safin Ashraf from Bangladesh. The Army Chief's Banner for overall best performance in the Autumn Term was awarded to Imphal Company.
As the parade concluded, helicopters showered flowers on the newly commissioned officers from the sky.
On this occasion, General Dwivedi congratulated the new officers in his address for successfully completing their training. He praised the young officers for their high level of discipline, leadership qualities, and endurance, and urged them to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and serve the nation with loyalty, commitment, and honour.
General Dwivedi said that joining the army marks the beginning of a lifelong duty and selfless service.
The parents and guardians of the newly commissioned officers were also present during the passing out parade.
