tirupati l thursday l april 18, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l anantapur EDITION Sakshi among top 100 on Time’s annual influential persons list Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik figured in the list for leading a protest against alleged sexual harassment by a top wrestling federation official Sakshi Malik while announcing her retirement in December Took on former WFI chief for Harassment Sakshi, along with Tokyo Olympics bronze winner Bajrang Punia and multiple World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, spearheaded the protest against beleaguered former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar. They were demanding his arrest for intimidating and allegedly sexually harassing female grapplers ■ 1 Alia Bhatt, Dev Patel too feature ■ Other Indians on the 2024 list include actress Alia Bhatt, Indo-British actor Dev Patel and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella “This fight is no longer only for India’s female wrestlers,” said Sakshi. She quit the day Sanjay Singh, considered Brij Bhushan’s close aide, was elected president of the Wrestling Federation of India | P13 The protest went on for almost a year 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 Security forces EC flags down Bengal Governor’s poll-time trip have 17 Naxals on cross-hairs 3 seats in first phase MUKESH RANJAN @ New Delhi They will be neutralised or made to surrender HIT LIST NAME: ACTIVE IN 1 | Muppala Lakmana Rao: Maad area, Chhattisgarh 2 | Nambla Keshav Rao: Maad area, Chhattisgarh 3 | Mallaraji Reddy: Tri-junction bordering Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh & Odisha 4 | Mallajula Venugopal: Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra forests 5 | Misir Besra: Jharkhand 6 | Chandri Yadav: Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh forests 7 | Theepani Thirupati: Chhattisgarh 8 | Akki Raj (Hargopal): Andhra-Odisha border 9 | Kadarat Satyanarayan Reddy: Chhattisgarh border area 10 | Paluri Prasad Rao: Chhattisgarh & Telangana 11 | Modem Balakrishna: Odisha 12 | Ramanna: Chhattisgarh 13 | Sudhakar: Jharkhand 14 | Parvez: Location yet to be ascertained 15 | Asim Mandal: Jharkhand & West Bengal 16 | Hari Bhushan: Chhattisgarh 17 | Mandvi Hidma: Chhattisgarh BJP worker killed In what may be a reprisal for the neutralisation of 29 Maoists, Naxalites killed a BJP worker in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, police said on Wednesday. This is the ninth killing of BJP workers by Naxalites since 2023 M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi A day after eliminating 29 Maoists in the Kanker area of the Bastar division of Chhattisg arh, security forces on Wednesday said they have identified 17 dangerous Naxal operatives for neutralisation. The hit list, prepared under Operation Prahar, includes the dreaded Maoist commander Mandvi Hidma, also known as Hidmalu alias Santosh. Born in Purvarti village of South Sukma, Hidma has been associated with Naxalism since 2001 and is considered the most dangerous, officials said. He runs a strong information network in the entire area and is an expert in using AK-47, sources said. The forces have tracked his location to the Sukma forests in Chhattisgarh where he is hiding. Officials said as many as 79 Naxalites have been killed so far this year in separate encounters in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh, a Maoist stronghold. Of them, 42 Naxal operatives were neutralised in the past 15 days through two major operations. The main objective of Operation Prahar is to hit top Naxal commanders, who brainwash innocent youth and instigate them to join their ranks. Sources said the Naxals “are now feeling the heat and are on the defensive”, adding that the operation will be intensified in the coming days to take it to its logical conclusion. Commenting on the ongoing operation, Union home minister Amit Shah said: “Operations against Naxals will continue... and we will uproot Naxalism from our nation in a very short period of time.” The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday asked West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose to cancel his proposed two-day visit to the state’s Cooch Behar district that was to start on the eve of election day, saying it would violate the Model Code of Conduct. Cooch Behar is among the three West Bengal constituencies voting in the first of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on Friday. “Under the Lingapuram stands out as the sole tribal hamlet within ward No: 20 of Narsipatnam municipality in Anakapalle district, and yet basic amenities are a luxury for the residents. This hamlet, inhabited by the Konda Dora tribe, houses approximately 75 families, accounting for about a population of 500 people. Unlike many of its counterparts scattered on undulating terrains on the slopes of hills across the district, Lingapuram finds itself within municipal bounds. Even then, basic amenities out of bounds for the residents. Key challenges include the lack of basic infrastructure. The road connectivity is inad- Model Code of Conduct and being poll day, no local programme can be organised for Honorable Governor, as proposed in his issued schedule,” ECI said in its advisory to the governor’s office. The poll panel noted that the entire district administration and the police force would be busy with election management duties on Bose’s proposed travel dates (April 18-19). During this time, providing proto- Sunlight being directed onto the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday to mark Ram Navami. It was called Surya tilak. This is the first Ram Navami festival since the consecration of the Ram idol at new temple | PTI The annual Sri Rama Navami Brahmotsavams commenced on a grand note at Sri Kodanda Ramalayam in Vontimitta with Dhwajarohanam on Wednesday. Lord Rama was taken on a celestial ride on Sesha Vahanam in the evening. Thousands of devotees witnessed Vahana Seva filing of nominations to begin today Notification for the elections to 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats in AP will be issued on Thursday. CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena said all arrangements have been made to receive nominations from contestants as per the guidelines of ECI page 6 equate as also water supply, and essential amenities like proper drainage. Though a bridge spanning across the Varaha River constructed from Balighattam, made access to Lingapuram, visitors have to negotiate through an unpaved path stretching for about 1.5 km. The hindrance to laying a proper road stems from the area’s designation as a reserved forest, which prevents the authorities from improving infraP4 structure. Attack on CM: Police detain another from Vaddera Colony E x p ress N e w s S er v i c e @ Vijayawada Vijayawada City Police have reportedly taken another person into custody suspecting his involvement in the attack on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy last Saturday . The police have already taken five persons into custody for questioning. The sixth person Vemula Durga Rao also belongs to Vaddera Colony of Singh Nagar. Meanwhile, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the police are trying to implicate party Vijayawada Central candidate Bonda Umamaheswara Rao in the case. According to sources, Durga Rao was present at the spot along with Satish, who was earlier picked up by the police for questioning. Durga Rao was reportedly picked up from Bonda Uma’s office which raised political heat. Uma said it was a deliberate attempt to implicate him in the case. “The attack was a freak one. Those who were earlier picked up from Vaddera Colony have claimed that they have hurled the stone as the YSRC government had removed the Anna Canteen in their locality . The youngsters have even said that they were promised `300 each for attending the meeting while women were promised `200 each, but were not given which made them angry Uma ,” said. The YSRC tried to gain sympathy by overplaying the Naidu: Police trying to implicate Bonda Uma TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the police are trying to implicate the party Vijayawada Central nominee Bonda Umamaheswara Rao in the stone pelting case incident but could not get any . “Now, they want to blame the TDP for the incident. I will not spare any police officer who implicates me in the case. We will come to power soon and we will take action against officials who foist cases,’’ he said. Meanwhile, Naidu criticised the YSRC for its attempt to blame the TDP for the stone pelting incident against Jagan. “Police took youths and minors from Vaddera Colony labelling , them as the accused, into custody and it was indicative of the government’s efforts to conspire against the TDP without disclosing who actually perpetrated the act,’’ he said, and alleged that the YSRC is plotting to involve TDP candidates and key leaders in cases. Naidu said the YSRC is targeting Bonda Uma with an intention to disrupt his election campaign with false accusations. He urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to keep a track of the abuse of power and demanded that officials failing to ensure the CM’s security should be relieved of investigation responsibilities. “A thorough inquiry should be conducted under the Central ECI’s supervision,” he said. YSRC spokesperson K Ravichandra Reddy questioned as to how the TDP can raise a hue and cry that their leaders are being targeted even before the police made any statement on the accused in the incident. “The reaction of Naidu makes us believe that he might be behind the attack,’’ he said. DMK locked in a gruelling contest to stay as the Raja of the Nilgiris N D ham o t haran @ Nilgiris It’s that time of the year when the weather here is balmy, drawing tourists in droves. However, the political temperature has soared in the old mountain ranges as it witnesses an ideological battle between the BJP’s L Murugan, a minister of state in Modi’s ministry, and the DMK’s A Raja, former telecom minister in the UPA-2 ministry , in this reserved constituency . Raja and Murugan are locked in a fierce three-cornered battle with Lokesh Tamilselvan of the AIADMK, son of P Dhanapal who was speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for nearly 10 years up to May 2021. A native of Namakkal, Murugan was actively involved in the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) in his college days and later joined the RSS. Between 2017 and 2020, he served as Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). During this period, he closely worked with people belonging to the SC community. In March 2020, he became the state president of the BJP the second person from a , Dalit community to hold the post after S P Kirubanidhi. all high-profile persons, campaigners, and political workers, who are not voters of the said election area, shall exit immediately at the beginning of the silence period to ensure free and fair polls. As per Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the silence period for a constituency begins 48 hours before the time fixed for the close of voting there. West Bengal, with 42 constituencies, is one of the handful of states where voting will take place across all seven phases. surya tejas of Lord Ram at Ayodhya A tribal hamlet’s struggle for basic infra though it’s part of urban body U sha Per i @ Visakhapatnam Three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal—Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar— are going to polls in the first phase on April 19. A total of 56.26 lakh people are eligible to vote across 5,814 booths col services and local security cover to the governor will divert them from the time-bound poll-related work, the ECI said in its advisory . The poll panel also cited the “silence period” in Cooch Behar, which came into effect at 6 pm on Wednesday The silence . period brings in a multitude of restrictions and a higher level of enforcement by election authorities. The ECI has issued standing instructions to all district election officers and heads of district police force to ensure that In the 2021 TN Assembly election when the BJP was in an alliance with the AIADMK, Murugan contested from the Dharapuram reserved constituency and lost to DMK’s N Kay- Illustration: Mandar Pardikar alvizhi Selvaraj, who went on to become state minister for Adi Dravidar Welfare, by a slim margin of 1,393 votes. Within a month, he was rewarded for his party work and inducted into the Union cabinet. Like Coimbatore, the BJP has won the Nilgiris seat twice in 1998 and 1999, after the infamous 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blast incident. In 1998, contesting as part of an alliance with the AIADMK, BJP candidate M Master Mathan defeated Tamil Maanila Congress candidate S R Balasubramanian. A year later, this time contesting as part of the DMK alliance, he defeated Congress’s R Prabhu. This is why the BJP fancies its chances of victory here. In fact, Murugan once said Nilgiris was one of the nine Lok Sabha constituencies in the state where the party has a good chance of winning. It is for this reason that he started his poll-related works here quite early by setting up election offices, frequently visiting the district to meet party cadre and interacting with the public. In February, when the BJP nominated him to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, there was speculation that he might not enter the Lok Sabha poll fray Yet, to the surprise of . many he was fielded as the BJP , candidate here. Given that the AIADMK won four of the six assembly segments under the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency in the 2021 Assembly polls, Murugan hoped its support would take him to Parliament from here. However, the AIADMK snapped ties with the BJP. Nonetheless, the constituency has a sizable Hindu vote bank in places like Mettupalayam, Coonoor and Ooty, which is believed to help him. Raja, a native of Perambalur where he won thrice in 1996, 1999 and 2004, moved to Nilgiris in 2009 after his own constituency was converted into a general category one following delimitation. From constable to civil servant, an inspiring journey of Uday K K a lyana K r i shna K umar @ Vijayawada Mulagani Uday Krishna Reddy, hailing from Ullapalem village of Singarayakonda mandal in Prakasam district, has set an example to the IAS aspirants that one should not allow a personal tragedy to come in the way of dreaming big and achieving it. He faced adversity early in life, having lost his parents at a young age. Raised by his grandmother, Uday went to Zilla Parishad school and then government colleges. He became a police constable but he left the job when his superiors humiliated him in the presence of his colleagues. Uday made the difficult decision to resign in 2019 after his circle inspector insulted him in front of nearly 60 constables. Determined to pursue his aspirations, he shifted his focus to civil services. In the recently announced UPSC 2024 civil services results, he made it big. His resilience and dedication kept him ahead of others. He secured an All India rank of 780. His journey from humble beginnings to achieving success in the highly competitive civil services exam serves as an inspiration to many . Uday lost his mother Jayamma when he was four-and-ahalf-years-old and his father Srinivasula Reddy when he was 15-years-old. He was raised by his grandmother Ramanamma, a daily labourer. Uday completed his schooling in Ullapalem village and his high schooling in ZP school. He pursued an Intermediate vocational course in the Lab Technician branch and completed his BA at Jawahar Bharathi Degree College. Now, he is pursuing his MA Political Science through distance P3 education.
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