hyderabad l monday l march 09, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION RSP all set to sweep Nepal polls as counting reaches final stage As of Sunday evening, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 122 of 165 seats and was leading in six others, Nepal’s Election Commission said counting for 159 seats completed poll panel withholds result in one seat As per the latest update, the Nepali Congress (NC) is a distant second with 17 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) led by K P Sharma Oli has won eight seats, and the Nepal Communist Party has secured three seats. As per an official update on Sunday evening, the counting was completed in at least 159 seats ■ ■ The result in one seat, Dhanusha Constituency-1, may take a while longer as a court order is pending on the eligibility of RSP’s candidate Among the three former Nepal prime ministers who contested the March 5 general election, only Pushpakamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ managed to win. Both K P Oli Sharma and Madhav Nepal lost | P9 24,55,764 won by RSP in proportional voting system CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Iran picks new history makers at home Supreme Leader as war deepens 1 Defending champs India won their third T20 World Cup, becoming the first team to do so in process 2 Co-hosts became the first team to lift T20 WC at home. In previous 9 editions, no home team had won 3 India’s total of 255/5 is the highest in a T20 WC final, bettering their 176/7 vs SA in 2024 4 Gautam Gambhir became the first India head coach to capture two ICC titles s w a r o o p s w a m i n at h a n @ Ahmedabad At long last, glory and a batting spectacle. Release. An outpouring of love from over a lakh of people, most of them dressed in various hues of India blue. In the scene of their greatest defeat, one of their biggest wins. The scars of November 19 (loss to Australia in ODI World Cup final) will remain but March 8 will bring with it the necessary balm to tide over the ghost of that horror. The stadium, gateway to India’s biggest sporting project, can heal. The T20 World Cup will stay with them. For the tens of thousands who were part of the imposing circular Blue Wall from as early as 4.30 pm, this was a memory for a lifetime. Even as Suryakumar Yadav & Co. took turns to hold aloft the shiny 6 kg mostly silver trophy deep into the Ahmedabad night, nobody was prepared to go home. Board exams be damned, a new work week could wait. Sleep was set aside for a few hours to watch their favourite sporting team create history . E x p r e s s Re a d EAGLE officials crack synthetic drug racket Hyderabad: What began as a routine scan of chemical listings on B2B platforms led investigators to an alleged mephedrone manufacturing network. The EAGLE Force traced suspicious chemical purchases across states and identified six accused. In coordination with Uttar Pradesh police, two cases were registered, and three persons, including a chemistry lecturer, were arrested | p3 Revamped Council building inaugurated Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday inaugurated the renovated Town Hall, which will serve as the Telangana Legislative Council hall from the forthcoming Budget session. The 60,000 sq ft structure earlier functioned as the Assembly building of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The foundation was laid in 1905 by the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, and completed in 1913 by the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan | p4 Yellow heat wave alert in northern states New Delhi: The IMD has issued a yellow alert for the onset of early heat wave-like conditions across several parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. In response to the rising temperatures, the Railways has also issued heat wave alerts for various zones. Authorities have been directed to ensure the availability of drinking water at stations, platforms, and within coaches | P7 lakshya falls at the final hurdle again Lakshya Sen loses to Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei in the final of the All England badminton. This was his second final outing in the premier competition | P11 US-Israel strikes hit oil infra in Tehran; Iran destroys targets in Kuwait, Bahrain AG E N CI E S @ Tehran, Tel Aviv, Dubai India players lift the trophy after their victory in Ahmedabad on Sunday I debadatta mallick No side had ever won this title at home. No team had ever defended this title. Nobody had won it thrice. India took a sledgehammer to history. That’s how you create a new sporting identity. Not by winning it once but doing it again and again. It’s why Australia have an aura about them. It’s why Brazil are football’s aristocrats. It’s the only path towards invincibility You can be good, . but to be truly immortal, you need to make winning your only calling card. And they did everything in their power. Eighteen months of preparation was followed by trips to temples, delaying a training session as it collided with a lunar eclipse during their World Cup campaign. There was even an apocryphal story about changing hotels. And it was apt that Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, the three musketeers who had been identified to redefine the art of batting in this format, took them there. They have shown the limits of what’s possible in this format. Needing 255, it was too much for the Kiwis.  P11 MHA asks Bengal chief secretary to explain lapses during Prez visit SUBH E N D U MAI T I & PARV E Z SULTA N @ Kolkata / New Delhi THE Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the alleged protocol violation and lapses during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the state on Saturday to attend the International Santal Conference in Darjeeling district. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan directed West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to explain the alleged lapses in security protocol, venue arrangements, and travel route during the President’s programme. Sources said the MHA also wanted to know the reason behind the failure of the chief minister, chief secretary, and DGP to receive the President upon her arrival, which is a gross violation of protocol. President Droupadi Murmu | PTI No violation: Mamata West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday claimed there was no protocol violation at the President’s programme, terming it a “private event” The conference was held at a ground near the Bagdogra airport in Gosainpur, instead of the planned venue in Bidhannagar. Speaking at the event, on Saturday, Murmu had publicly expressed displeasure over the low turnout, attributing it to the change of venue, and noted the absence of the CM and her ministers. In her response, Banerjee accused the President of playing politics at the behest of the BJP ahead of the state polls, triggering a political firestorm. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tore into the Trinamool Congress (TMC) saying the “enlightened people” of West Bengal would never forgive the party for “insulting” the President, who is a woman and a tribal. “The dirty politics and arrogance of power of the TMC, which has gravely insulted a tribal President, will soon be shattered... The country will not forgive them, the tribal community will not pardon them, and the women of the nation will not forgive them,” Modi said. Indian killed in Saudi IRAN’s Assembly of Experts tasked with appointing the next Supreme Leader reportedly arrived at a majority decision on Sunday, but stopped short of naming him. The 88-member clerical body has sought some time to remove “some obstacles” before announcing the name. Khamenei’s son Mojtaba is billed to be the front-runner to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed over a week ago in the strikes that triggered the war between Iran and IsraelUS. The development came on a day when US-Israeli air strikes destroyed fuel dumps and triggered fires that choked much of Tehran in a thick blanket of smoke. In response, Iran struck Gulf infrastructure, hitting fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport and a desalination plant in Bahrain with the war reaching its second week. The war, which Israel and US launched on February 28, has so far claimed at least 1,230 lives in Iran, 397 in Lebanon including 83 children, 11 in Israel, and six US soldiers. The impact of the conflict is no longer limited to West Asia as it has rattled global markets, oil indices and disrupted air travel. If the war continues for long, it could impact energy prices worldwide. In India, cooking gas prices have already gone up. With the joint US-Israeli strikes continuing on Tehran, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian vowed to expand attacks on US targets across the Gulf. “The more pressure they impose on us, the stronger our response will naturally be,” Pezeshkian said. Neighbouring countries have borne much of Tehran’s brunt, with 16 people killed in the Gulf states since the war began, according to an AFP tally Saudi Ara. bia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait all reported new attacks on Sunday . An Indian national was among two killed after a projectile fell on a residential area in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kharj on Sunday. The authorities have not yet revealed the identities of the victims Brent crude at 5-yr high Crude oil price continued rising after some key countries slashed their output. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) soared to $115 on Sunday. Brent rose to $117, the highest level since 2022. Arab League warns Iran Arab League’s secretarygeneral Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Sunday that Iranian attacks on Gulf member states were “reckless”, urging Tehran to reverse what he called a “massive strategic mistake”. A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a US-Israeli strike late Saturday in Tehran on Sunday | PTI Budget session Sparks to fly as motion against Speaker in Lok Sabha today P r eet h a N a i r @ New Delhi The stage is set for a stormy start to the second leg of the Budget session of Parliament on Monday with the Lok Sabha , set to take up an Opposition motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla. The rare move, which is the first in nearly four decades, highlights the deepening rift between the Opposition and the ruling side. The government is likely to allocate around three hours for the discussion on the motion, with three members each from the Treasury and Opposition benches expected to participate, sources said. From the Congress, either Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi or K C Venugopal, is likely to participate in the debate, sources said. While both the Congress and the BJP have issued whips directing their members to be present in the House, the BJPled NDA holds a clear numerical advantage to defeat the resolution in the 543-member Lok Sabha. However, the Opposition received a boost after the T r i n a m o o l C o n g re s s a n nounced Saturday that it would support the motion. As many as 118 opposition members had submitted notice to move a resolution to remove Birla from office for not allowing the Leader of Opposition and other opposition leaders to speak in the House on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, as well as for suspending eight opposition MPs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has backed Birla, stating he had taken all Parliamentarians along and was committed to upholding the principles of the Constitution and Parliamentary democracy . Amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, Lok Sabha will also see a briefing by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the evolving situation there. CM to present PPT on Musi project on March 13 Now, WhatsApp sanitation E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday said he would deliver a PowerPoint presentation on March 13 detailing the first phase of the Musi Riverfront Development Project. Addressing International Women’s Day celebrations here, he said structures built within 50 metres of the buffer zone of the Musi River have “zero value” as they cannot be sold legally . He stressed that Hyderabad must grow to international standards and compete with global cities such as Seoul, New York and Tokyo. Revanth said some people were demanding the rejuvenation of the Musi but were simultaneously opposing the government’s efforts to implement the project. “How can the river be revived if the government is not allowed to implement an action plan?” he asked. Recalling similar projects elsewhere, the chief minister Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy along with Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka during the Women’s Day celebration at Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad | Express said nearly 10,000 families were relocated during the development of the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, but adequate facilities were not provided to them. He also noted that riverfront projects had been developed along the Yamuna and Ganga rivers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. “When riverfront projects have been taken up across the country, why should the Musi riverfront project be opposed?” he asked. Referring to a specific case, the chief minister said an apartment had been constructed within nine metres of the buffer zone of the Esa river. He reiterated that construction within 50 metres of river zones was prohibited, which prompted the government to initiate discussions with residents of an apartment complex falling within the Musi buffer zone. According to him, the government offered seven acres of land and assured residents that funds would be deposited to help them construct a new apartment complex. However, he alleged that some political parties were trying to give the issue a political colour. “Merely expressing sympathy will not solve the problem. We are trying to provide an alternative, but some leaders are politicising the issue,” he said. The chief minister explained that the apartment was constructed in 2004, while the government amended the law in 2012 to demarcate buffer zones for nalas, tanks and rivers. Nearly 50 per cent of the building that is being evicted falls within the buffer zone, he said. He added that the government would take a broader decision on structures that had come up within the 50-metre buffer zones of rivers across the state. continued on p5 complaints to 8125966586 E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad In a citizen-friendly move to strengthen sanitation services, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has enabled residents to lodge comp l a i n t s d i re c t ly t h ro u g h WhatsApp. The initiative allows citizens to quickly alert civic authorities about sanitation issues in their localities without visiting any GHMC office. Residents can now report problems such as garbage dumped on roads, overflowing bins, uncleared waste, choked nalas that require desilting, and the need for green waste removal through a simple WhatsApp message. By sending a photograph along with the location of the issue to the dedicated number 8125966586, citizens can bring sanitation concerns to the attention of GHMC officials for prompt action. According to an official release issued on Sunday, the WhatsApp-based system is designed to provide a quick, simple and accessible platform for residents to participate in maintaining cleanliness across the city . Once a complaint is received, the sanitation teams concerned will be alerted to address the issue at the earliest, the release said. GHMC officials said the initiative would strengthen coordination between citizens and civic authorities while improving the overall sanitation management system in the city To spread awareness, . GHMC has also released a short video explaining how residents can report sanitation issues through WhatsApp. The civic body urged citizens to actively participate in keeping the city clean and hygienic by promptly reporting sanitation concerns.