National
Tripura polls: LF nominees’ list has both old, new faces
Agartala, Jan 23 (IANS) The ruling Left Front on Tuesday released its list of candidates for the 60-member Tripura Assembly polls, featuring both old and new faces, with seven of the nominees being women. The state election is slated for February 18.
According to Left leaders, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) prevailed over the Left Front allies in the selection of candidates.
“Twelve new candidates and seven women nominees of the Left Front would contest the assembly elections on February 18,” Tripura CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar told the media after releasing the list.
He said in the 2013 assembly elections, the Left Front partners Communist Party of India contested (two), Forward Bloc (one) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (two) but in next month’s polls they would contest only one seat each.
CPI-M central committee member Dhar, who was elected the Left Front’s convener on Tuesday after Khagen Das died in Kolkata due to cardiac arrest on Sunday, said in the last assembly elections, five women candidates were fielded by the CPI-M and all of them won. This time seven women candidates would be fielded by the party.
According to the Election Commission (EC)’s announcement, the single-phase assembly polls will be held on February 18 in Tripura, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. Counting of votes for all the three states, which have 60 assembly seats each, will be done on March 3.
Accompanied by the CPI-M and other Left Front leaders, Dhar said that five sitting CPI-M legislators were dropped on health grounds and due to organisational reasons.
Among the 60 Left Front candidates, 35-year-old Jhumu Sarkar (Barjala constituency) is the youngest and 79-year-old Nirajoy Tripura (Chawmanu) the oldest.
Incumbent Health and PWD minister Badal Choudhury will be contesting the assembly elections for a record 10th time and has won seven times, while Education and Law Minister Tapan Chakraborty would contest the polls for the ninth time, out of which he won six times since 1978, when the first Left Front government headed by Nripen Chakraborty came to power in Tripura.
In the prestigious Banamalipur seat, CPI-M’s youth wing DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India) secretary Amal Chakraborty will be the new Left Front candidate, while the CPI-M’s Rajya Sabha member and the party’s women’s front leader Jharna Das Baidya has been fielded from the Badharghat seat.
The Chief Minister and CPI-M’s lone politburo member from Tripura Manik Sarkar will contest from his old turf Dhanpur (in western Tripura), while all the 11 ministers have again been renominated for the upcoming polls.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.