KANNUR l wednesday l may 08, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Xi appoints senior diplomat Xu Feihong as new envoy to India To take charge before poll results come While there is no official announcement yet, the Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed that Xu, former Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, has been appointed as China’s new envoy in India, PTI reported on Tuesday. Reports indicate that Xu, 60, will travel to New Delhi soon and will assume charge before the Lok Sabha election results are declared The appointment comes after a long delay of 18 months amid frozen relations between the two countries over the military standoff in Ladakh Post lying vacant since October 2022 ■ Xu will succeed veteran Chinese diplomat Sun Weidong, who completed his tenure in India in October 2022. Sun, who was China’s envoy to Pakistan before his India stint, is currently China’s vice-minister for foreign affairs ■ A posting to New Delhi is considered prestigious and highly sought after among Chinese diplomats because it could lead to faster career progression 1976 The last time there was such a long gap in the posting of a Chinese envoy in India 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 Average turnout again in third phase Overall voting percentage 63.53%, as compared to 67.33% in 2019 LS elections; Uttar Pradesh lowest at 57.34% P r e e t h a N a ir @ New Delhi Marking another dip in voter turnout, the third phase of the Lok Sabha election on Tuesday recorded average polling of 63.53% across 93 seats in 11 states and Union territories. The same 93 seats had polled 67.33% in 2019. While Assam had the highest voter turnout at 77.06%, Goa came second at 75.13% and West Bengal at 73.96%. UP witnessed the lowest at 57.34%, while Bihar polled 58.16% Gujarat 57.62%, Maharashtra 61.44%, Chhattisgarh 70.05%, Karnataka 69.65% and MP 66.05%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who exercised their franchise in Gujarat. In the third phase, stakes are high for the ruling BJP as it had won 71 of the 93 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. While the BJP is looking to repeat its stunning performance in the 2019 elections, the states in focus will be Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. All 26 seats in Gujarat, 14 seats in Karnataka and 11 seats in Maharashtra are up for grabs Resurgence of West Nile triggers alert E x pr e s s N e w s S e r v ic e @Kozhikode What causes West Nile? Caused by a virus transmitted via bites from infected Culex mosquitoes Mostly impacts adults Likely symptoms Headache, fever, muscle aches, dizziness, and memory issues Most individuals do not show symptoms, but disease can become severe, leading to neurological damage and, in rare cases, death No specific vaccine or medication; early medical intervention crucial Sidharthan was stripped, beaten up & denied care: CBI P R a m d a s @Kochi Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his ink-marked finger after casting his vote for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also seen | PTI Sporadic violence in West Bengal areas High polling in 4 Assam seats despite rains Polling peaceful in Uttar Pradesh, says CEO Raiwa Sporadic violence in the four seats in West Bengal as Trinamool, BJP and CongressCPI(M) workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur. All parties lodged separate complaints on poll violence High polling registered in Assam despite inclement weather. Amid rains, people used different modes of transport, including boats, to reach the polling stations across Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar constituencies UP’s Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said the polling was peaceful. Some complaints were received from parties through email and were promptly resolved, he said. In all, 48 ballot units, 48 control units and 152 VVPATs were changed till 6 pm Sidharthan J S was brutally assaulted, subjected to public trial and denied medical attention for hours, the final report by the CBI investigating the veterinary college student’s death has revealed. Sidharthan, 20 a student of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University was found hanging in the hostel in , Pookode, Wayanad, on February 18. The CBI’s New Delhi Unit submitted the report before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Ernakulam on April 25. The document, a copy of which is with TNIE, brings to light the horrific ordeal the youth from Thiruvananthapuram was subjected to from the night of February 16 until the earpress ly hours of Februclusive ary 17. It said the accused — 19 people have been booked in the case — stripped Sidharthan to his undergarments while questioning his alleged misbehaviour towards a girl student. It said Sidharthan was continuously beaten up with a belt, a glue gun cable, and slapped and kicked. A partially-naked Sidharthan was also forced to “confess” his guilt before the hosetl inmates, the CBI document said. The assault, restraint, confinement, humiliation, and harassment, started around 9.30pm on February 16 and lasted till 1am on February 17, said the report, adding that Sidharthan was repeatedly pushed to the ground ● More on P4 by the accused persons. Sidharthan J S Findings As per the report, the probe has established that accused 1 to 19 — Akhil K, Kashinathan R S, Ameen Akberali U, Arun K, Sinjo Johnson, N Asif Khan, Amal Ihsan A, Ajay J, Althaf A, Soud Risal E K, Adithyan V, Muhammed Dhanish M, Rehan Benoy, Akash S D, Abhishek S, Shreehari R D, Dones Daie, Billgate Joshwa Thannikode and Naseef V — committed offences under IPC and The Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act 1998. AICC blinks, Sudhakaran 3 Independents exit, Haryana govt in minority back at KPCC helm today H a rpr e e t B a j w a @ Chandigarh C yn t hi a C h a n d r a n @T’Puram Giving in to persuasion by key party leaders in Kerala and pressure from K Sudhakaran himself, the Congress national leadership has decided to reinstate the Kannur leader as the KPCC president. Sudhakaran will re-assume the post at Indira Bhavan at 11am on Wednesday . It is learnt that a section of senior leaders backing Sudhakaran had conveyed to Delhi that dilly-dallying on Sudhakaran’s return at the party’s helm will send a wrong message on social balancing. Following this, Deepa Das Munshi, AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, softened her stand and gave Sudhakaran the green signal during a telephone conversation on Tuesday . “Sudhakaran was forced to defend his Kannur Lok Sabha seat as there was no other credible Thiyya leader to take on CPM. The other Ezhava community member in fray is Attingal candidate Adoor Prakash. The High Command realised it will end up further antagonising the Ezhava community which is already under-represented in the Congress,” said a leader close ● More on P4 to Sudhakaran. The Nayab Singh Saini-led Haryana government was on Tuesday reduced to a minority as three Independent lawmakers withdrew their support amid the Lok Sabha elections, triggering a major political crisis in the state. Technically the government , will not fall immediately since there has to be a gap of six months between confidence votes. The last trust vote was on March 12 after Saini replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as the chief minister. However, the Congress went for the BJP’s jugular, demanded President’s rule in the state. The three Independents are Sombir Sangwan (Dadri), Ran- Total seats 90 88 Effective strength 2 Independents with BJP 1 Haryana Lokhit Party has a better connect with the OBCs.“Maratha voters’ polarisation was always an issue but the fragmented polarisation mainly helped Munde family, as it triggered a reverse polarisation of OBC communities against Maratha candidates. Maratha as a big community never gets 100% consolidation like other smaller communities of OBC. The fragmented and divided Marathas helped Munde family win in 2009, 2014 and 2014. But in 2024, the scenario is different. Due to Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s stir, Maratha voters of Marathawa- Opposition 30 Congress 1 INLD 10 JJP 4 Independents dhir Gollen (Pundri) and Dharampal Gonder (Nilokheri). They said they will extend support to the Congress during the S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai Pankaja Munde HARYANA Simple majority 40 BJP Maratha stir to upset calculations in Munde family bastion The contest in Maharashtra’s Beed Lok Sabha constituency, the bastion of the Munde family is all set , to go right down to the wire on May 13 as a confluence of factors is threatening to upset the conservative electoral calculations. Beed has been represented by the Munde family since 2009. This time, the BJP has denied ticket to sitting MP Pritam Munde, daughter of late popular leader Gopinath Munde, and instead fielded her sister Pankaja Munde, who is facing tough challenge from Sharad Pawar-led NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar)’s candidate Bajrang Sonwane. Pankaja was a minister in BJPled government in Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019, but lost the 2019 assembly elections to cousin Dhananjay Munde, now a minister in the NCP (Ajit Pawar) government in Maharashtra. As for Sonwane, he had contested the LS elections in 2019 but lost to Pritam by over 1.5 lakh votes. He is trying his luck for the second time but is hopeful that he has better chances as the Maratha quota issue is fast emerging as a major deciding factor in the polls. The Maratha voters are said to be backing Sonwane while Pankaja 45 Ruling coalition Illustration: Mandar Pardikar Health authorities in Kerala are on alert following cases of West Nile viral fever, a mosquito-borne disease, being reported from Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Thrissur districts. Six cases, five confirmed and one suspected, have been reported in Kozhikode, of whom four have recovered. Two suspected cases have been reported in Malappuram. In Thrissur, the infection was confirmed in one person, a 79-year-old man, after his death a week ago, while the other, a 72-year-old man, tested positive three days ago. Health Minister Veena George emphasised on the importance of mosquito control and elimination of breeding sites to prevent spread. She also called for community vigilance and cooperation in reporting any stagnant water pool or potential mosquito breeding sites. Anyone experiencing fever or other symptoms associated with West Nile disease has been advised to seek prompt medical attention. In a recent high-level meeting of the health department aimed at outlining steps to combat the fever spread, district medical officers were asked to ramp up pre-monsoon cleaning and mosquito control efforts, including destruction of breeding ● More on P4 grounds. in the third phase. The BJP is facing a crucial test in Karnataka, where it won 27 of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019. However, the party lost the assembly elections in 2023. As the BJP is facing heat over the alleged sex scandal involving Prajwal Revanna, the Hassan Lok Sabha candidate of the BJP-JD(S) alliance, the contest in 14 seats is being keenly watched to see if the controversy will impact the BJP . While the BJP-led NDA won seven of the 11 seats in Maharashtra in the 2019 elections, analysts say that the split in NCP and Shiv Sena camp in the last two years may not augur well for the NDA alliance. In its stronghold in Gujarat too, the saffron party is facing challenges from within its ranks and file — the Rajputs and Kshatriyas. At 66.14%, the first phase saw a drop of just under 4 percentage points compared to 2019, while the second phase turnout at 66.71% saw a difference of under 3 percentage points. With polling in more than half of the 543 LS seats done and dusted, how the below average turnout would translate into seats is anybody’s guess. horrific ordeal Bajrang Sonwane da region including Beed are against the government and are rallying behind the NCP(SP) pick,” said a local journalist from Beed. A political observer said the challenges before Pankaja are formidable. “Even MLAs from the Maratha community are barred from entering the villages for their perceived failure to bring in reservations for the Maratha community This time, . it’s a really complex and tough battle where local issues play a much bigger role than the Hindu-Muslim binary and other issues like the Ram temple,” he said. general elections. The trio made the announcement at Rohtak in the presence of the Leader of Opposition and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan. “We took the decision because of various issues, including those related to farmers. Till Khattar was the CM, we had supported the BJP. Sadly, he is not in power anymore,” Gonder said. Sangwan claimed that another Inde pendent MLA, Rakesh Daultabad (Badshahpur), was also expected to join them but was unable to reach the venue in time. The four Independent MLAs were reportedly disgruntled after being denied berths in the Saini cabinet. The 90-member state assembly now had an effective strength is 88 as Khattar and Independent MLA Ranjit Chautala resigned after the BJP gave them the Karnal and Hisar Lok Sabha tickets, respectively Before Ranjit’s res. ignation, six of the total seven Independents in the state were with the BJP . The main opposition Congress has 30 MLAs, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala 10 and the INLD 1. When the Saini government had on March 13 won the trust vote, the JJP had issued a whip asking its 10 MLAs to abstain from the trust vote. But now, quite a few of the JJP’s MLAs have come out in support of the ruling BJP .
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