kozhikode l monday l may 11, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION CSK’s Urvil hits joint-fastest fifty in 19-year IPL history Urvil Patel equalled the record of Yashavi Jaiswal, smashing a 13-ball half-century for Chennai Super Kings on Sunday... Super Kings make strides up the table emotional Patel dedicates knock to dad Thanks to the 23-ball 65 from Patel, CSK beat Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets, moving to fifth in the table. CSK restricted LSG to 203/8 before getting across the line in the final over. Patel, who came in at No 3, took Avesh Khan for three sixes before hitting 22 runs in an Digvesh Rathi over. By the time, he was done, Patel had smashed 8 sixes and 2 fours. ■ ■ After reaching the half-century in 13 balls, Urvil put his hands together to thank in the direction of the pavillion before taking out a piece of paper from his pocket. ‘This is for you papa’ the paper read in English along with a message in Gujarati, dedicating the innings to his father | P11 98 n.o Jaiswal reached his fifty in 13 balls during the 98* vs KKR in 2023 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 From kingmaker to bystander: IUML’s post-poll isolation L a k s h m i At h i r a @Malappuram Himanta to take oath on Tuesday TVK founder-president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the swearing-in ceremony in Chennai on Sunday | Ashwin Prasath C Joseph Vijay sworn in as TN CM; nine in his cabinet Spl force for women’s safety, 200 units of free power to domestic users greenlit on Day 1 K G Arunraj, K A Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, T K Shattering the six-decade- Prabhu and S Keerthana. long electoral dominance of Immediately after being the DMK and AIADMK in sworn in, the 51-year-old signed Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vettri government orders to create a Kazhagam (TVK) founder- specialised police unit to impresident C Joseph Vijay on prove women’s safety and to Sunday assumed office as the sanction 65 Anti-Narcotic Task state’s chief minister, script- Force (ANTF) stations across ing a historic rise Tamil Nadu. He also within just around greenlit the proviAssembly elections two years of launchsion of 200 units of ing his party . free electricity biState Gover nor monthly for all doRajendra Arlekar mestic consumers administered the with consumption oath of office and seup to 500 units. This crecy to Vijay and his nine- was a major poll promise of member cabinet in the pres- the TVK chief. ence of Congress leader and In his first speech as Chief Leader of the Opposition Ra- Minister, Vijay said his governhul Gandhi, who is now a coa- ment would soon release a lition partner of the TVK. The white paper detailing the exact nine TVK MLAs-elect who financial and administrative were sworn in as minister are condition of Tamil Nadu. are N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, “Only after entering office S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r @ Chennai Assam CM-elect Himanta Sarma meets Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya | pti P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati HIMANTA Biswa Sarma will be sworn in as Assam chief minister for a second consecutive term on May 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah among the dignitaries expected to attend the ceremony . Sarma was on Sunday unanimously elected leader of both the BJP and NDA Legislature parties, paving the way for his return. The BJP had appointed Union Minister J P Nadda and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini as observer and co-observer, respectively, to oversee the election process. Sarma, accompanied by leaders of NDA allies BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) subsequently met Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at Lok Bhavan and staked his claim to form the next government. The NDA had swept the state Assembly elections, bagging 102 of 126 seats, with BJP alone winning 82, with AGP and BPF claiming 10 each. Thanking the people of Assam and the BJP’s top leadership for electing the coalition for a third straight time, Sarma said, “I thank PM Narendra Modiji for taking Assam’s development to a level we could not imagine.” He also acknowledged and thanked Home Minister Shah for maintaining peace in Assam. “The results are a reflection of the development initiatives,” he added. Controversy on first day Right on his first day in office, controversy brewed after a section of spectators at the swearing-in ceremony raised alarm over the Thamizhthaai Vaazhthu being pushed to third place, following all six stanzas of Vande Mataram and the National Anthem. However, this arrangement was based on an order dated January 28, in which the Ministry of Home Affairs put forth the guidelines to ensure uniformity and clarity in ceremonial practices across the country do you realise the actual condition, what exists and what does not. I want this to be a transparent government. I want to openly tell you the situation of Save fuel, work from home amid W Asia crisis: Modi Me g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad full blast Kerala Blasters FC players celebrate their third goal, scored by Sreekuttan M S, against Mohammedan Sporting Club during the ISL match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Sunday. Blasters defeated Mohammedan 3-1 | T P Sooraj I m m i g r a ti o n w o e s Tighter norms spell trouble for Kerala students A n u K u r u v i ll a @Kochi A serious storm is brewing on the horizon for Kerala. The tightening of immigration norms by their “dream countries” is threatening to upend the plans of thousands of students from the state who went abroad for studies, after taking lakhs of rupees as loans, with the hopes of settling down there. With the UK, Canada, Australia and other European nations acting tough on immigration, many Malayali aspir- the government today and then take things forward from there,” he said. Stating that the government had assumed office at a time when the state was burdened with debts of nearly `10 lakh crore, Vijay requested people to give him time to implement his promises. “I will gradually try to fulfil what I promised, and I will fulfil them. Your patience and cooperation will help me greatly,” he said. He also asserted that his government would take strict measures to ensure women’s safety and curb the drug menace in the state. “It is the duty of our government to save our youth. Likewise, I will ensure law and order and safety for everyone. Even those who insulted me or troubled me are still my people. Whether friends or enemies, all eight crore individuals are my peoP2, 5 ple,” he said. Until a few days back, the IUML towered over the UDF like a Colossus. Riding on the League’s strength, the front swept back to power with a resounding victory in the assembly elections. However, within a week of the results, the party found itself pushed to the margins in the UDF, as the Congress secured the numbers enough to form the government, sans the League, with the support of the smaller allies. The post-election power equations have exposed widening fault lines within the UDF, leaving the IUML politically isolated at the very moment it was expected to wield decisive influence. The backlash was trig g ered by the League’s aggressive intervention in the chief ministerial race. By openly backing V D Satheesan for the top post, the IUML sought to shape the Congress leadership narrative from outside the party Campaigns, public . meetings and protest marches across the Malabar region projected Satheesan as the “natural choice” for chief minister soon after K C Venugopal’s name surfaced in internal discussions. H o w e v e r, i n s t e a d o f strengthening its bargaining power, the League’s intervention provoked resentment among Congress factions backing Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala. From senior Congress leaders to campus units of the party’s student arm, KSU, criticism mounted against what many described as the League’s interference in the Indian students going abroad 2022 2023 2024 7,50,365 8,92,989 7,59,064 (Bureau of Immigration data presented in Lok Sabha) Number of students going abroad from Kerala has nearly doubled from 1,29,763 in 2018 to 2,50,000 in 2023. ants will be forced to return home in the coming years Recently, the Catholic Congress Global Youth Council (CCGYC) brought out a paper pointing out that, as per migration experts, around 30,000 Malayali students would return home after failing to secure jobs abroad. A Kerala Migration Survey report released in 2023 had said 2.5 lakh students from Kerala have gone abroad. “These are just the numbers till 2023,” said Leon Jose Vithayathil, who pre pared the CCGYC report. As per the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), the number of Indians who disclosed their purpose of visit as study/education while going abroad in 2024 was 7,59,064. A significant number of them hail from Kerala. Leon, who is based in the UK, said the situation there has already become difficult for Indian students. “These are mostly students from middle-class families, who arrive here after taking anywhere between `15 lakh to `45 lakh as loans. This only covers their tuition fees. To cover expenses like accommodation and food, they are forced to take up jobs considered menial back ● More on P4 home,” he said.  In the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, for the first time, extensively spoke about the need to save foreign exchange by avoiding foreign travel and gold purchases for a year, reducing fuel consumption by reviving Covid-era practices such as work from home, and invoking patriotism as India attempts to tide over the crisis. Addressing a public meeting at Parade Ground in Secunderabad, Modi said the conflict in West Asia had led to a sharp increase in petrol and fertiliser prices. “When there is pressure on the supply chain, difficulties increase despite various measures taken by the government to overcome the crisis. During such a global crisis, we must place the country above everything else and take certain resolutions,” he said. Earlier in the day, while virtually laying foundation stones and inaugurating development projects worth around `9,400 crore for Telangana, Modi stressed the need for restrained use of petroleum products. “The need of the hour is to use petrol, diesel, gas and other petro products with restraint. Imported petro products should be used only as per need. This will not only save foreign exchange but also reduce the adverse impact of war,” he said. Urging people not to buy gold during weddings or special occasions for one year, Modi recalled that there was a time when people donated gold for the country. “We do not have to donate now, but we should at least resolve not to buy gold at functions for one year to save foreign exchange,” he said. The prime minister also appealed to people to reduce edible oil consumption. “I have been saying, reduce the use of cooking oil by 10%. This will not only help the nation during these times but also improve the health of your family,” he said. Welcome relief May rains push temperatures down by 40C Most dramatic drop was felt in T’Puram & Thrissur. Night temperatures, however, have not fallen as sharply | P5 High command leans towards K C Venugopal K S SR E E J ITH @T’Puram While it is yet to reveal its choice, the Congress high command is indicated to have taken a final decision on the next chief minister of Kerala. An official announcement is expected on Monday or Tuesday Party sources said AICC . general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal has the strong backing of Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for the post. Sources said though V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala, the other two contenders for the post, had pinned their hopes on the high command after four hours of marathon discussions and deliberations, a majority of MLAs and MPs are understood to have supported Venugopal. They said the high command also took Venugopal’s organisational skills and strategic role throughout the election campaign into considera● More on P4 tion.  Congress’s internal affairs. The strain within the front spilled into the open after KSU activists sharply criticised the MSF for staging protest marches against K P C C p re s i d e n t S u n ny Joseph in Delhi while simultaneously organising a celebratory reception for Sathee● More on P4 san.  E x p r e ss R e a d Socialist parties set off on road to merger T’Puram: Struggling to find a foothold following the LDF’s massive defeat in the assembly elections, socialist parties in the front are set to come together to form a common platform. Proposed be led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the only party in the coalition save the CPM and the CPI to have representation in the house, it is being conceived as a political outfit with a broad socialist base | P4 3 students drown in Palavan river Kochi: A weekend outing of students from Mar Baselios Dental College, Kothamangalam, ended in tragedy on Sunday after three of them drowned in the Palavan river near Kothamangalam while attempting to save a friend caught in a strong undercurrent. The deceased are Biyon Biju, Atul Raj, both from Kottayam, and Hareesh V B, 22, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram | P4 No decision yet on LoP, says M A Baby T’Puram: The CPM has not yet taken a decision on the Leader of Opposition post in the assembly, CPM general secretary M A Baby said on Sunday after the party politburo meeting in Delhi. Meanwhile, amid reports that the CPM may appoint one of its senior leaders as Deputy Leader of Opposition, CPI has intensified its demand for the post | P4