BHUBANESWAR l thursday l april 18, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late CITY EDITION Sakshi among top 100 on Time’s annual influential persons list 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 Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik figured in the list for leading a protest against alleged sexual harassment by a top wrestling federation official 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 | P11 1 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 Naveen decides to contest from Kantabanji along with Hinjili Security forces have 17 Naxals in cross-hairs b i j ay c h a k i @ Bhubaneswar 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, the 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 MUK E SH RA N JA 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.” surya tejas 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 | PTI CHIEF Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik will once again contest from two seats in the upcoming elections. He has decided to contest from the Kantabanji Assembly segment under Balangir Lok Sabha seat along with his traditional stronghold Hinjili under Aska parliamentary constituency this time. In 2019, Naveen had contested from Bijepur in Bargarh along with Hinjili in Ganjam district. Though he had been elected from both the seats, he later resigned from Bijepur and retained Hinjili, which he has won five consecutive times since 2000. The Kantabanji Assembly seat is presently represented by senior Congress leader Santosh Singh Saluja. The Congress has already renominated Saluja from the Kantabanji seat. Interestingly, there were strong speculations over talks with Saluja to quit Congress and join BJD, which was also said to be a reason for the delay in EC flags down Bengal guv’s poll-time trip MUK E SH RA N JA N @ New Delhi 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 Model Code of Conduct and being poll day, no local programme can be organised for Honorable Governor, as pro- 3 seats in first phase 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 posed 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 protocol 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 au- Heatwave to torment state till April 20, respite from Sunday E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Schools closed for three days @ Bhubaneswar THERE will be no let-up in the brutal weather as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave condition in parts of Odisha till Saturday The mercury level is ex. pected to fall from Sunday onwards under the influence of rainfall and thundershower activity . On Wednesday, 30 places of the state recorded 40 degree C or more. While Talcher was the hottest at 43.2 degree C, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 41.7 degree C and 41.5 degree C, announcement of candidate for the seat. With the chief minister himself deciding to contest from Kantabanji, the rumours have been set to rest. Naveen’s candidature from a western Odisha seat once again is aimed at thwarting the BJP’s advances in the region. The saffron party has made deep inroads in western districts of the state, winning a major chunk of both its Lok Sabha and Assembly seats from the region. Further, announcing the list of eight other Assembly candidates, the chief minister said seats have been swapped between veteran party leader Prasanna Acharya and Rohit Pujari. While Rairakhol Assembly seat has been allotted to Acharya, Pujari, the sitting MLA from Rairakhol, has been shifted to Sambalpur. The move was taken after Acharya expressed unhappiness with the party’s decision to field him from Sambalpur. He was interested in contesting from Rairakhol from where he was elected in 2009. He had met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on April 12 requesting him to reconsider the decision to field him from Sambalpur. T he BJD also dropped former minister Sameer Das from the Nimapara seat and replaced him with Dilip Nayak. Nayak had recently quit BJP and joined the regional party. Besides, former minister and senior leader of the party Rabi Narayan Nanda has been replaced in the Jeypore seat by his wife Indira Nanda. The party also dropped former deputy speaker Rajani Kanta Singh from Angul and replaced him with his wife Sanjukta Continued on P5 Singh. The state government on Wednesday announced closure of all schools in the state from April 18 to 20 due to heatwave forecast by the IMD. In a release, the School and Mass Education Department said the government has decided to shut all schools including those run by the government, government-aided and private for three days in view of prevailing heatwave conditions and rise in day temperature. As per IMD’s forecast, the temperature is expected to cross the 45 degrees Celsius mark in a few places in Odisha from April 18 to 20. Meanwhile, some private schools have decided to resort to online classes if the heatwave continues after April 20. respectively. Two places - Koraput (37.4 degree Celsius) and Daringbadi (34 degree C) witnessed heatwave conditions. The twin city residents woke up to uncomfortable weather as the humidity level was 73 per cent in Bhubaneswar and 67 per cent in Cuttack at 8.30 am on the day. IMD has issued heatwave warning for Cuttack, Khurda and 19 other districts on Thursday . Weather is expected to turn harsher as maximum temperature is likely to rise by 2 degree C to 3 degree C in many places in the state within two days. The capital city may experience heatwave condition on Thursday as the mercury level is expected to be around 42 degree C. Even as the state continues to remain under the grip of scorching weather, it has already recorded more than normal heatwave days in the month Continued on P5 of April. thorities. The ECI has issued standing instructions to all district election officers and heads of district police force to ensure that 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. BRUTAL HEAT Koraput, Daringbadi witnessed heatwave condition on Wednesday Talcher was the hottest at 43.2 degree C Humidity 73 pc in Bbsr, 67 pc in Cuttack Heatwave warning to 21 dists on Thursday Weather expected to turn harsher in next two days Like last year, heatwave condition is expected to subside after April 20 under influence of rainfall and thundershower activity Umasankar Das, scientist, Bbsr Met Centre express read Govt notifies use of nano urea for 3 yrs New Delhi: The Union government on Wednesday notified the use of Nano Urea Plus for a period of three years. The use of Nano Urea has been controversial due to its claim of efficiency and inadequate field trials. Several reports have indicated that farmers are dissatisfied with its use as it reduces production | P9 Will eliminate Maoists from country: Shah Ahmedabad: The Narendra Modi government will eliminate Maoists from the country in a very short period of time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on Wednesday. Shah commended security personnel for their valour and dedication in successful anti-Maoist operations in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, resulting in the elimination of 29 Maoist insurgents | P9 DMK locked in a gruelling contest to stay as the Raja of the Nilgiris N D h a m o t h a r a n @ Nilgiris Storm dumps record rain across UAE, flooding Dubai airport Schools across the federation of sheikhdoms were largely shut ahead of the storm; 142 mm rainfall recorded in 24 hours; average annual precipitation is 94.7 mm | P11 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. 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. Continued on: P5
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