day 68 kollam l thursday l may 07, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Operation Epic Fury, which began on Feb 28 against Iran, has ended. He claimed the mission has achieved its objectives | p11 Iran operation over: Rubio “The operation is over, as the president notified Congress. We’re done with that stage of it,” Rubio told reporters at the White House According to CNN, US and Iran are moving closer to an agreement on a one-page memo to end the war and begin nuclear negotiations Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he is pausing Project Freedom, the military operation to escort stranded ships out of Hormuz In his typical style, Trump also issued a fresh warning to Iran, saying the “bombing starts” again if a deal is not reached 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 It’s experience vs popular choice in CM race Chennithala meets Rahul & Kharge, presents his case for the post; first meeting of new legislators to be held today P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi As the race for the chief minister’s post intensifies, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala met Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital on Wednesday to present his case for the top position, according to sources. Chennithala informed the leadership that he was overlooked for the post of leader of the opposition in 2021, despite the backing of a majority of Congress MLAs then, the sources said. He is also said to have highlighted his seniority and vast administrative experience, pitching himself as the ‘most deserving’ candidate for the top post. According to Chennithala, community leaders’ support will also work in his favour. The meeting was also attended by K C Venugopal, said sources. The high command is Assembly expected to make a final elections call once the observers submit their final report. However, it is learnt that Venugopal has emerged as the frontrunner for the CM post, while V D Satheesan has been projected as the people’s choice. Sources said Venugopal has reportedly told the leadership that voters did not back the Congress or the UDF on the basis of projecting any one individual as CM. While Venugopal enjoys the support of the majority of MLAs, he reportedly argued that each constituency’s elected representatives were chosen based on their individual influence, positions, and other factors. “Therefore, their opinions also reflect the broader character of their respective constituencies. These views must be taken into account while selecting the CM candidate,” he reportedly said. The final call, he said, must rest with the AICC after a comprehensive assessment. Factors such as administrative experience, organisational skills, and capacity to unite both party and alliance should be taken into consideration. WHAT’S THEIR PITCH KC, Satheesan camps flex muscles ahead of crucial MLA meet R a j e s h A b r a h a m @ Kochi Ramesh Chennithala V D Satheesan Overlooked for Leader of Oppn post in 2021 despite support of a majority of Congress MLAs then As the leader of opposition, led UDF to a historic win K C Venugopal Backing of 47 newly elected MLAs Admn experience; strategy to back CPM rebels worked in polls Seniority and vast administrative experience Never yielded to pressure from community leaders Support of community organisations like NSS Won minority electorates’ confidence Ensured smooth seat allocation; amicably settled K Sudhakaran’s ‘revolt’ Organisational skills: Longest-serving KPCC president Support of 33 newly elected Congress legislators Provided AICC observers in all seats & ensured election funds Alliance rumours may rain on Vijay’s parade Chennai: The swearing in ceremony of TVK chief Vijay, initially scheduled for Thursday, may be delayed even as strong rumours gathered speed of arch-rivals DMK and AIADMK discussing a partnership along with their allies to form a government. Sources said, in such a scenario, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami may assume the CM post with DMK’s support, as part of a larger plan that may extend up to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. P5 Suvendu’s P.A. shot dead in West Bengal Kolkata: Amid continuing post-poll violence in West Bengal, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant was on Wednesday shot dead from close range in Madhyamgram on the outskirts of Kolkata. Adhikari was reportedly not in the area when the incident occurred. Earlier in the day, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ordered the arrest of all those involved the post-election violence. High-stakes lobbying, late-night strategy sessions and intense back-channel negotiations marked the third straight day of the Congress chief ministerial race, with K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala working the phones and numbers ahead of Thursday’s crucial meeting of newly elected Congress MLAs in Thiruvananthapuram. AICC observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken, who arrived in the state capital on Wednesday, are expected to sound out MLAdesignates individually before conveying their assessment to the Congress high command in New Delhi. At the heart of the power struggle is a fierce battle between organisational clout and public perception. Venugopal’s camp has gone on the offensive, claiming the backing of 47 of the 63 Congress MLA-designates. Leaders close to Venugopal said many newly elected MLAs owe both their candidature and campaign resources to him. However, Satheesan’s camp remains confident that the mood among legislators and allies favours the current leader of opposition, who spearheaded the UDF’s aggressive antiLDF campaign. “For MLAs and party workers, KC is like Karunakaran and Oommen Chandy — a leader who will never abandon his supporters,” a senior Congress source said. According to party insiders, Venugopal played a decisive role in candidate selection and quietly ensured financial support for several campaigns. “Naturally there is loyalty the source , ,” ● More on P4 said. New sports policy on Pak: No bilateral but multilateral OK E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai In a major development, India put out a formal sports policy regarding India’s participation or hosting of international events. Though certain provisions were part of an unsigned document on the sports ministry website in August last year, this time the signed policy outlined India’s approach involving Pakistan. India and Pakistan will not play in bilateral series but when it comes to international events involving multiple nations, they are free to compete in India or abroad. The circular dated May 5, 2026, has said that India’s policy of not playing Pakistan in bilateral events will continue. “India’s approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in deal- EXPRESS READ Milma price hike decision delayed T’Puram: Despite the lifting of Model Code of Conduct on Wednesday, Milma has remained non-committal regarding the timing of its proposed milk price hike. While the Board of Directors had approved a H4 per litre hike, the decision was deferred due to the complexities surrounding the election cycle.P5 ing with that country,” said the office memorandum. The memorandum states that when it comes to bilateral competitions India will not participate in Pakistan nor will they allow Pakistan to compete here in India. In short, there will be no cricket or hockey involving the two neighbours in near future. It is understood that this was necessitated after the Intern at i o n a l O ly m p i c Committee also had reservations over such incidents. With India hosting the CWG and the two bids — Asian and Olympics — the country would simplify the visa process for IF officials. “To facilitate smooth travel India has decided to the visa process for sportspersons, team officials, technical personnel, and office-bearers... shall be simplified.” P13