HYDERABAD FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 38 LATE CITY 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 OFFICIAL ■ 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 2 city-based space startups to meet Elon Musk in New Delhi on Monday E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad Poll officials trekking to the Kadambakuttai tribal habitation with EVMs in Denkanikottai taluk of Krishnagiri Phase 1 today, tough fight for BJP biggies 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 VOTING BEGINS AT 7 AM, ENDS AT 6 PM Quite a few Union ministers in general elections fray R A J E S H K U M A R T H 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. EXPRESS READ ED attaches assets of Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra Cong to field Raghuma from Khammam? New Delhi: The ED said on Thursday that it has attached assets worth `97.79 crore belonging to Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra in connection with of a money-laundering case | P9 Hyderabad: The Congress high command has reportedly decided to field Ramasahayam Surender Reddy’s son Raghuma Reddy from Khammam and Velichala Jagapathi Rao’s son Velichala Rajender Rao from Karimnagar | P4 OVER-SUSPICION OF STATE SEES EVMs NOT PRUDENT, SAYS APEX COURT HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OF 2024 AT 45.2°C. LIGHT RAINS IN PARTS OF TG|P2 S U C H I T R 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 the remarks when Bhushan said the opaque glass on VVPAT machines should be made transparent so 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 c o n t i n u o u s l y, ” B h u s h a n 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 reports 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. REPRESENTATIVES of two Hyderabad-based space startups — Skyroot Aerospace and Dhruva Space — are expected to meet Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk when he visits India on April 22. Speaking to TNIE, Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace — which is India’s first private company to develop a launch vehicle — confirmed that the meeting will be held in New Delhi. However, Dhruva Space representatives refused to comment on the matter. Regarding the agenda of the meeting, Pawan said they were looking forward to an open conversation and to showcase the firm’s capabilities and credentials. “What transpires out of this is not in our control for now, but we are open to any possibilities or opportunities,” he added. The CEO said the tech billionaire’s visit is testimony to the growing prowess and reputation of India’s space sector, riding on the success of CONTINUED ON P6 landmark missions and projects. BJP will try to topple It’s Cong versus BJP Cong govt, claims KCR in Telangana: Uttam A case was filed against BL Santhosh, who tried to topple the state government. To take revenge, the BJP lodged false cases against Kavitha What KCR says at times is ridiculous. Ten years of dictatorial, undemocratic and corrupt regime is over. KCR is never going to return to power K Chandrasekhar Rao, BRS supremo N Uttam Kumar Reddy, minister Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao chairs a BRS meeting ahead of the Lok Sabha polls at the Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad on Thursday Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy gestures while speaking during an interview with a TNIE team in Hyderabad | SRI LOGANATHAN VELMURUGAN M A N D A R A V I N D E R R E D D Y @ Hyderabad E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday reportedly said the leaders who defected to the Congress are unhappy with their decision. “A senior Congress leader contacted me and said he, along with 20 MLAs, would move to the BRS. But, I said that there was no need to bring 20 legislators with him,” the former chief minister added. Addressing a meeting with election candidates for Lok Sabha polls and senior party leaders here, he said, “The BJP had conspired to topple the BRS government even when it had 104 MLAs. Do you think the saffron party will spare the Congress which has 64 MLAs?” Responding to MLC K Kavitha being jailed, KCR said: “Her arrest is illegal. Kavitha has not done any wrong. Agencies have failed to show evidence of even `100 as proceeds of crime. During the BRS rule, a case was filed against BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh, who tried to topple the state government. To take revenge, the BJP lodged false cases against Kavitha. If there was no case on BL Santhosh, there would be no case on Kavitha.” The BRS supremo said he would take part CONTINUED ON P6 in a statewide bus yatra from April 22. IRRIGATION Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that the BRS will not win a single seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said that the BJP is Congress’ main rival. Speaking to TNIE as part of Hyderabad Dialogues, the senior Congress leader said, “The BRS has been reduced to a zero in Telangana. In about 10 seats, we don’t have competition. In one seat, MIM is our opponent and in the remaining six, the BJP is our rival.” Uttam held former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for the drought-like situation in the state. He said, “No proper soil test and geological studies were conducted in Medigadda. KCR and his team have blundered and plundered.” On Krishna waters, Uttam asserted that much more water was diverted to Andhra Pradesh from separate Telangana than ever before in combined AP. “Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II has been formed with new terms of reference. We have put in a claim for 700+ tmcft,” he said. Of the 811 tmcft allocated to undivided Andhra, Telangana is currently receiving 299 tmFULL INTERVIEW: P5 cft while Andhra gets 512 tmcft. SC criticises ‘selective amnesia’ on importance of forests NEW DELHI: Setting aside a Telangana High Court order declaring 106.34 acres of forest land in Warangal district as private, the Supreme Court on Thursday observed that humans have ‘selective amnesia’ about the significance of forests. It also underlined the need for a change in approach to- wards natural resources from anthropocentric to ecocentric. While slamming the HC for ‘graciously gifting’ the piece of forest land to a private person who could not prove his title, a bench comprising justices MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti also came down heavily on state officials for abdicating their duty to protect forest land. “Human beings indulge themselves in selective amnesia when it comes to ... the significance of forests. It is the forests which give life to the Earth by replacing carbon dioxide with oxygen, thereby providing a hospitable environment for the steady growth of diverse life for ms,” the bench said. The top court said a country with excess forest cover would be in a position to sell its surplus carbon credit to the one in deficit. “ difference of 1.5°C in A temperature saves the global economy tens of trillions of dollars,” it noted. CONTINUED ON P6 KC in must-win contest in the ‘Venice of the East’ C I T H A R A PA U L @ 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 CONTINUED ON P6 fray .
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