BHUBANESWAR l friday l april 19, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l JEYPORE EDITION Sole woman among 17 Indians on ship seized by Iran returns home Cadet Ann Tessa Joseph was among 17 Indians on board the vessel MSC Aries. She reached the Cochin International Airport on Thursday Indian mission in touch with other 16 sailors The Indian mission in Tehran is in touch with the remaining 16 Indians on board the ship, the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding all of them are in good health and in contact with their family members in India. Joseph who hails from Thrissur was received at the airport by the regional passport officer. She was the only woman cadet on board the ship ■ 25 crew not under arrest: Iranian offical ■ Meanwhile, an Iranian official said the crew members of the vessel are free, and not under arrest. “They can return to India and are under the command of their captain,” the source added The Portugal-flagged vessel was seized near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 by Iranian special forces amid tensions with Israel The total number of crew members on board the ship 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 Elections for four LS, 28 Assly seats in state notified, nominations start ED attaches Shilpa Shetty, hubby’s assets E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth `97.79 crore belonging to Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra in connection with a moneylaundering case. The attached properties include a residential flat in Juhu, which is in the name of Shilpa Shetty, another residential bungalow in Pune, and equity shares in Raj Kundra’s name. The ED had initiated an investigation against Variable Tech Pte Ltd, Late Amit Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Simpy B h a r dw a j , M a hender Bhardwaj, and a number of multi-level marketing agents, based on FIRs registered by Maharashtra and Delhi police. The case pertains to duping investors through Bitcoins. The accused allegedly collected huge amounts of funds via Bitcoins (worth `6,600 crore in 2017) from the public with false promises of a 10% per month return. The cryptos were supposed to be utilised for Bitcoin mining, and investors were to get huge returns. “But the promoters cheated the investors and have been concealing the ill-gotten Bitcoins in obscure online wallets. Raj Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from the mastermind Amit Bhardwaj,” an official said. Notifications for four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly constituencies of Odisha which go to polls in the fourth phase of elections in the country and the first in the state on May 13, were issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday . Polling will be held in Kalahandi, Nabarangpur (ST), Berhampur and Koraput Lok Sabha seats in the fourth phase, stated the notification. Chief electoral officer (CEO) Nikunja Behari Dhal said elections will also be held in 28 Assembly constituencies, segments of the four Lok Sabha seats, on the day . Filing of nominations papers started for the constituencies on Thursday. While the last date for filing of nominations is April 25, the papers will be scrutinised on April 26. The last date of withdrawal of nominations is April 29, he added. The CEO told mediapersons that political parties have been advised not to take out huge rallies during filing of nominations because of the heatwave conditions. While booths will be open from 7 am to 6 pm, the polling time will be two hours less in some areas. The booths will close at 4 pm in left wing extremism affected segments. These include 39 polling stations in Nuapada and 29 in Khariar segment. However, polling will be closed in both these Assembly segments at 5 pm. Similarly polling will be closed at 4 pm , at 22 polling stations in Umerkote (ST) segment but in non-affected polling stations, voting will continue till 6 pm. The CEO said voting in 40 polling stations in Jharigram (ST), Nabarangpur (ST) and Dabugam (ST) segments will be closed at 4 pm. Similarly polling will be , completed in all the polling stations in Lanjigarh (ST) segment in Kalahandi Continued on P5 district by 4 pm. U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Poll officials trekking to the Kadambakuttai tribal habitation with EVMs in Denkanikottai taluk of Krishnagiri Phase 1 today, tough fight for BJP biggies Quite a few Union ministers in the general elections fray Phase One factoids 102 inLS21seats 73; ST (General 11; SC 18) States/UTs 92 assemblySikkim constituencies in Arunachal and 16.63 crore to voters exercise franchise across 1.87 lakh polling stations 35.67 lakh to firsttime voters registered cast their ballot young 3.51ofcrore inyears voters the age group 20-29 1,625 candidates (male 1,491, female 134) in the fray helicopters, 41 vehicles deployed 84 special trains, 1 lakh to ferry polling and security personnel Odisha chief electoral officer Nikunja Behari Dhal at a press meet in Bhubaneswar on Thursday Voting begins at 7 am, ends at 6 pm Over-suspicion of EVMs not prudent, says SC S U CHITR A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Thursday urged the petitioners seeking complete count of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips against votes cast on electronic voting machines (EVMs) to have trust in the system, saying over-suspicion is not desirable. A bench of judges Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta made the observation during the hearing of pleas on the matter. “We do not have to be suspicious about everything. You can’t be critical of everything,” Justice Khanna told advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was appearing for the NGO Association of Democratic Reforms. The bench, which reserved its verdict, made t h e r e m a rk s wh e n Bhushan said the opaque glass on VVPAT machines should be made t r a n s p a re n t s o that slips stay visible. Currently, a voter can see the slip only when the light is on for seven seconds. “At least the bulb should be allowed to glow continuously,” Bhushan pleaded. The bench said: “Now you are going too far. This is too much. Whether it’s transparent or translucent glass on a VVPAT machine or the glowing of a bulb, ultimately it is the voter’s trust (that matters). The bulb only helps you see better.” In the previous hearing on Wednesday, the bench had refused to accept the demand for reverting to ballot papers. The bench also took note of Bhushan’s mentioning some re por ts claiming EVMs in Kerala’s Kasargod showed an extra vote during a mock poll. Later, the EC told the court that the allegations were false. Advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the EC, said EVMs and VVPATs can’t be tampered with. He said the EC has matched EVM votes with over 4 crore VVPAT slips and no mismatch has been found. R A J ESH K U M A R TH A K U R @ New Delhi The electoral fate of over a dozen prominent BJP leaders, including some Union ministers, would be sealed on Friday in the first phase of polling amid tight security . The contest this time around is tougher than in the past, a senior party leader admitted. Heavyweight Union minister Nitin Gadkari is pitted against Vikas Thakre (Congress) as the former seeks to retain his Nagpur seat for the third time. Union minister Bhupendra Yadav is another BJP biggie who is hoping to make his Lok Sabha debut from Alwar in Rajasthan. Besides, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is pitted against Madan Gopal Meghwal (Cong) from Bikaner. Kiren Rijiju (Arunachal Pradesh West), Jitendra Singh (Udhampur in J&K), Sarbananda Sonowal (Dibrugarh in Assam) and L Murugan (Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu) are among the other ministers in the contest. Former governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is trying her luck from South Chennai and former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb from Tripura West. It will be interesting to see how Jitin Prasada fares from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, as he replaced the party’s outspoken sitting MP Varun Gandhi. But the biggest talking point in the South would be the performance of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai in Coimbatore, as his hard work in the run up to the polls drew laudatory references from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP-led NDA had won 39 of the 102 seats that will go to polls in 21 states on Friday The party . is making a big push in the South, particularly in Tamil Nadu, to improve that tally . BJP sources said of the 12 seats where polling will take place in Rajasthan, the BJP is facing tough fights in seats like Churu, where sitting MP Rahul Kaswan is the Congress candidate after the BJP dropped him; and Nagaur, where its former ally and current MP Hanuman Beniwal (Rashtriya Loktantrik Party president) joined hands with the Congress. Bhupender Yadav, too, is facing a hard fight in Alwar, as is Gadkari in Nagpur. Iran threatens to review nuclear doctrine Iran could review its “nuclear doctrine” following Israeli threats to strike the country, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said on Thursday | P11 express read Severe heatwave likely in 6 dists today, capital city to get hotter Bhubaneswar: EVEN as Odisha reeled under excruciating conditions, the India Meteorological department (IMD) on Thursday warned of a severe heatwave in six districts of the state on Friday. It also cautioned people to take safety measures to ward off any threat to health and life. The national weather agency said heatwave to severe heatwave condition may prevail in Khurda, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Mayurbhanj, Angul and Boudh districts on Friday when maximum temperature is likely to hover around 44 degree C in the capital city | P2 Tata Motors may make JLR luxe cars in TN Mumbai: Tata Motors is planning to manufacture Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) luxury cars in Tamil Nadu, according to an agency report. While the company has not yet confirmed the report, it is believed that battery-powered JLR vehicles may be produced at the plant. Tata Motors in March had announced setting up of a vehicle unit in Ranipet at a cost of `9,000 crore | P12 IT dept seizes 3 kg smuggled gold at city airport, one held A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar AHEAD of the elections, the Income Tax (IT) department on Thursday seized 3 kg smuggled gold valued over ` 2 crore from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar. Acting on a tip-off, the department carried out searches at the cargo terminal of the airport and found out at least three metal boxes. The boxes labeled ‘valuable cargo’ gave up gold bullion biscuits worth about `2.10 crore during search. The passenger transporting the gold possibly got a whiff of the IT searches and did not board the flight. However, IT sleuths who had collected the booking information picked him up within hours from the state capital. He has been detained. Initial investigation revealed The box carrying the gold | Express the detainee, a resident of Bhubaneswar, was transporting the smuggled gold to Mumbai. “IT Department has launched a thorough probe to ascertain whether the gold was being smuggled to generate cash in lieu of the consignment and if the money could have been used during the elections,” said the sources. Notably five Lok Sabha seats , of Maharashtra go to polls in the first phase on April 19. IT department officials are also probing if the yellow metal was supposed to be delivered to any jeweller in the western state. The department is also trying to trace the origin of the seized gold. Since gold smuggling attempts into the country from Myanmar, Dubai and Bangkok has been thwarted several times in the past few years, it is also being investigated if person found to be smuggling the gold is part of any international racket, said sources. Meanwhile, the IT Department has deployed quick response teams in all districts of Odisha and air intelligence units (AIUs) in the airports of the state to check illegal movement of cash during elections. Sources said AIUs have been deployed in BPIA, Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda and in Rourkela, Utkela, Jeypore and Berhampur airports. KC in must-win contest in the ‘Venice of the East’ C i t h a r a Paul @ T’puram A Rajya Sabha seat from north India becoming a talking point during elections in Kerala may sound bizarre. In this poll season, however, the Alappuzha constituency in central Kerala is abuzz with murmurs over the ‘Rajasthan seat’, courtesy the surprise candidature of AICC general secretary and Rahul Gandhi’s man Friday K C Venugopal. ‘KC’, as he is known in the state’s political circles, is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, which the BJP wrested from the Congress in the assembly elections last December, and his tenure lasts till 2026. If KC wins in Alappuzha, he will have to relinquish his seat in the upper house of Parliament. And that would be a booster for the BJP, which is just four seats short of majority in the Rajya Sabha. The Left Democratic Front has been raising this bogey, especially among the minority communities that have a significant influence in this constituency . KC is one of the ‘national leaders’ in the fray this year, along with the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Annie Raja. And this stature is certainly helping him bridge the five-year ‘gap’ with Alappuzha, which had elected him to the Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014, and the state assembly in 1996, 2001 and 2006. That KC managed to maintain his local connections developed during his previous stints here as an MP and MLA will work to the advantage of Illustration: Mandar Pardikar this former Union minister of state in the UPA II government. However, ironically, the weak organisational structure of the Congress has turned out to be a worry for the AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation. Moreover, KC faces equally strong opponents this time – sitting MP A M Ariff of the CPM and Sobha Surendran of the BJP So, it’s going to be quite . a tight contest. Once celebrated as the ‘Venice of East’, Alappuzha is now one of the poorest districts in the state, with its traditional sectors such as coir industry and fishing going through severe crises. Alappuzha – famous for its backwaters, beach- es, and boat races – is also a l a n d o f r e vo l u t i o n a n d revolutionaries. However, like the famed house boats of the Alappuzha, the constituency has swayed both ways, alternating between the LDF and UDF. Over all, the constituency – with 69% Hindu, 20% Christian and 11% Muslim votes – has elected Left candidates eight times, Congress eight, and its ally RSP once. Notably even when the UDF wave , engulfed Kerala in 2019, Alappuzha emerged as the saving grace for the ruling LDF, which was routed in the other 19 constituencies in the state. It is this unpredictable nature of the constituency that Ariff is banking on as he seeks a second term. Throughout his campaign trail, Ariff keeps reminding voters that he is the only “local candidate” in the fray .
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