kochi l monday l may 11, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late 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 Vijay sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM; 9 in his cabinet Spl force for women’s safety, 200 units of free power to domestic users greenlit on Day 1 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. Shattering the six-decadelong dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder-president 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 . Governor Rajendra Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay and his nine-member cabinet in the presence of Congress leader 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 AntiNarcotic Task Force Assembly elections ( A NT F ) s t at i o n s 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 govern- ment 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 when the state was burdened Thalapathy wave hits kerala T’Puram: After taking Tamil Nadu by storm, C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party now seems set to expand its footprint into Kerala. On the day the actor-turned-politician took oath as TN CM, ripples of excitement were felt here too, with most districts bordering TN seeing celebrations by TVK units | P2 Save fuel, work from home amid W Asia crisis: Modi Me g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad victory formation 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 Kerala students unsettled as nations tighten norms 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- 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 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.  P5 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 par ty’s student ar m, KSU, criticism mounted against what many described as the League’s interference 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. 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%,” he said. Earlier, in March, citing the challenging global situation created by the West Asia war, Modi had urged the nation to stay prepared and united like it did during the pandemic. Welcome relief May rains push temperatures down by 40C Most dramatic drop 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, there are indications that the Congress high command has 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 Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for the post. Sources said though V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala, the other two contenders, 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 assembly election campaign into consideration.  ● More on P4 in the 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 Jo s e p h i n D e l h i wh i l e simultaneously organising a celebratory reception for ● More on P4 Satheesan.  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 Left front are set to come together to form a common platform. Proposed to be led by the 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 Palavan river near Kothamangalam while attempting to save a friend who got caught in a strong undercurrent. The deceased students are Biyon Biju and Atul Raj, both from Kottayam, and Hareesh V B, a native of 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