THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l tuesday l may 12, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Vinesh reaches gonda, wfi refuses to let her take part ‘WFI CHIEF WANTS ME TO QUIT WRESTLING’ Vinesh presented her arguments before WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh but all those fell on deaf ears. The 31-year-old grappler alleged conspiracy being hatched against her by former WFI chief Brij Bhushan. Earlier, the two-time Worlds medallist had expressed apprehension over participating at this venue, which is considered a stronghold of Brij Bhushan | P13 Despite being cleared by International Testing Agency, Vinesh Phogat not allowed to complete verification for Sr Open rankings meet in Gonda ■ 3 written explanation needed: WFI ■ Reacting to Vinesh’s accusations, Sanjay Singh said the wrestler has to submit a complete explanation and it would be submitted to the WFI’s disciplinary committee, which eventually will take a call WFI highlighted the secure environment provided to Vinesh during her visit from her arrival in Gonda to her departure from the venue nUMBER OF TIMES vINESH pHOGAT HAS TAKEN PART IN THE oLYMPICS 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 Sonia steps in, ex-KPCC chiefs summoned to Delhi K S SREE J I T H @ T’Puram Somnath anniv Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Somnath Temple in Veraval in Gujarat as part of the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav, marking 75 years of the inauguration of the restored temple dedicated to Lord Shiva | PTI E X PRESS RE A D Adani to fast-track Vizhinjam expansion Kochi: Operating at full capacity and witnessing vessels queueing outside during the height of the West Asia crisis, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has moved to fast-track the phase II expansion of the Vizhinjam International Seaport. P5 BJP organisational rejig likely soon New Delhi: With assembly polls in three states and one UT concluded, the BJP is expected to undertake a major organisational overhaul either by the end of this month or during the first week of June, sources said. Speculation is also mounting over a possible reshuffle of the Union cabinet after formation of the new government in Assam. P9 Three held for gunning down Suvendu’s PA Kolkata: Three people were arrested from UP and Bihar in connection with the murder of West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant Chandranath Rath. The trio accused were remanded in police custody after they were brought to Bengal. P10 18 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express With the deadlock over the selection of the next Kerala chief minister continuing even a week after the UDF swept the assembly polls, the Congress high command has summoned former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents to New Delhi for detailed discussions on Tuesday . The high command has also asked party state president Sunny Joseph and working presidents A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunadh and Shafi Parambil to be present in Delhi for further deliberations. The three CM contenders — K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennith- Austerity pitch spooks markets, hits sentiments Sensex down 1.7%, rupee falls to 95.31, govt reviewing pricing of petroleum products D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for austerity in view of the Iran war triggered sharp reactions across markets and sectors on Monday with investors interpreting the , remarks as a signal of an imminent crisis. Equity markets tumbled over 1.5%, while the rupee—which depreciated 11.5% in the past year— plunged 82 paise to settle at a record closing low of 95.31 against the US dollar. Taking cues from the PM’s warning on economic disruptions, the BSE Sensex fell 1,312.91 points, or 1.7%, to close at 76,015.28, while the NSE Nifty50 declined 360.30 points, or 1.49%, to settle at 23,815.85. During a speech in Hyderabad on Sunday , Modi called for collective participation to help India navigate global economic disruptions, supply chain challenges, and rising prices. He urged people to avoid buying gold and cut down on foreign travel, and asked companies to revive work-from-home arrangements similar to those adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The PM’s call for reducing petrol and diesel consumption also fuelled speculation that a retail fuel price hike was imminent. On Monday the petroleum ministry said , oil marketing companies are likely to face under-recoveries of `2 lakh crore in the first quarter of FY27. The ministry added the government is reviewing fuel pricing. Petroleum products and gold imports remain major burdens on India’s external account. In FY26, India imported petroleum products worth $172 billion while gold imports surged 24% to $72 billion. India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $690 billion in the week ending May 1, down from a peak of $728 billion in the week ended Feb 27. The PM’s appeal for restraint on gold purchases has brought renewed attention to the free trade pact with the UAE, following which gold imports jumped from $3 billion in 2022 to $16.5 billion in 2025. Remote and hybrid work on: Nasscom On PM’s call for work from home arrangements, Nasscom said most companies have already optimised energy consumption and enabled remote and hybrid work arrangements wherever operationally appropriate to reduce energy usage and commuting Concerned about crisis: India Inc India Inc has expressed concern over the economic challenges owing to Gulf crisis. Sunil Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said the crisis has placed pressure on global economies, including India ala and V D Satheesan — have pinned their hopes on these meetings. The move comes after former party president Sonia Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra favoured detailed discussions with former KPCC presidents to resolve the deadlock. However, there are indications that the move is aimed at warding off criticism that all stakeholders were not taken into confidence. The high command appears to have concluded that detailed deliberations with former KPCC presidents would create an impression that the final decision was taken after considering all factors and consulting leaders at every level. CM announcement likely today? Indicating that the Congress high command may announce the party’s chief minister pick on Tuesday, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is on a visit to his home state, is returning to Delhi on Tuesday. Kharge, who was scheduled to return on Wednesday, decided to cut short his visit. Meanwhile, there are indications that the central leadership would seek the advice of veteran leader A K Antony too before taking the final decision. Except for Mullappally Ramachandran, for mer KPCC chiefs V M Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, K Sudhakaran and M M Hassan are expected to reach Delhi by Tuesday . According to party sources, Rahul had a telephone conversation with Mullappally on Monday after the latter expressed his inability to reach Delhi at a short notice. AIADMK heads for ‘split’ as MLAs divided over legislature party leader E x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai The AIADMK might be headed for a ‘split’ in Tamil Nadu with its newly-sworn-in MLAs divided on the election of its leader for the legislature party. One group supports party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami while another is backing former ministers S P Velumani and C Ve Shanmugam, with both sides submitting separate letters to Pro Tem Speaker M V Karuppaiah on Monday. A clear picture of which faction prevails may become clearer on Tuesday when the new TVK gover nment will face a floor-test and the speaker and deputy speaker of the House will be elected. After the assembly session for newly-elected members to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami arrives to take oath as MLA at Fort St George in Chennai on Monday | P Jawahar take the oath concluded on Monday, a group of 17 MLAs called on the pro tem speaker and submitted a letter informing them of the election of Palaniswami as the leader of the legislature party . After five hours, an AIADMK release said the letter contained details about the MLAs New Bengal govt clears land transfer for border fencing S U B HE N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata The new BJP government in West Bengal, in its first cabinet meeting, approved the long-delayed transfer of land to the BSF for fencing along the border with Bangladesh. “The transfer process of land for border fencing will start within 45 days of the formation of our government in the state, and it was our commitment. The state chief secretary and land and land reform department secretary will work together to hand over land to the BSF,” Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari said. He said that as per the knowledge he acquired during his previous tenure as the Leader of Opposition, some 90 per cent of the land required to complete the border fencing exercise was already under state acquisition. “I will have to go through the papers to figure out the exact status of the land required, and for which I will need some more time,” he said. Low-cost, Low-profile Tiny-bottle heroin ring reeling in migrant workers J o s e K J o s e p h @ Kochi At the end of long workdays in labour camps scattered across Ernakulam’s industrial belt, tiny plastic bottles no bigger than eye droppers are quietly changing hands among groups of workers. Priced between `1,000 and `2,000 each, the vials carry heroin measured not for bulk transport, but for repeat consumption — part of what enforcement agencies believe is a calculated attempt to build a new drug market within migrant-worker communities. Officials say the bigger concern is the methods being employed to popularise the drug within densely populated worker settlements Heroin bottles seized by authorities from migrant workers in Ernakulam district Sources said the high command is likely to meet the leaders individually . Though former KPCC presidents and other senior leaders had met the two central observers during their visit to Kerala, the latest decision is learnt to have been taken in view of the continuing stalemate over CM selection. Sources said both Rahul and party president Mal- in areas such as Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha, Mulavoor and Aluva. Sources said traffickers are increasingly relying on “micro-distribution” tactics — free trial doses, peer-level circulation, tiny retail packaging and commission-based supply chains — to gradually normalise heroin use among workers, particularly existing ganja users. “This is no longer just about transporting drugs into Kerala,” a senior excise official told TNIE. “The focus now appears to be on creating a stable consumer base This is no longer just about transporting drugs into Kerala. The focus now appears to be on creating a stable consumer base inside labour camps through low-cost and low-profile distribution — A senior excise official inside labour camps through lowcost and low-profile distribution.” Excise officials said over 200g of heroin was seized in Ernakulam district last month alone, with a majority of the recoveries involving migrant workers carrying small bottles intended for locallevel circulation. Officers say the seizures indicate the emergence of a retailstyle network operating very differently from traditional narcotics trafficking patterns. Ground-level accounts gathered from workers suggest traffickers are deliberately projecting heroin as a stronger but “manageable” alternative to ganja.  ● More on P4 elected to the posts of deputy leader, whip, deputy whip, treasurer, secretary, and deputy secretary of the AIADMK legislature party . Although only 17 MLAs submitted the letter, a supporter of Palaniswami told TNIE that 27 MLAs backed Palaniswami’s election. Around 6.15pm, the group of MLAs supporting Velumani and Shanmugam met the protem speaker and submitted a letter written by Velumani, stating that he was elected the leader of the legislature party by a ‘majority’ of the MLAs at a meeting held on May 9. Meanwhile, sources said MLAs supporting Shanmugam are willing to extend support to the TVK government, but the leaders in that camp neither denied nor admitted it. likarjun Kharge would meet these leaders and seek their opinion on the choice of the new CM and the overall political atmosphere. After the meetings, the high command may summon the three contenders to Delhi and inform them of the final decision in the presence of both Rahul and Kharge, they said. Meanwhile, the IUML, which had earlier aggressively canvassed for Satheesan, has now reportedly decided to accept the Congress high command’s decision. There is also growing criticism among some newly elected Congress MLAs against what they described as “stage managed protests” organised against them at private func● More on P4 tions.  Margin vs SIR: File fresh plea, SC tells Didi s u c h it r a ka lyan m o h ant y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday said former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and others can file fresh applications regarding their claim that the victory margins in 31 constituencies in the recent assembly polls in West Bengal were less than the number of voters challenging their deletion from the electoral rolls — during the SIR — before appellate tribunals. The court took note of the submissions after senior advocate and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee referred to an earlier observation of SC that the court can look into the grievances if victory margins are less than the number of names deleted during the SIR.