Top News
Third phase of J&K municipal polls ends peacefully (Roundup)
Jammu/Srinagar, Oct 13 (IANS) Voting for the third phase of municipal polls ended peacefully on Saturday in Jammu & Kashmir’s Samba, Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla districts, with an overall turnout of 16.3 per cent.
Samba district recorded the highest voter turnout of 81.5 per cent in the Jammu region, while Baramulla in the Valley recorded a voter turnout of 75.3 per cent.
In Srinagar, a dismal 1.8 per cent of the electorate came out to vote, while Anantnag saw a 3.2 per cent turnout.
Polling started at 6 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m.
As in the previous two phases, there was no major incident of violence anywhere in the state.
In Samba district, polls were held for the four municipal committees of Samba, Ramgarh, Vijaypur and Bari Brahamana.
In Anantnag, voting took place for the Mattan municipal committee, while in Baramulla district people voted for the Uri and Sopore municipal committees.
For the Srinagar municipal corporation, voting was held in four wards.
In the Valley’s Pulwama and Bandipora districts, some candidates were elected unopposed while in the other wards, no candidate had filed papers for the third phase.
A total of 365 candidates are in the fray for 96 wards of eight urban local bodies comprising 193,990 eligible voters.
Additional staff was deployed at polling stations with a large number of voters, poll officials said.
Shaleen Kabra, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, said the overall poll percentage in the first two phases of the municipal polls that took place on October 8 and 10, was 47.2 per cent.
Observers, including micro-observers, were deployed at 222 hyper-sensitive polling stations in the Kashmir Division and 19 in Jammu Division to ensure a free and fair election, said Kabra.
The municipal elections that are taking place after 13 years in the state are being held in four phases, covering 79 municipal bodies with an electorate of about 17 lakh voters.
The state’s two main parties – National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party – have boycotted the polls, leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in a direct contest.
A total of 3,372 nominations have been filed for 1,145 wards. Voting for the fourth and final phase of the election will be held on October 16. Counting of votes is scheduled for October 20.
–IANS
sq/shs/bg
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.