BELAGAVI  MONDAY  NOVEMBER 23, 2020  `7.00  PAGES 28  LATE CITY EDITION JUDGE THROWS OUT TRUMP SUIT ON PENNSYLVANIA LOSS A Pennsylvania judge on Saturday dismissed Trump campaign’s lawsuit seeking to invalidate millions of mail-in votes STATE CAN NOW CERTIFY BIDEN AS WINNER HELPFUL VERDICT, CLAIMS TRUMP TEAM Judge Matthew Brann ruled that the Trump campaign “presented strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations unsupported by evidence”. Donald Trump had claimed some Pennsylvania counties contacted and let voters to fix mistakes in their mail ballot declarations. The path is now clear for the state to certify Joe Biden as the winner ■ ■ Trump’s legal team cast the ruling in a positive light, saying it helps their strategy to get the case expeditiously to the US Supreme Court, where a majority of judges are conservative The case will now go to the 3rd circuit of the US Court of Appeals, which, the Trump campaign hopes, will pass a quick verdict | P9 81,000 VOTES IS BIDEN’S LEAD OVER TRUMP IN PENNSYLVANIA CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Experts see building of a second Covid wave in India S U M I S U K A N YA D U T TA @ New Delhi AFTER recording just 28,609 fresh Covid-19 cases on November 16—the lowest in four months—India has recorded between 38,000 and 46,000 fresh Covid cases daily in the last four days, raising concerns that the country is facing a second wave of the deadly infection. After recording 96,860 new infections in a day on September 16, there had been a steady decline in the number of new cases reported daily . But, in recent days, states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Delhi have seen a sharp rise in daily new cases, pushing the national tally up. “We are definitely seeing early signs of a second wave at the national level,” health economist Rijo M John said. The mortality rate, too, is rising in several states including Kerala, Odisha, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, John pointed out. Experts warned that the states that did well in containing the first wave may see a higher caseload this time BARRING a few exceptions, the fact that fewer Muslim MLAs were elected in the recent Bihar Assembly elections falls into a pattern witnessed in recent years. Wherever and whenever the Bharatiya Janata Party and its alliance partners have performed strongly, coming to power in most cases, the number of elected Muslim representatives has gone down, like in Bihar where it dropped from 24 to 19. Conversely, where non-BJP parties have done well, Muslim representation in the elected houses has generally increased, an analysis by this newspaper found. Take, for instance, the Karnataka elections in 2018 and Uttar Pradesh in 2017. In both states, the BJP did well and the number of Muslim MLAs dived. The steepest fall was in UP where the BJP stormed to power with a crushing threefourths mandate. In the outgoing Assembly where the Samajwadi Party was in power, the state had 68 Muslim MLAs; that figure dropped to 24. Percentage wise, it dipped from 17% of the total strength of the Assem- Cow cabinet mulls cess to raise funds @ Bhopal THE first of its kind gau (cow) cabinet meeting on Sunday convened by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan explored the possibility of levying a cess to raise funds for the welfare of cows in Madhya Pradesh. “There was a time when every individual offered the first roti of the meal to a cow and the last roti to dogs, but now it doesn’t happen. Maybe we’ll make the people contribute financially but it will , be ensured that they aren’t pained by it,” Chauhan said. The gau cabinet, which met virtually also decided to set up over 2,000 cowsheds in the state for the protection of the cows. “We won’t let any cow remain shelterless. We’ve targeted 2,000 gaushalas to be managed by gover nment along with self-help groups.” WITH THIS ISSUE 28 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID) CONTINUED ON: P7 Bengaluru: Karnataka can avoid a second, more severe wave of Covid cases, if the same vigour is maintained in testing and detecting cases, said an expert. But if the state stumbles like Delhi did, then it will not face a wave, but a tsunami of cases and deaths, warned Sanjeev Mysore, convenor of Jeevan Raksha. P3 YOUR LIFE COACH FIGURE IT OUT How they stack up  Percentage in population  % of Muslim MLAs at present  Number of Muslim MLAs  Number of MLAs in the last Assembly Jammu & Kashmir 68.31% 68.9% 60 60 Himachal Pradesh 2.18% 00 0 Punjab 1.93% 0.85% 1 2 Haryana 7.03% 3.33% 3 3 Delhi 12.78% 7.14% 5 4 Uttarakhand 13.95% 2.85% 2 2 Uttar Pradesh 19.3% 5.9% 24 68 Arunachal Pradesh 1.9% 0 0 0 Assam Bihar 34.22% 23% 16.9% 7.81% 29 28 19 24 Meghalaya 4.39% Sikkim 1.6% 0 1.66% 1 1 0 0 Nagaland 2.4% 0 0 0 Manipur Rajasthan 9.1% 4% 8 2 Gujarat 9.6% 1.64% 3 2 Madhya Pradesh 6.57% 0.86% 2 1 Maharashtra 11.54% 3.47% 10 9 Goa 8.33% 0 0 0 8.40% 5% 3 3 West Bengal 27.01% 18% 59 59 Tripura 8.60% 3.33% 2 1 Jharkhand 14.5% 4.87% 4 2 Mizoram 1.3% 0 0 0 Odisha 7.08% 0.68% 1 0 Chhattisgarh 2.02% 1.1% 1 0 Telangana 12.7% 6.72% 8 8 Karnataka 12.9% 3.12% 7 11 Puducherry 4.97% 3% 1 1 Kerala 26.56% 22.85% 32 36 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Tamil Nadu 5.86% 2.13% 5 5 FORMER minister Roshan Baig was arrested by the sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday for his alleged involvement in the `4,000 crore I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam. CBI sources said that Baig was summoned on Sunday morning. “He was questioned about his involvement in the case and as there was evidence that he had played a role in the scam, he was arrested. He was subjected to a medical test, including for Covid, and was produced before a magistrate, who remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. Baig was shifted to Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara,” they added. P4 Former minister Roshan Baig after being arrested by CBI in Bengaluru Ten states where the number of Muslim legislators went up as compared to the last Assembly elections are Delhi, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam and Tripura Nine states where the number of Muslim legislators has remained the same as compared to the last Assembly elections are Haryana, Telangana, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Puducherry and J&K Six states where the Muslim MLA count dropped as compared to the last Assembly elections are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab Six states that do not have a single Muslim MLA are Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa and Himachal Pradesh Andhra Pradesh 9% 1.71% 3 4 Party-ruled states have been categorised as A, while those by the Oppn are on the B list workers in the course of his state visits, which will commence from Uttarakhand. BeTO get a head start for the 2024 sides the ABC states, Nadda Lok Sabha elections, the BJP will also travel to the states has put in place an ‘ABC Plan’ where Assembly elections will that will see party be held next year. chief J P Nadda emThe BJP has said bark on a 120-day tour Nadda’s travel plans of states from Decemwill follow all Covid-19 ber 5 to gear up the orguidelines, with arganisation for the big rangements being electoral challenge. made for checking Nadda will head out temperatures, masks to the A, B and C cateand santisation. gories of states, with “The plan of action Strategy in the first two compris- Oppn-ruled for the travel of the ing party and opposiBJP chief across the states tion ruled states, recountry includes In Oppositionspectively The smaller . building a positive imruled states, states have been placed age in the party-ruled Nadda will in the C basket. states, team spirit, strategise to BJP national generstrategy for the 2024 build campaigns al secretary Arun Lok Sabha elections, against the Singh on Sunday told besides stress on clarreporters that the 120- ruling parties by ity of the party ideoltaking up day long tour would be ogy said Singh. ,” various ssues utilised for building Given the imporforcefully dialogue, strategies tance of social media, and team spirit in the Nadda will hold meetcadre. “The BJP chief will be ings with digital volunteers spending three days each in during his state visits. Another large states and two days each important feature will be meetin the smaller states,” he said. ings allies in the states. “The BJP national general secretary BJP will endeavour during the Tarun Chug will coordinate meetings to strategise on winNadda’s travel plans. ning those Lok Sabha seats the Singh said the BJP chief will party could not in 2019,” said connect with booth level party Singh. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi EXPRESS READ Covaxin sees some progress Azad roasts ‘five-star culture’ of Congress Mysuru: Covaxin, which is currently the most promising among indigenous vaccines, is showing good results. It has started its third phase clinical trials recently among 26,000 volunteers. P3 New Delhi: Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday lashed out at party leadership saying there’s a disconnect between people and Congress leaders and “five-star culture” has crept into the party. REOPENING SCHOOLS: Cop held for CM TO DECIDE TODAY fake raid on KHAKI CRIME IMA scam: CBI arrests ex-minister Roshan Baig @Bengaluru EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST bly to 6%. In Karnataka, the number of Muslim MLAs fell from 11 to seven. Contrast them with the elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in late 2018, Odisha in mid-2019, Maharashtra and Jharkhand in late 2019, and Delhi in February this year. In all these states, the Congress and regional parties upended the BJP and the Muslim MLA count grew, even if marginally in some cases. The biggest increase was in Rajasthan — from two to eight — where the Congress wrested power from the BJP. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress ended 15 years of continuous BJP rule, Muslim MLA numbers went up from nil to one and one to two, respectively . Maharashtra and Jharkhand are also interesting, as the BJP lost power, and the number of Muslim MLAs increased. Exceptions to the trend were Gujarat, Assam and Tripura, where Muslim representation went up though they are ruled by the BJP On the flip side, the . Muslim MLA count dropped in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab, where the BJP has negligible electoral presence. arrive and a second wave by end November or early December is highly likely,” he added. Understandably, the sudden rise in new cases has forced worried state governments to re-impose some of the restrictions that were dialed back. Haryana and Manipur, for instance, have shut schools again while many districts in Rajasthan and Gujarat are under full or partial lockdowns. India on Sunday reported 45,209 fresh cases, taking total P7 tally to 90.95 lakh. K’taka can avoid second wave: Expert BJP SHOW TIED TO MUSLIM MLAS S A N A S H A K I L @ New Delhi around if they let the guard down. “In those states, since seroprevalence and infectioninduced immunity are low, people venturing out would mean high daily cases,” said public health researcher Oommen C Kurian. “India will have multiple peaks before vaccines BJP chief’s ABC Plan for 120-day tour from Dec 5 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Bengaluru If cases rise, colleges may be shut: Sudhakar Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Sunday said that degree and engineering colleges may be shut again if Covid-19 cases rise. “The youth have immunity, but I would not say that students won’t contract the disease. We must protect students, as well as shape their academic future. Since it’s a big responsibility, we have decided to reopen schools and colleges in a phased manner,” he added. P2 THE state government will on Monday decide on reopening of schools for this academic year across the state. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has called a meeting on Monday with Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar and officials from the departments of education, social welfare and health. Suresh Kumar told The New Indian Express that they have already held a meeting with School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) members and a report has been kept ready, which will be presented to the CM at the meeting. “We will take the opinions of health department officials before arriving at any decision,” he said, adding that this would be applicable only for government and government-aided schools following state syllabus. Education department officials said the opinions of parents, teachers and students from have already been taken and documented in the report. They said the meeting will also discuss protocols to be followed for reopening of schools, and they are likely to be similar to those for colleges. P4 COVID WOES Coronavirus fans child starvation epidemic in Karnataka? RA N JA N I M A D H AVA N @Bengaluru THE number of malnourished children at the recently opened rehabilitation centre in Bengaluru suggests that the pandemic and its effects may have worsened hunger and pushed many children across the state into starvation. Twenty-six children aged 0-5 years have been admitted at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Cen- tre (NRC) at Vani Vilas Hospital since it opened in August. Four children were admitted in August, two in September, 16 in October and four in November (till November 17). But the staff at the centre say the numbers are actually higher as many parents refrain from admitting their children fearing they would contract Covid-19. In October, of the 275 children screened, 24 were diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition and 44 with Moderate Acute Malnutrition. But the parents of only 16 children agreed to admit their kids. While some children were referred for treatment of other ailments, others were referred by anganwadis. Doctors, anganwadi workers and nutritional experts said while many factors may have led to hunger, the lockdown-induced financial distress and income loss prevented children from accessing nutritious food. “When children come in for diarrhoea, pneumonia, convulsions, sepsis, fever, etc, we detect malnutrition as well. Some cases we have received have been from the anganwadi staff, who spotted malnourished children, especially from Goripalya, Bapuji Nagar, Kumbalgodu, etc in and around Bengaluru. One of the causes is the financial problem faced by parents due to the pandemic,” said Dr Mallesh K, head of the department of paediatrics at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, which has Vani Vilas HosP5 pital under its ambit. jewellery shop EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Bengaluru IN a case of fence eating the crop, a police constable attached to the Kadugodi police station has been arrested for allegedly conducting a fake raid on a jewellery shop along with seven others and escaping with 800 grams of gold jewellery. Another constable wanted in the case is absconding and a manhunt is on to nab him. Both the constables are attached to the Kadugodi police station. The Halasuru Gate police have arrested seven accused, including constable Ashok, while another policeman, Chowdegowda, is absconding. The incident took place on November 11 at Geetha Jewellers on Yarappa Lane of Thigalarapet in Nagarthpet. The eight-member gang, posing as policemen and officials of the Enforcement Directorate had carried out the fake raid and taken away the jewellery and some documents. The store owner, Karthik, filed a police complaint the next day . “It was clear from the CCTV footage that policemen were involved, as two of the accused were in police uniP5 form,” an official said.