hubballi 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 in the table 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. ■ 98 n.o emotional Patel dedicates knock to dad ■ 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 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 Assam CM-elect Himanta Sarma meets Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya | pti Leopard kills 10-yr-old boy from B’luru at MM Hills Express News Service @ Mysuru A 10-year-old boy from Bengaluru was attacked and killed by a leopard at Nagamale near Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Hanur taluk in the early hours of Sunday. This is the second such incident in Chamarajanagar in recent times, triggering concern among devotees and the public. The boy Harshith, and his , f amily had visited the MM Hills Temple and were proceeding to Nagamale on foot when the leopard pounced on the boy and dragged him away . T h e bo dy w as fou n d around half-an-hour later, with his neck and other parts soaked in blood, local residents said. Forest watchers reached the spot soon after receiving the information and alerted senior officials. “We were not told about the presence of wild animals in this area. Most of us were women in the group,” said one of Harshith’s family members. Devotees and local residents were angry with the Forest Department for allege d ly f a i l i n g t o e n s u re adequate safety measures for pilgrims visiting the region. In January, a youngster was killed when a group of devotees from Mandya was heading to MM Hills on foot. Yogi expands cabinet, brings new faces In the run-up to the UP Assembly elections early next year, the ruling BJP on Sunday expanded the Yogi Adityanath cabinet by inducting six new faces and promoting two ministers of state | P8 Himanta to take oath on Tuesday P r a s a n ta M a z umd a r @ Guwahati TVK founder-president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the swearing-in ceremony that took place in Chennai on Sunday | Ashwin Prasath C Joseph Vijay sworn in as TN CM On Day 1, signs orders to create special force for women’s safety, offer 200 units free electricity to domestic users Sub a s h i n i V i j aya kum a r @ Chennai Shattering the six-decadelong electoral dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founderpresident C Joseph Vijay on Sunday assumed office as the state’s chief minister, scripting a historic rise within just around two years of launching his party . State Gover nor Assembly Rajendra Arlekar elections administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay and his nine-member cabinet in the presence of Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is now a coalition partner of the TVK. The nine TVK MLAs-elect who were sworn in as minister are are N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K G Arunraj, K A Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, T K Prabhu and S Keerthana. Immediately after being sworn in, the 51-year-old signed government orders to create a specialised police unit to improve women’s safety and to sanction 65 Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) stations across Tamil Nadu. He also greenlit the provision of 200 units of free electricity bi-monthly for all domestic consumers with consumption up to 500 units. This was a major poll promise of the TVK chief. In his first speech as Chief Minister, Vijay said his government would soon release a white paper detailing the exact financial and administrative condition of Tamil Nadu. “Only after entering office 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 the government today and then take things forward from there,” he said. Stating that the government had assumed office at a time 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 a distant 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 Union Ministry of Home Affairs put forth the guidelines to ensure uniformity and clarity in ceremonial practices across the country 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 Save fuel, WFH amid WAsia crisis: PM M e g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad 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 Min D Sudhakar dies after long illness G S U B HASH CHAN D RA @ Chitradurga KARNATAKA Minister for Planning and Statistics D Sudhakar (65) passed away at the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences in Bengaluru at 3.15 am on Sunday. He had been undergoing treatment for a lung infection for nearly two months. Sudhakar, elected from the Hiriyur Assembly segment, also served as the Chitradurga district incharge minister. Sudhakar, who was admitted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru on March 26 for a knee surgery, developed a lung infection and was later moved to Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences in Governor Rajendra Arlekar congratulates C Joseph Vijay on Sunday | p jawahar CM Siddaramaiah and Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot console the family members of minister D Sudhakar, in Bengaluru on Sunday | Express Electronics City three days later for further treatment. He was treated by a specialist doctor from Hyderabad. Sudhakar is survived by his wife Harshini, son Suhas and daughter Spoorthi. Hailing from the Jain community, he was elected to the As- sembly for one term from Challakere and twice from Hiriyur, from where he had lost once. The sixth son of Dasharathiah and Kanchanamala, Sudhakar was a successful businessman who also made his mark in politics. Sudhakar, who learnt his political lessons from his uncle N Jayanna, an MLA from Challakere, entered electoral politics in 2004 after the latter’s death and won. After Challakere was reserved for STs, he shifted to Hiriyur. He won as an independent from Hiriyur and later joined hands with BJP and was made the social welfare minister, and later muzrai minister. When Challakere became a reserved constituency in 2008, he shifted base to Hiriyur and contested as an independent.  P4 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. E x p r e s s Re a d Jairam lambasts Centre over Nicobar project New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh attacked the Centre on the `72,000 crore Great Nicobar Island Development Project, alleging that the environmental studies used to grant nod were “grossly inadequate” and reduced the Environmental Impact Assessment process to a “mockery”  P7 JDU’s Nishant likely to take Council route Patna: Former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s son and state Health Minister Nishant Kumar is likely to be elected to the state Legislative Council. Nishant was inducted into the state cabinet for the first time on Thursday last  P8 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 people,” he said. Vijay said that his government’s immediate focus would be on basic issues such as education, ration supplies, healthcare, drinking water, roads and bus facilities. Reiterating his earlier promise, he said he would not misuse public funds. “I will not commit mistakes, nor allow mistakes to happen. If anyone thinks, ‘We have won, let us misuse this power and play games’, erase that thought right now,” he warned. He further said women, youth, farmers, government employees, teachers, workers and fishermen would prosper under the TVK rule.  P5 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 coobserver, 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. Modi: Internal fight in Cong; not sure how long CM will last 2 gelatine sticks found close to PM’s route on B’luru outskirts Express News Service @ Bengaluru Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at Congress for indulging in internal party squabbles since it came to power three years ago in Karnataka, and pushing governance to the backseat. Addressing party workers at the HAL Airport after being felicitated by the state BJP unit for winning West Bengal Assembly elections, he said, “We have been witnessing it (squabbles) for the past three years. Instead of resolving the public’s problems, the government here spends the majority of its time resolving its own internal squabbles. It remains undecided how long the chief minister (Siddaramaiah) will remain in office, or whether someone else will be given an opportunity. The entire matter is in a limbo.” He claimed that for BJP governments, public welfare is paramount as it has been demonstrated with 25 crore people being lifted out of poverty in the country. “Our mantra is ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and our model is one of good governance. That is why, in every Express News Service @Bengaluru Prime Minister Modi addresses BJP workers at HAL Airport in Bengaluru on Sunday | Vinod Kumar T state, the public grants BJP the opportunity to serve them a second, and often a third, time,” he added. “In contrast, no Congress state government has ever returned to power for a second term. Within just a few months, anti-incumbency sets in. This is because Congress knows nothing but betrayal. They themselves are deceitful and their guarantees are equally false. In the Congress’ book of power, the chapter on governance simply does not exist,” he commented.  MORE REPORTS ON P4 Just 30 minutes before Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Art of Living Centre on the outskirts of the city on Sunday the police recovered , two gelatine sticks in a cover placed close to his convoy route. Earlier in the morning, the Koramangala police received a threat call on the VVIP movement. But the recovery of gelatine sticks and the threat call were not linked. Modi was visiting HAL and the Art of Living in Bengaluru and Bengaluru South district, and both events concluded without any untoward incidents. A police constable, identified as Jagadeesh, and the Anti-Sabotage Check Team noticed the gelatine sticks around 10.30 am near Vaderahalli Gate.  CONTINUED ON P4