BELAGAVI  MONDAY  APRIL 13, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION CHOUHAN TO OVERSEE KEY MEETING TO PICK NEW BIHAR CHIEF MINISTER SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN NITISH KUMAR PROCESS ON TO FORM NEW STATE GOVERNMENT A statement from the BJP headquarters said the parliamentary board has appointed Chouhan as “central observer for electing the leader of legislature party in Bihar”. Chouhan’s appointment sets in motion the process of the formation of a new government in Bihar after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha on Friday The BJP on Sunday appointed Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the central observer for the election of its legislative party leader in Bihar NITISH KUMAR LIKELY TO RESIGN ON TUESDAY ■ ■ Nitish has convened a meeting of his cabinet on April 14, following which the JD(U) president is expected to relinquish the CM’s post Senior JD(U) leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said, “the new chief minister will be elected by the NDA, upon the recommendation of the BJP, which has a big role to play” | P8 11 AM WHEN THE CABINET MEETING WILL BEGIN ON TUESDAY 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 Trump threatens to block Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran peace talks fail Says US Navy will “blockade any and all ships” trying to enter or leave the shipping route A G E N C I E S @ Islamabad, Washington ASHA BHOSLE: SEPTEMBER 8, 1933-APRIL 12, 2026 FOREVER YOUNG, ALWAYS DISTINCT N A M R ATA J O S H I A GE is just a number” is an adage Asha Bhosle believed in and lived by Among the many facets of . her long, abundant, and well-spent inning—professional as well as personal—the most distinct was the versatile voice: hearty playful, coquettish, , saucy, sensuous, spiritual, soulful and energetic by turns and the one that stayed forever youthful and timeless, just like Asha Tai herself. The fact that the sound of Asha remained robust was the reason why in her over eight-decade long career in a notori, ously ageist industry she didn’t just sing for multiple films , but became the voice of several generations of actresses— from Meena Kumari to Zeenat Aman to Rekha, from her contemporary Shakila in the sad version of Leke pehla pehla pyaar in CID (1956) to someone who could well be her daughter’s age, like Urmila Matondkar in Tanha tanha yahan pe jeena in Rangeela (1995). She worked with possibly every major music director down the years: O P Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan, Jaidev, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, the Burmans, A R Rahman and Sandeep Chowta. She sang duets with male singers across all ages, from Her life was Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Ma- adventurous. hendra Kapoor to Sonu Nigam. Winner of At 16, she several awards, including two National eloped with Awards, Asha received the Dadasaheb Ganpatrao Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma VibBhosle and hushan in 2008. However, these markers aside, Asha be- married him. came a legend of playback singing because Years later, of the extraordinary ability to imbibe the she married personality of the actor, get into the mood R D Burman. of the moment, respond to the space and She made her setting of the sequence and catch the emotive soul of a song with the amazing tex- acting debut ture and timbre of her voice. She could in 2013 at 79 become the innocent and impoverished street kids in Boot Polish (1954) in songs like Nanhe munne bachche teri mutthi mein kya hai, Thehar zara o janewale, Chali kaunse desh just as effortlessly as she’d be the sexy Helen in a cabaret club in Piya tu ab to aaja in Caravan (1971) or Yeh mera dil in Don (1978). Asha’s father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, was an eminent musician himself, and so were the siblings—Lata Mangeshkar, Meena Khadikar, Usha Mangeshkar, and Hridaynath Mangeshkar. There had been tales of sibling rivalry between her and the legendary elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, but both eventually carved enviable and influential niches for themselves and ruled the male-dominated industry with confidence and conviction. The last of an entire generation of playback stalwarts of the Golden Era of Hindi film music, her clear vocalisation, perfect diction and right enunciation were enough for her to embrace a range of languages and dialects, both Indian and international. The range extended from classical, folk, P7 bhajans to the Westernised cabarets and discos. EXPRESS READ India rejects China renaming places in Arunachal New Delhi: India on Sunday rejected China’s latest attempt to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, urging Beijing to refrain from actions that undermine ongoing efforts to improve bilateral ties. “India rejects any mischievous attempts to assign fictitious names to places within Indian territory,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. In a fresh list released recently, China renamed certain places in Indian territory US President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed the US Navy would immediately begin a “blockade” to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan ended with no agreement in sight. Iran has demanded the right to collect tolls from vessels traveling through the strait, but Trump said no one who pays Tehran will “have safe passage on the high seas.” He also threatened, yet again, to destroy Iranian energy infrastructure, telling Fox News: “I can take out Iran in one day .” Earlier in the day the US and , Iran ended 21 hours of face-toface talks in Islamabad in a stalemate, leaving the fate of the tenuous two-week ceasefire unclear. The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets has entered its seventh week. The US delegation led by Vice President J D Vance and the US Vice President J D Vance talks to Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshall Asim Munir before flying out of Islamabad on Sunday | AP DAY 44 Iranian delegation led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had discussed how to advance a ceasefire already threatened by disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon. Vance, while leaving Pakistan after the talks, said the US had made its “final and best offer” for a deal, adding: “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.” Ghalibaf said on X that Washington was “unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations”. Iranian and US media said the main sticking points in the talks were the EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chikkamagaluru THE autopsy of Kerala girl Srinanda, whose body was found on Friday in the forests of Chikkamagaluru, was conducted at the district hospital in Chikkamagaluru on Friday by a panel of two surgeons, deviating from standard procedure. The entire process was videographed to ensure transparency and avoid any ambiguity . Srinanda, a minor from Kerala, had gone missing on Tuesday evening while on a family trip to Manikyadhara Falls near BR Hills. On the fourth day (Friday), her body was found in a crevice nearly 2,000 feet below the falls. According to police sources, the initial autopsy report attributed her death to severe head injuries sustained during the fall. Her body had suffered multiple injuries and fractures, and her clothes were torn, likely due to the impact with rocks, trees and bushes during the fall. Investigators believe the death was accidental rather than homicidal, though her parents have raised suspicions. Modi to address women’s GBA’s ‘seva kendras’ to serve meet ahead of Parl session quicker if you pay a premium FASTER OPTION? R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi AHEAD of an extended three-day special session of Parliament from April 16 to 18 to discuss amendments to Women’s Reservation Act 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a first-of-its-kind “Nari Shakti Vandan Sammelan” in Delhi on Monday . As per sources, the conference is aimed at generating widespread support for amendment to the Women’s Reservation Act 2023. It forms a part of the BJP’s broader electoral strategy, bringing together eminent personalities and accomplished women from diverse fields to deliberate on the necessity of reserving seats for women in legislative bodies. According to an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the conference is being organised “to reinforce the government’s commitment to increasing women’s participation in shaping India’s development trajectory”. “It will also highlight the increasing role of women in governance and leadership across all levels, from Panchayats to Parliament. The programme will underscore the importance of enhanced representation of women in decision-making processes,” the PMO said in the statement. In addition, the event will spotlight the role of women in India’s journey towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. “It will reflect the CONG SEEKS ALL-PARTY MEET AFTER ELECTIONS Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the special session of Parliament being convened to discuss women’s quota in the middle of the elections is “a clear breach of the Model Code of Conduct”. He demanded that an all-party meeting be called on the matter after the current round of state polls are over on April 29 | P7 government’s continued commitment towards women-led development as a central pillar of the vision for Viksit Bharat 2047”, it said. In September 2023, Parliament passed the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, which provided for the reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. The provision to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023. However, the women’s quota would have come into effect only after the completion of the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2027 Census. This meant the reservation would not have become enforceable before 2034. To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections onwards, changes are needed in the Act. IPL CONTROVERSY Mobile phone in RR dugout: ACSU investigation on G O M E S H S & F I R O Z M I R Z A @ Chennai A DAY after Rajasthan Royals team manager Romi Bhinder was seen using a mobile phone while sitting in the dugout — which could be in violation of Players and Match Officials Area protocol — during an Indian Premier League match, BCCI has said that their Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) will investigate the matter and submit a report. The incident occurred during the 11th over of the IPL tie between Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday night at the ACA Barsapara Stadium in Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s insistence on a right to enrich uranium for civilian use. Later, in a Fox News interview, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Chinese imports if Beijing tries to help the Iranian military. Trump did not name the other countries he expects to join the US Navy cordon and, before his post, many international capitals had called for the temporary truce in the Gulf to be preserved. “We’re not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like... It’s going to be all or none,” he said. The failure of the talks will raise concerns that a return to fighting could drive world energy prices higher and further damage shipping and oil and gas facilities in the Gulf. An EU spokesman said diplomacy would be “essential” to securing peace and hailed Pakistan’s mediation efforts, while the UK and Oman agreed it “was vital there was a continuation of the ceasefire.” 2 doctors on autopsy team of Kerala girl Screengrab of Rajasthan Royals team manager Romi Bhinder using a phone in the dugout next to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Guwahati. Bhinder was using his phone in the dugout while teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was seen taking a look at the screen during the broadcast. In the aftermath, the ACSU have already begun their investigation on the matter. “We have asked the ACSU to investigate and file a report on the incident,” IPL Governing Council Chair Arun Dhumal told this daily . As per the IPL document titled ‘PMOA PROTOCOL – 2026’, team managers may use a phone in the dressing room, but not in the dugout, which is near the boundary ropes. “Mobile Phones and other electronic communications equipment are not allowed to be used in the PMOA other than for a few members of the team. The Team Manager may use a phone in the Dressing Room area but NOT in the Dugout. The Analyst may use his computer at the analyst table. Player and support staff items i.e. phones, smart watches or any other communication devices should be turned off and given to the team SLO (Security Liason Officer) for storage on arrival at the stadium,” the document reads. Are there any exceptions to the rule? Why was Bhinder using the phone? These are some of the questions the franchise will have to answer in the next couple of MORE ON: P11 days. ANUBHAB ROY @ Bengaluru This is just replacing the middleman with a contractor. What difference does it make? They are making quicker services available to only the affluent people. This is discriminatory, and sends out a message that the GBA will serve faster those who pay more Kathyayini Chamaraj, CIVIC Bangalore THE Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has proposed the opening up of two “seva kendras” in each of its five city corporations, claiming to make services such as registration of births, ekhatas and many others faster and more transparent, at the payment of premium fees. The obvious questions that emerge at this juncture are: why make new centres instead of making the existing ones function like they are supposed to, and more importantly, are basic necessities an exclusive domain of the privileged? To achieve this, the GBA has floated a tender recently for pri- vate companies to bid and set the costs of 27 services, promised to be delivered under one roof. While the scheme appears to give relief to citizens from being extorted by middlemen and corporation staff, many people are of the opinion that concept is “absurd”. Kathyayini Chamaraj, executive trustee of Citizens’ Voluntary Initiative for the City of Bangalore (CIVIC Bangalore), said, “This is just replacing the middleman with a contractor. What difference does it make? They are making quicker services available to only the affluent people. This is discriminatory, and sends out a message that the GBA will serve faster those who pay more.” P5