HC Takes On File Plea of Maoist Victims Family

Hyderabad: Justice T. Vinod Kumar of the Telangana High Court took on file a writ plea filed by a family member of a victim of Maoist violence seeking compassionate appointment. Musku Jithendar filed the writ petition challenging the rejection of application for compassionate appointment. It is the case of the petitioner that his father Musku Kalingam, an agriculturist, was murdered by extremists suspecting him to be a police informer. He contended that the government had in 1996 introduced a scheme of compassionate appointment to one dependent family member of the victim killed by extremists. The counsel appearing for the petitioner, Baglekar Akash Kumar, contended that the earlier representations seeking compassionate appointment qua scheme introduced in 1996 resulted in rejection on the ground that as on the date of his fathers demise, the petitioner was not enough for employment. Akash argued that such action of the authorities was contrary to the catena of judgments and is arbitrary. The judge required the Warangal district collector to file its counter by the next date of hearing. HC seeks papers on temple land grab A two-judge panel of the Telangana High Court permitted the petitioner in a PIL to produce further documents in furtherance to the contention that temple lands are being encroached. The panel, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Anil Kumar, was dealing with a PIL filed by Balaji Rathi complaining of inaction of the state government against the illegal excavation of rocks and non-removal of the illegal residential and commercial structures. He also complained that the state failed to take action against the Rangareddy district registrar and sub-registrar of Gandipet in registering the property in Survey no. 126 of Narsingi village in spite of the same being government land and being declared as prohibited property. However, implead applications were filed by private individuals claiming ownership of the surrounding land. The petitioner pointed out that while it is true that part of the land could have been privately purchased, larger extents of temple land are sought to be grabbed and the same requires to be protected. The panel accordingly granted time to petitioner to file evidence in furtherance of the claim. HC hears trademark infringement case Justice Sree Sudha of the Telangana High Court heard inconclusively claims of infringement and passing off of the name Kritunga in the context of a chain of restaurants. The judge was hearing an appeal filed by Jagavis Kritunga bar and restaurant, challenging an interim order granted by the VI additional district judge Kukatpally. Kritunga restaurants and franchises LLP and another filed a suit seeking infringement of its trademark and alleging passing off by the defendant. Senior counsel Ashok Ram Kumar, appearing for the respondent, pointed out to the court in detail the nuances of terms infringement and passing off. Infringement, he said, is of registered trademark in contrast to passing off which is based on the concept of the prior user. Ram Kumar pointed out how Mandra Usha Reddy and others have been owners of the registered trademarks since 2022. He chronicled in detail the litigation between the parties in Bangalore. He pointed out that his clients have an order restraining the appellant from using the expression Kritunga. He also referred to two suits filed for infringement and passing off by the appellant, which were also dismissed on preliminary objections. The VI additional district judge Kukatpally granted an injunction restarting the appellant from using the expression Kritunga pending further orders. It is aggrieved by the said injunction that the present appeal is filed. The judge will again hear the matter next week.

Hemant Soren Denied Interim Bail In Land Scam Case

The Special PMLA Court in Ranchi on Saturday refused to grant interim bail to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a land scam case.

Yes Bank net soars 123% to Rs 452 cr on steady margin, better assets

MUMBAI: Private sector lender Yes Bank Saturday said its net income soared 123 percent on-year to Rs 452 crore on improving asset quality and steady margins coupled with a strong growth in non-interest income for the March quarter and the management expects to reclaim the high margin levels of the pre-crisis period of over 4 percent in the next two-three years. In the year ago quarter the ban had earned Rs 202.4 crore and even sequentially too, the net jumped by 95.2 percent from the previous quarter. The core profitability metric that is the net interest margin held steady at 2.4 percent, consistent with the previous quarter and the management led by the chief executive Prashant Kumar told reporters that the margins are low because of the shortfall in the banks priority sector lending book, forcing it to keep additional deposits to the tune of the shortfall in the Nabard-run rural infra development fund (RIFD) which as of end March stood at over Rs 14,000 crore. As we expand our foot print and asset allocation into the PSL complaint lending we hope to add 80-100 bps to our current NIM. And I hope this reaching in the next two to three years, Kumar said. The bank saw robust growth in non-interest income with a 56.3 percent rise for the quarter and 38.8 percent for the full year, the chief financial officer Niranjan Banodkarm said. We continue to witness strong momentum in our liability franchise with deposits expanding to over 20 percent for the first time in the past eight quarters. Also, despite the challenging environment during the course of the year, our Casa ratio has expanded 10 bps to 30.9, Kumar said. Net interest income (NII) for the quarter rose 6.8 percent to Rs 2,153 crores while non-interest income surged 56.3 percent to Rs 1,569 crore, fueled by diverse and granular fee streams. The asset quality improved notably, with gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio falling to 1.7 and the NNPA ratio falling to 0.6. The provision coverage ratio remained robust at 79.3. Total assets grew 14.3 percent to Rs 405,493 crore, while deposits saw a 22.5 percent uptick to Rs 266,372 crore, and net advances rose 12.1 percent to Rs 227,799 crore. Going forward, Kumar said he expects the bank to clock 18.5 percent growth in deposits and 17 percent growth advances this fiscal. This loan growth will be driven by micro, small and medium enterprises and mid-market segments. Large corporate loan book has also started growing, Kumar added. During the quarter, Yes Bank started functioning as PSP Payment Bank to existing and new consumers of Paytm, which had been banned by the RBI to do any new business of acquiring customers from March 15.

Jake Fraser-McGurk leaves trail of broken records in his wake

The Aussie batting sensation reached his half-century in 15 balls, equalling his own record of the fastest fifty for the franchise against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which also came this season

IDFC FIRST Bank PAT Increases by 21% YOY to Rs. 2,957 Crore for FY 24

Business Wire India Financial results at a glance The Board of Directors of IDFC FIRST Bank, in its meeting held today, approved the audited financial results for the quarter and the year ended March 31, 2024. Yearly Profitability Net Profit grew 21% YOY from Rs. 2,437 crore in FY23 to Rs. 2,957 crore in FY24. Excluding trading gains from both the years, the growth in PAT was at 28% YOY. Core Pre-Provisioning Operating Profit (PPOP excluding trading gains) grew by 31% YOY from Rs. 4,607 crore in FY23 to Rs. 6,030 crore for FY24. Net Interest Income (NII) grew 30% YOY from Rs. 12,635 crore in FY23 to Rs. 16,451 crore in FY24. Net Interest Margin increased from 6.05% in FY23 to 6.36% in FY24, based on AUM. Fee and Other Income grew by 40% YOY from Rs. 4,142 crore in FY23 to Rs. 5,795 crore in FY24. Retail fees constitute 93% of the overall fees for FY24. Core Operating income grew 33% from Rs. 16,777 crore in FY23 to Rs. 22,245 crore in FY24. Operating Expense grew by 33% YOY from Rs. 12,170 crore in FY23 to Rs. 16,216 crore in FY24. Provisions increased 43% YOY from Rs. 1,665 crore in FY23 to Rs. 2,382 crore in FY24. The credit cost as % of average funded assets for FY24 was 1.32% . RoA stood at 1.10% for FY24; RoE stood at 10.30% for FY24. Quarterly Profitability Net Profit for Q4 FY24 stood at Rs. 724 crore as compared Rs. 803 crore in Q4 FY23. The PAT for Q4 FY 23 was Rs. 701 crore excluding one-time items already called out in Q4 FY23. Net Interest Income (NII) grew 24% from Rs. 3,597 crore in Q4 FY23 to Rs. 4,469 crore in Q4 FY24. Fee and Other Income grew 36% from Rs. 1,181 crore in Q4 FY23 to Rs. 1,610 crore in Q4 FY24. Operating Expenses grew 29% from Rs. 3,436 crore in Q4 FY23 to Rs. 4,447 crore in Q4 FY24. Core PPOP (Pre-Provisioning Operating Profit excluding trading gain) for the quarter grew by 22% from Rs. 1,342 crore in Q4 FY23 to Rs. 1,632 crore in Q4 FY24. Provisions increased 50% from Rs. 482 crore in Q4 FY23 to Rs. 722 crore in Q4 FY24. Deposits & Borrowings Total Deposits (including Certificate of Deposits) of the Bank increased by 38.7% YOY from Rs. 1,44,637 crore as of March 31, 2023 to Rs. 2,00,576 crore as of March 31, 2024. Customer Deposits increased by 41.6% YOY from Rs. 1,36,812 crore as of March 31, 2023 to Rs. 1,93,753 crore as of March 31, 2024. CASA Deposits grew by 31.7% YOY from Rs. 71,983 crore as of March 31, 2023 to Rs. 94,768 crore as of March 31, 2024. CASA Ratio stood at 47.2% as of March 31, 2024. Retail Deposits grew by 45.7% YOY from Rs. 1,03,870 crore as of March 31, 2023 to Rs. 1,51,343 crore as of March 31, 2024. Retail Deposits as a % of total customer deposits increased from 75.9% as of March 31 2023 to 78.1% as of March 31, 2024. Legacy High-Cost Borrowings reduced from Rs. 17,673 crore as of March 31, 2023 to Rs. 11,809 crore as of March 31, 2024. The Bank opened 135 new branches during FY24 to reach branch count of 944 by March 31, 2024. Loans and Advances Loans and Advances (including credit substitutes) increased by 25.1% YOY from Rs. 1,60,599 crore as of March 31, 2023 to Rs. 2,00,965 crores as of March 31, 2024. Infrastructure Project finance now constitutes only 1.4% of total funded assets as of March 31, 2024. Exposure to top 20 single borrowers improved from 7.0% as of March 31, 2023, to 5.7% as of March 31, 2024. The incremental Credit to Deposit ratio for FY24 was 76.2%. Total Credit to Deposit Ratio improved from 107.0% as of March 31, 2023 to 98.4% as of March 31, 2024. Assets Quality Gross NPA improved 63 bps from 2.51% as of March 31, 2023 to 1.88% of March 31, 2024, improved by 16 bps on QOQ basis . Net NPA improved 26 bps from 0.86% as of March 31, 2023 to 0.60% of March 31, 2024, and improved by 8 bps on QOQ basis . GNPA of Retail, Rural and SME Finance has improved by 27 bps from 1.65% as of March 31, 2023 to 1.38% as of March 31, 2024, and improved by 7 bps on QOQ basis . NNPA of Retail, Rural and SME Finance has improved by 11 bps from 0.55% as of March 31, 2023 to 0.44% as of March 31, 2024, improved by 7 bps on QOQ basis . Excluding infrastructure financing , which is in run down mode, the GNPA and NNPA of the Bank is 1.55% and 0.42% respectively as of March 31, 2024. SMA-1 & 2 (31-90 DPD which is the pre-NPA stage) in Retail, Rural and SME Finance portfolio is low at 0.85% as of March 31, 2024 (reduced from 0.87% as of March 31, 2023). Provision Coverage Ratio (including technical write-off) has increased from 80.29% as of March 31, 2023, to 86.58% as of March 31, 2024. Net Stressed Assets (including Net NPA, Net Security Receipts and Net Restructured Assets) as % of total Assets improved from 0.84% as of March 31, 2023 to 0.56% as of March 31, 2024. Capital Position Capital Adequacy of the Bank stood at 16.11% with CET-1 Ratio at 13.36% as on March 31, 2024. Comments from Managing Director & CEO Mr. V Vaidyanathan, Managing Director and CEO, IDFC FIRST Bank, said, It is my delight to share that we have crossed a landmark of Rs. 4,00,000 crore mark of Total Deposits and advances including credit substitutes at the Bank. What is more important for us is that the asset quality continues to be maintained at all-time best of GNPA and NNPA of 1.88% and 0.60% respectively, the lowest NPA in our history. All legacy infrastructure loans are fully factored into the above. Excluding infrastructure loans, the GNPA and NNPA is only 1.55% and 0.42% respectively. All asset quality parameters are stable. Our deposit raising franchise is our biggest strength. Our CASA ratio continues to be among the best in the industry at around 47%. Our Incremental Credit to Deposit ratio for FY 24 was low at 76%. The CD ratio has come down to 98.4%, i.e. below 100% for the first time and we expect to further reduce this into FY 25. The PAT grew 21% YoY to Rs. 2957 cr in FY 24. More important, the core PPOP (excluding trading gain) grew by 31% YOY for the year to cross Rs. 6,000 crores for the first time in our history. Such scale and strong profitability give us the strength to participate in the wonderful opportunities in Indian financial services. We look forward to the future with confidence and optimism. About IDFC FIRST Bank IDFC FIRST Bank is a new age Universal Bank in India built on the foundations of Ethical Banking, Digital Banking, and Social Good Banking . We are building a world class bank in India. As part of the Banks ethical banking approach, it applies a Near and Dear Test to its products, so that the employees of the Bank serve only such products they'd want for their own loved ones. It believes income earned unethically is not worth earning. Therefore, the Bank avoids complicated descriptions, calculations, and legalese that customers dont understand. It abolished all charges on Savings Accounts including for Debit Cards, IMPS, RTGS, NEFT, Cash Deposit, Non-Home branch access, Cash withdrawals at ATMs and at branches, 3rd party transaction charges at branches, SMS Alert, Cheque book, Demand Drafts, Pay-order, duplicate statement, and all such services that are usually charged in the market. It follows the principle that it wont touch its customers bank account for one reason or other . It is the first and only bank in India till date to do so. IDFC FIRST Bank is the first bank in India to offer monthly credit on savings accounts. The credit cards have no hidden charges. It offers Lifetime Free without minimum spend conditions , never-expiring rewards points, zero interest on cash withdrawal at ATMs, dynamic low APR and much more. Fees if any are transparent and described neatly in a manner a common person can understand. Every product offered by the bank is highly customer friendly, most often the best in the industry. As part of technology led banking , the Bank has built a modern technology stack and has built an advanced mobile app with 250+ features such as Goal based investing, MF investment assistance, electric-speed payments, Account Aggregator, MF Aggregator, Personal Finance Manager, Auto categorisation of spends, single app for personal and business banking, UPI on Credit Cards, travel and shop, bill and recharges, deals and reward redemptions, which offer great convenience to the customers. For business customers the Bank offers on-the-go bulk payments, ability to pay income tax, GST, customs duty, and connected banking with ERP solutions. As part of the Social Banking theme , the Banks business model is naturally geared to social banking. It has developed unique capabilities for financing bottom of pyramid customers with consistently high asset quality. The Bank has financed over 40 million customers including 0.3 million SMEs, 0.9 million livelihood (cattle loans), 16 million lifestyle improvement loans (for laptops, washing machine, etc.), 1 million sanitation loans (toilets, water fittings), 6.5 million mobility loans (2-wheelers and cars), and home financing (over 100,000 homes), and 15 million loans to 4.3 million women-entrepreneurs. It also offers other retail and rural loans such as Kisan Credit Cards, harvest financing, gold loans etc. IDFC FIRST Bank is a Universal Bank , and offers end to end Corporate Banking, Trade Finance such as issuance of LCs & BGs, SBLC, Packing Credit, Pre-shipment and Post-shipment Finance, Treasury products including risk hedging solutions like Forwards, Swaps, Options, and other Forex Solutions, SME Banking, Wealth Management, NRI banking, Cash Management, Nostro & Vostro account operations, Escrow facilities, Correspondent Banking, Fastag, Toll-acquiring, Dealer Finance and Purchase/Sales Invoice discounting. ESG Goals : The Bank is incorporating ESG in every aspect of working and has high ESG scores. The Bank believes that to get an opportunity to create a new age, ethical and world class Bank for India is a great privilege for its employees. Cautionary Statement : Statements made in this release may contain certain forward-looking statements based on various assumptions on the Banks present and future business strategies and the environment in which it operates. Actual results may differ substantially or materially from those expressed or implied due to risk and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the effect of economic and political conditions in India and abroad, volatility in interest rates and in the securities market, new regulations and Government policies that may impact the Banks businesses as well as the ability to implement its strategies. The information contained herein is as of the date referenced and the Bank does not undertake any obligation to update these statements. The Bank has obtained all market data and other information from sources believed to be reliable or its internal estimates, although its accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed.

Doctor in Australia who came to vote moves HC after finding name missing from electoral rolls

CHENNAI: Alleging that his name was removed from the electoral rolls of Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency, an Indian doctor, currently serving in Australia, has filed a petition in the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India to restore his voting right before the counting of votes takes place on June 4. The petition was filed by R Suthanthira Kannan of Nanjundapuram in Coimbatore. He said he came down to India on April 13 to cast his vote in order to fulfil his fundamental duty. However, he was shocked to find that his name and his wifes name were missing from the voters list, but the name of his daughter, who shares the same address, was present. He said he filed a complaint to the Election Commission of India through its online portal and it was duly acknowledged. A number of persons living in his vicinity, who were casting votes in previous elections, have found their names left out in the electoral rolls, he alleged. Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai claims 1L names deleted from voter's list in Coimbatore It is not due to their fault but due to the arbitrary and inefficient way the rolls were prepared by the authorities for the Lok Sabha polls, he said. The names of thousands of voters were not found on the rolls when they went to the polling booth on April 19 to cast their votes, he stated in the petition. Kannan further said that he and his wife had lost their fundamental right to vote and choose their representative since their names were deleted. The deprivation of the voting right during this election amounts to infringement of the fundamental right as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. We have a positive role to play in electing the MP of our constituency for another five years, he said. He urged the court to direct the ECI to provide the voters, who were left out, an opportunity to cast their votes by including their names on the rolls. He also sought a direction to postpone the counting of votes until these voters are allowed to cast their franchise.

Extraction 3: Filmmaker reveals details about the development, plot and release date

After exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, filmmaker Joe Russo has remained busy with multiple projects, notably the successful Extraction franchise. Discussing his plans after Marvel, Russo emphasizes a dedication to original storytelling and groundbreaking concepts.

Hemant Soren denied interim bail by special PMLA court to attend uncle's funeral

RANCHI: In a setback for former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi declined to grant him interim bail in a land scam case to attend his uncle's funeral. Soren had filed an application seeking 13-day interim release, but his request was turned down. The demise of Rajaram Soren, the elder brother of JMM Supreme Shibu Soren, occurred after a prolonged illness early on Saturday. On Wednesday, Soren had moved Supreme Court seeking relief in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Soren, that the high court had reserved its verdict for February 28 on his plea but still no decision has been delivered. Hemant Soren, after being questioning for over 7 hours, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 from his residence and is currently under judicial custody. He is lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.

Arshad Warsi to kickstart shooting for `Jolly LLB 3` in Rajasthan

Arshad Warsi and Akshay Kumar will star together in the third instalment of the hits Jolly LLB franchise

Indian compounders dominate World Cup 3 with five medals, Jyothi stars with hat-trick of gold

Indian compounders dominate World Cup 3 with five medals, Jyothi stars with hat-trick of gold Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam spearheaded India's dominance with a rare hat-trick of gold as compound archers lapped up five medals at the ongoing Archery World Cup Stage 1 here on Saturday. The world No. 3 Jyothi fought past tournament top seed Andrea Becerra of Mexico in a tight shoot-off finish 146-146 (9*-9) to become the second Indian after Deepika Kumari to secure triple gold medals in a World Cup. Three-time Olympian and former world No. 1 Deepika had achieved the incredible feat at Paris World Cup Stage 3 in June 2021. For Jyothi, it also matched her feat at the last year's Hangzhou Asian Games where the 27-year-old Vijayawada archer returned with three gold medals, winning individual, women's team and mixed team events. Youngster Priyansh capped India's spectacular outing in the compound section, by bagging his maiden World Cup medal in the form of a silver in the men's individual section. In his second Cup appearance, the 21-year-old found himself up against a formidable opponent in 2021 world champion Nico Wiener, who delivered a flawless performance, scoring a perfect 150 out of a maximum 150. The 27-year-old Austrian shot all 10s from 15 arrows to edge out the spirited Indian by three points. In the morning session, India underlined their supremacy in the non-Olympic compound category to make a clean sweep of team events, winning men's team, women's team and mixed team events with Jyothi featuring in two of them. Jyothi, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur dropped just four points to trounce Italy 236-225 in the women's compound team event to open their account with a gold medal. The men's team of Abhishek Verma, Priyansh and Prathamesh Fuge then went one step better as they missed just two points en route to defeating Netherlands' Mike Schloesser, Sil Pater and Stef Willems 238-231. The mixed team completed the sweep when the second-seeded Jyothi and Verma warded off a late resurgence from their Estonian rivals -- Lisell Jaatma and Robin Jaatma -- to win 158-157 in a thrilling finish. The top seeded women's compound team dropped just four points from 24 arrows to down sixth seeded Italy in the first match of the day. In the first three ends of six arrows each, Jyothi, Aditi and Parneet missed the perfect 10 only twice to take a handsome 178-171 lead over Marcella Tonioli, Irene Franchini and Elisa Roner. In the fourth end, the Indians dropped two points but it did not matter much as they nailed the gold with an 11-point margin. The men's team, who qualified as the fourth seed, put up a near flawless show to defeat their Dutch opponents. They began with a perfect round of 60 and dropped just two points in the next two ends, before sealing the win with another perfect 60 in the final set of six arrows. In the compound mixed team event, Jyothi and Abhishek took a three-point lead, starting off with a perfect round of 40. The three-point drop in the first end proved decisive for Estonian archers who went on to shoot three perfect rounds of 40 each but the Indians held their nerves to seal the issue. Leading 119-117, the Indian duo needed a minimum score of 39 points out of a maximum 40 in the final end. They did just that to bag the country's third gold. Jyothi then returned in the afternoon session to become the individual champion as well. The Indian struggled to get a perfect round in the first three ends as Andrea raced to an 88-87 lead. Jyothi finally managed a perfect round in the fourth end when she drilled in three 10s with two X (closer to the centre), while Andrea also matched the Indian to retain her one-point lead. In the fifth round, Andrea faltered under pressure to drop two points, while Jyothi scored a 29 to level it 146-all to force a shoot-off. Both shot nine-all in the shoot-off but Jyothi's arrow was closer to the inner-ring to seal her third gold. Medal rounds in the recurve section will be played on Sunday and India are eyeing two gold from the Olympic discipline. The Indian men's team will take on Olympic champions South Korea in the gold medal clash. Deepika is in fray for an individual medal and will play her semifinal against South Korean rival in the women's recurve section.

Man shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jharkhand's Dumka

A 62-year-old man, Neelkanth Yadav, was fatally shot in Jokela village, Dumka district. The police have initiated an investigation into the incident.

Special PMLA court denies Hemant Soren's interim bail

Ranchi Court denies Hemant Soren's interim bail plea for uncle's funeral, prompting a Supreme Court appeal. Soren alleges illegal detention, seeks urgent hearing amidst ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Jonny Bairstow slams second-fastest century for Punjab Kings in IPL history

Jonny Bairstow slams second-fastest century for Punjab Kings in IPL history Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Jonny Bairstow scored the joint second-fastest century for his franchise on Friday. The English batter accomplished this feat during his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens. During the match, the vintage, hard-hitting Bairstow made his return after a lull in the first half of the tournament, scoring 108* in 48 balls, with eight fours and nine sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 225.00. Bairstow reached his century in just 45 balls, tying with Indian batter Mayank Agarwal's 45-ball ton against Rajasthan Royals at Sharjah in 2020. South African batter David Miller's 38-ball century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) back in 2013 at Mohali remains the fastest for the franchise. That century helped PBKS chase down 191 runs successfully with two overs to spare. Wriddhiman Saha also scored a 49-ball hundred against KKR in the 2014 IPL final in a losing effort. Coming to the match, Punjab sent Kolkata to bat first after winning the toss. Following this, Sunil Narine (71 in 32 balls, with nine fours and four sixes) and Philip Salt (75 in 37 balls, with six sixes) delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with an exhilarating batting display and obliterated Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers to power KKR to 261/6 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh led the PBKS bowling unit after he picked up two wickets. During the run chase, Jonny Bairstow (108), Prabhsimran Singh (54 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Shashank Singh (68* in 28 balls, with two fours and eight sixes) played an unbeaten knock to chase down the massive target with eight balls to spare and script history. Narine was the only wicket-taker for the KKR. Bairstow took home the 'Player of the Match' award. Out of eight matches, KKR has registered five victories, collecting 10 points in the IPL 2024 standings, staying at the number 2 position. Meanwhile, Punjab holds the eighth place with six points after winning three of nine games. (ANI)

Planned to just cash in the powerplay: Prabhsimran Singh on PBKS' victory over KKR

Planned to just cash in the powerplay: Prabhsimran Singh on PBKS' victory over KKR Punjab Kings (PBKS) opener Prabhsimran Singh said they wanted to score as many runs as possible in the powerplay during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. In the game, PBKS secured a convincing 8-wicket win over KKR. While coming out to chase down the target of 262 runs, Prabhsimran's 54-run knock from 20 balls set the momentum of PBKS' batting lineup. The opener hammered 4 fours and 5 sixes against the KKR bowlers. While speaking at the post-match press conference, Prabhsimran said that they are happy to chase down the given target and clinch two important points. No matter how big the score is, the team chasing always thinks that they want to chase down the total. We planned to just cash in the powerplay and we did that. We are happy to complete the chase and win those crucial two points, Prabhsimran was quoted in a release from PBKS as saying. In the first powerplay of the second inning, the Punjab-based franchise scored 93 runs. The 23-year-old opener heaped praise on Jonny Bairstow and called him the one of the biggest players in the world. Jonny Bairstow is one of the biggest players in the world. He also plays Test cricket and has been delivering for his country for so many years across formats. Everyone knows what he is capable of. In cricket, you can come out of form with just one match. He scored a hundred today and played a crucial knock, he added. Coming to the match, Punjab sent Kolkata to bat first after winning the toss. Following this, Sunil Narine (71) and Philip Salt (75) delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with an exhilarating batting display and obliterated Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers to power KKR to 261/6 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh led the PBKS bowling unit after he picked up two wickets. During the run chase, Jonny Bairstow (108) and Shashank Singh (68) played an unbeaten knock to chase down the massive target and script history. Narine was the only wicket-taker for the KKR. Out of eight matches, KKR have registered five victories, collecting 10 points in the IPL 2024 standings, staying at the number 2 position. Meanwhile, Punjab hold the eighth place with six points after winning three of nine games. (ANI)

22 students from Jharkhand's Maoist hotbed Khunti triumph in JEE Mains against odds

RANCHI: A student of the government Kasturba school in the Maoist hotbed of Khunti in Jharkhand has qualified for JEE Mains. The girl's father is serving a jail term while her mother works as a daily wage labourer. Interestingly, 23 girl students of Kasturba Gandhi Residential School, Kalamati had appeared for the JEE Mains 2024 examination, out of which, 22 students successfully qualified in the examination. Out of those 22 girls, four have also qualified for JEE Advance. Sapna Kumari secured rank 15107 with 59.89 percentile, while Alyssa Hassa secured rank 16211 with 54.84 percentile. Riya Kumari and Priya Kumari have secured ranks 34960 and 81254 respectfully. According to the District Education Officer, out of the 23 students who had appeared for IIT JEE Mains, 22 have successfully qualified for the examination and will get admission to any of the government engineering colleges in Jharkhand. Out of those 22 girls, 4 have also qualified for JEE Advance, she said. Among the students who have succeeded in IIT JEE, father of one student is currently lodged in jail and her mother has passed away, whereas mother of another student works as daily wage labourer, said District Education Officer Aparupa Sinha. Most of the students studying here come from remote areas and humble backgrounds, she added. According to DEO, due to the programme -- Sapnon Ki Udaan being run by the district administration, economically weak girl students living in remote areas have got a better opportunity to move forward. Girls also acknowledge the initiative taken by the then Deputy Commissioner Suraj Kumar. The coaching provided by the district administration under the programme Sapnon ki Udaan has proved to be a boon for the girl students at Kasturba Gandhi Residential Schools. I have qualified for JEE Advanced, now the next goal is to clear the advanced exam and get admission in IIT, said one of the successful students Sapna Kumari. The then Deputy Commissioner had started a programme Sapnon ki Udaan under which girls of Kasturba Gandhi Schools are provided free coaching for the preparation for JEE and Medical, she added. Another student Priya Kumari told that their routine for the entire day has been fixed for the school administration so that they can give their 100 per cent to their studies. Most of the time we remained in school and did not go home even during holidays, she said. Another girl Alyssa Hassa said, Since I come from a remote area, this is really an achievement for me. It has given a boost to my confidence, which will continue to grow further. Notably, addressing the pertinent issues of low female literacy and even lower inclination of young girls towards science in the aspirational district -- Khunti, the District Administration had launched Sapno Ki Udaan programme at Kalamati centre of KGBV in Khunti in October 2021. Through Sapno ki Udaan program, an effort is being made to ensure a strong education system for girl students in the district, under which, online/offline coaching is being provided to girl students of class 11th and 12th at KGBRV in Khunti for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics so that they can qualify engineering and medical examinations. With the cooperation of the district administration, free coaching is arranged for the girl students enrolled in class 12 of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya for medical and engineering entrance examinations. Under this, coaching is being provided to girl students through the Ranchi branch of the prestigious coaching institute. Last year also, ten girls, preparing for engineering under the 'Sapno Ki Udaan' program of the same school, had qualified JEE Mains 2023.

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School bus overturns in Ranchi, several students injured

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Varsity students keen to vote, say it's only way to fight corruption, address government failures .

KOLKATA: First-time voters from higher education campuses of the city expressed their resolve to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls on grounds that the real issues' confronting the student community and society at large would otherwise remain unaddressed. They argue that turning their backs on the festival of democracy' would mean issues like stalemates in the functioning of universities, recruitment scams occupying centre-space, and basic needs of food, shelter, and livelihood would be relegated to the political backburner. Ritushree, a first-time voter from Presidency University in central Kolkata, is determined to vote. She seeks a government free from religious exploitation and controversies surrounding educational institutions. A student of philosophy, Ritushree feels that the fundamental needs of food, shelter, and clothing are getting neglected in the poll discourse of parties.Despite the disillusionment, she believes in the importance of voting. I believe my vote can bring about a change. I will reach the polling booth before the closing hours, she told PTI. Another group of students, chatting away not far from where Ritushree interacted with this correspondent, also shared their concerns. Third-year Arts faculty student Kaustav Dey said safeguarding the autonomy of educational institutions amidst perceived interference by state and central authorities was the need of the hour. Forget about bigger national and regional issues. If you look at the direction in which the education sector is moving, I feel we must do our bit by electing a representative who will bring about a change through which institutional autonomies are restored and student body elections are brought back to fight for the community's issues, Dey added. Sayan Dutta, an SFI member, expressed dismay at the divisive campaigning and corruption plaguing the current political landscape. He advocated for responsible voting to counter these challenges. We often discuss the situation among ourselves. There is too much toxicity and negativity all around. If we don't stand up to the situation, history will not forgive us, he said. Students also highlighted issues like the SSC job crisis and insensitive political rhetoric across parties as triggers for their commitment to vote. I was stunned to disbelief after knowing that the jobs of 26,000 teachers were taken away, said Tista Adhikari, a first-year student, referring to the Calcutta High Court verdict that scrapped state School Service Commission appointments for the 2016 batch. The majority of them cannot be faulted since they were victims of the recruitment system devised by people whom we had voted for, she argued. Nodding in agreement, Soujatro Mukhejee, Tista's batchmate, chipped in, The Centre has taken away the rights of students' democratic movement in JNU and BHU while security forces raided the Jamia campus during anti-CAA protests. A student of Tata Institute of Social Sciences was recently penalised for participating in a peaceful movement outside campus. We need to elect someone who will be different from the two regimes at the Centre and state. A clean, transparent and liberal government will work for the education sector, she said. At Jadavpur University in the southern extent of the city, Joyadrita, a final year undergraduate student, stressed on the importance of voting as a means to address societal polarisation and governmental failures, including corruption scandals and crimes against women. Even if we set aside the increasing polarisation in society for the time being, crimes against women, the chilling Sandeshkhali incidents, and the ration and teachers' recruitment scams have already given a bad name to the state, she said. Concerned over the employment scenario in the state in the wake of the recruitment scandals, she said, The future of students is at stake. I will soon start hunting for jobs. What kind of future do you think awaits us if jobs in the government sector are riddled with scams? Partha Pratim Roy, a senior professor at JU, underscored the collective anxiety among students, both politically engaged and academically focused, regarding the nation's direction and the state of educational institutions. Both the New Education Policy of the Centre and its state counterpart are aimed at corporatising the state-funded education sector and creating obstacles for poor and meritorious students.They suffered on account of the prolonged impasse and run-ins between the Governor and the state government over academics and administration.As emotional youngsters, they want to make their voices heard through the EVMs, Roy said.

Varsity Students Demand Voice in Governance, Cite Corruption and Policy Failures

Varsity Students Demand Voice in Governance, Cite Corruption and Policy Failures First-time voters from higher education campuses of the city expressed their resolve to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls on grounds that the real issues confronting the student community and society at large would otherwise remain unaddressed. They argue that turning their backs to the festival of democracy would mean issues like stalemates in functioning of universities, recruitment scams occupying centre-space and basic needs of food, shelter and livelihood would be relegated to the political backburner. Ritushree, a first-time voter from Presidency University in central Kolkata, is determined to vote. She seeks a government free from religious exploitation and controversies surrounding educational institutions. A student of philosophy, Ritushree feels that the fundamental needs of food, shelter, and clothing are getting neglected in the poll discourse of parties. Despite the disillusionment, she believes in the importance of voting. ''I believe my vote can bring about a change. I will reach the polling booth before the closing hours,'' she told PTI. Another group of students, chatting away not far from where Ritushree interacted with this correspondent, also shared their concerns. Third-year Arts faculty student Kaustav Dey said safeguarding the autonomy of educational institutions amidst perceived interference by state and central authorities was the need of the hour. ''Forget about bigger national and regional issues. If you look at the direction in which the education sector is moving, I feel we must do our bit by electing a representative who will bring about a change through which institutional autonomies are restored and student body elections are brought back to fight for the communitys issues,'' Dey added. Sayan Dutta, an SFI member, expressed dismay at the divisive campaigning and corruption plaguing the current political landscape. He advocated for responsible voting to counter these challenges. ''We often discuss the situation among ourselves. There is too much toxicity and negativity all around. If we don't stand up to the situation, history will not forgive us,'' he said. Students also highlighted issues like the SSC job crisis and insensitive political rhetoric across parties as triggers to their commitment to vote. ''I was stunned to disbelief after knowing that the jobs of 26,000 teachers were taken away,'' said Tista Adhikari, a first-year student referring to the Calcutta High Court verdict which scrapped state School Service Commission appointments of the 2016 batch. ''Majority of them cannot be faulted since they were victims of the recruitment system devised by people whom we had voted for,'' she argued. Nodding in agreement, Soujatro Mukhejee, Tistas batchmate, chipped in, ''The Centre has taken away the rights of students democratic movement in JNU and BHU while security forces raided the Jamia campus during anti-CAA protests. A student of Tata Institute of Social Sciences was recently penalised for participating in a peaceful movement outside campus.'' ''We need to elect someone who will be different from the two regimes at the Centre and state. A clean, transparent and liberal government will work for the education sector,'' she said. At Jadavpur University in the southern extent of the city, Joyadrita, a final year undergraduate student, stressed on the importance of voting as a means to address societal polarisation and governmental failures, including corruption scandals and crimes against women. ''Even if we set aside the increasing polarisation in society for the time being, crimes against women, the chilling Sandeshkhali incidents, the ration and teachers' recruitment scams have already given a bad name to the state,'' she said. Concerned over the employment scenario in the state in the wake of the recruitment scandals, she said, ''The future of students is at stake. I will soon start hunting for jobs. What kind of future do you think awaits us if jobs in the government sector are riddled with scams?'' Partha Pratim Roy, a senior professor at JU, underscored the collective anxiety among students, both politically engaged and academically focused, regarding the nation's direction and the state of educational institutions. ''Both the New Education Policy of the Centre and its state counterpart are aimed at corporatising the state-funded education sector and create obstacles for poor and meritorious students. They suffered on account of the prolonged impasse and run-ins between the Governor and the state government over academics and administration. As emotional youngsters, they want to make their voices heard through the EVMs,'' Roy said.

'Kraven the Hunter' Delayed to December 2024 by Sony

'Kraven the Hunter' Delayed to December 2024 by Sony Aaron Taylor-Johnson-starrer ''Kraven the Hunter'' will now make its debut in US theatres on December 13, 2024, Hollywood studio Sony Pictures has announced. The J C Chandor-directed film, which is based on one of Spider-Man's oldest foes, was earlier slated August 30, according to entertainment news outlet The Hollywood Reporter. Starring Taylor-Johnson as the titular character, Kraven the Hunter also features Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe. Sony had earlier slated its new ''Karate Kid'' movie for December 13 but the film will now open on May 30, bow in American theatres after the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai debuts on Netflix. Jonathan Entwistle, the creator and director of Netflixs I Am Not Okay With This and The End of the Fing World'', has helmed the new movie, led by American Born Chinese star Ben Wang in the titular role. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who are reprising their characters from previous entries in the franchise. Sony has also added They Listen from Columbia Pictures and Blumhouse to the release calendar, slotting it in Kravens original date of August 30, 2024. Written and directed by Chris Weitz, the film stars John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu and Lukita Maxwell, with David Dastmalchian and Keith Carradine.

Assam: 77.35% voter turnout recorded in second phase polling in five LS seats

GUWAHATI: An estimated 77.35 per cent of 77.26 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, election officials said on Saturday. The final polling percentage could be further revised as the compilation of figures is yet to be completed, an official said. Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.56 per cent, followed by 78.41 per cent in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97 per cent in Silchar (SC), 75.63 per cent in Karimganj and 73.11 per cent in Diphu, they said. Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase. Assam Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya is pitted against Surya Kanta Sarkar of the Congress in Silchar, while BJP's Amarsing Tisso is contesting against Congress's Joyram Engleng in Diphu. Nagaon's sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi is contesting against BJP's Suresh Bora, while Karimganj's BJP MP Kripanath Malla is pitted against Congress's Hafiz Ahmed Rashid Choudhury. In Darrang-Udalguri, the main contest is between BJP MP Dilip Saikia and former Congress MP Madhab Rajbongshi. Altogether 77,26,668 voters, including 38,61,559 women and 179 persons of third gender, were eligible to exercise their franchise at 9,133 polling stations, of which 1,220 were identified as 'critical'. There were 906 urban and 8,227 rural booths, while 473 were managed by women, 12 by persons with disabilities (PwD) and there were also 90 model polling stations. More than 36,000 polling officials and around 40,000 security personnel were deployed during the second phase of polling on Friday. In the first phase polls held on April 19, 78.25 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Kaziranga, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur constituencies.

LS elections: Assam records 77.35% voter turnout in second phase of polls

Guwahati (Assam) [India], April 27 (ANI): Assam recorded 77.35 per cent voter turnout in the second phase of polls, which was held in five parliamentary constituencies in the state on April 26. According to the Election Commission, 77.35 per cent of voters in five parliamentary constituencies Silchar, Karimganj, Diphu, Nagaon and Darrang-Udalguri, came out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of polls. 80.56 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Nagaon parliamentary constituency, while 78.41 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97 per cent in Silchar, 75.63 per cent in Karimganj and 73.11 per cent

15 children injured as school bus overturns in Ranchi's Mandar

RANCHI: Fifteen children were injured after their school bus overturned in Ranchi on Saturday morning, police said. The bus with 30 children onboard met with the accident at a turning, about 100 metres from the St Maria School in Mandar, they said. About 15 children of that school were injured. They are under observation at the nearby Mission Hospital, officer-in-charge of Mandar police station Rahul told PTI. One of the children received a head injury, he said, adding that a CT scan was being done. Otherwise, all the children are fine, the officer said. An investigation was underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, he said.

150 nomination papers in Ongole approved

ONGOLE : Ongole district Collector and District Election Officer (DEO) AS Dinesh Kumar said that after thorough scrutiny, a total of 150 candidates are eligible to contest Ongole Parliament segment and eight Assembly segments. Speaking to the media at Collectorate on Friday he said the latest status of the nominations of the candidates filed till Thursday. He said that a total of 206 candidates submitted a total of 354 sets of nomination papers to contest Ongole MP seat and all eight Assembly seats in the ensuing elections. After a thorough scrutiny, the authorities found 48 of the nominations ineligible for contesting the elections. All the candidates are allowed to withdraw their nominations by April 29 and later, the district election authorities will allocate the election symbols for the remaining candidates as per the ECI norms, the Collector explained. As of April 25, there are as many as 18,22,470 voters in the district. Authorities made all necessary arrangements for them to exercise their franchise peacefully. First phase randomisation of the EVMs for the Assembly segments having more than 15 contestants on April 30 in the presence of all registered political party representatives. The second phase will be held on May 2 in the presence of election observers and contestants. The commissioning of the EVMs will be done from May 3 to 7 in the presence of the political party representatives, Collector added.

Oregon's Sports Bra, a pub for women's sports fans, plans national expansion as interest booms

An Oregon sports bar focusing on and showing only women's athletics has plans to expand across the country through a franchise model

Archery WC: India bag three gold medals

Underlining their supremacy in non-Olympic compound archery, India grabbed a hat-trick of gold medals to make a clean sweep of team events at the ongoing World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai on Saturday. India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur dropped just four points to trounce Italy 236-225 in the women's compound team event to open their account with a gold in the season-opening global showpiece. The men's team of Abhishek Verma, Priyansh and Prathamesh Fuge went one step better as they missed just two points en route to defeating Netherlands' Mike Schloesser, Sil Pater and Stef Willems 238-231. The mixed team completed the sweep when the second-seeded Jyothi and Abhishek warded off a late resurgence from their Estonian rivals -- Lisell Jaatma and Robin Jaatma -- to win 158-157 in a thrilling finish. This was a double gold medal for the reigning Asian Games champion Jyothi who is also in the hunt for an individual gold and will play her semifinal later in the day. Priyansh is also in the hunt for an individual medal in the compound segment. Medal rounds in the recurve section will be on Sunday and India are eyeing two gold from the Olympic discipline. The Indian men's team will take on Olympic champions South Korea in the gold medal clash. Deepika Kumari is in fray for an individual medal and will play her semifinal against South Korean rival in the women's recurve section. The women's compound team, who qualified as top seed, dropped just four points from 24 arrows to down sixth seeded Italy in the first match of the day. In the first three ends of six arrows each, Jyothi, Aditi and Parneet missed the perfect 10 only twice to take a handsome 178-171 lead over Marcella Tonioli, Irene Franchini and Elisa Roner. In the fourth end, the Indians dropped two points but it did not matter much as they nailed the gold with an 11-point margin. The men's team, who qualified as the fourth seed, put up a near flawless show to defeat their Dutch opponents. They began with a perfect round of 60 and dropped just two points in the next two ends, before sealing the win with another perfect 60 in the final set of six arrows. In the compound mixed team event, Jyothi and Abhishek took a three-point lead, starting off with a perfect round of 40. The three-point drop in the first end proved decisive for Estonian archers who went on to shoot three perfect rounds of 40 each but the Indians held their nerves to seal the issue. Leading 119-117, the Indian duo needed a minimum score of 39 points out of a maximum 40 in the final end. They did just that to wrap up the country's third gold.

Tragic School Bus Accident in Ranchi: 15 Students Sustain Injuries

Tragic School Bus Accident in Ranchi: 15 Students Sustain Injuries Fifteen children were injured after their school bus overturned in Ranchi on Saturday morning, police said. The bus with 30 children onboard met with the accident at a turning, about 100 metres from the St Maria School in Mandar, they said. ''About 15 children of that school were injured. They are under observation at the nearby Mission Hospital,'' officer-in-charge of Mandar police station Rahul told PTI. One of the children received a head injury, he said, adding that a CT scan was being done. Otherwise, all the children are fine, the officer said. An investigation was underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, he said.

Karnataka: Buses, trains packed to the rafters as voters head home

BENGALURU: With the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) diverting most of its buses for the poll day, citizens had a tough time finding buses to reach their native places to cast votes. The non-availability of sufficient buses,which required the attention of the authorities concerned, dampened the spirit of voting among people exercising their franchise. Commuters were not able to gain entry into buses due to the crowds, which put out the question of even finding a seat. The throng, forced many voters to take the train but situation in the trains was no less. Besides, traffic on the Mysuru Road till the Kengeri crossing haunted motorists. The bus station at Satellite and the railway station at Kengeri were also overcrowded with passengers, who were desperately trying to go back to their home towns. On the other hand, those who failed to find crowd-free buses, thronged the railway station at Kengeri with hopes of boarding a train home. Hundreds of passengers were found crossing the tracks at Kengeri, desperate to somehow catch their trains. Boarding a train, holding his baby in one hand, Prasanna, a native of Pandavapura taluk in Mandya district who was travelling with his wife, narrated the plight of commuters who were seen cursing the authorities for not ensuring the required transport facilities to cater to the needs of the poll day. One of my friends wedding was fixed at 10am on Friday but it was later changed to 6.15am, to help friends and relatives attend the function and later go to vote. Therefore, I came on a two-wheeler from Rajajinagar to Ullal, where the wedding was held. We returned from the function, parked our two-wheeler at Kengeri railway station, and took the train to my native place to vote, as there were no sufficient buses. There was no space to even step inside the train, but we somehow managed to board the train, Prasanna said. Another commuter said that the weekend has worsened the situation, with people travelling to their native places to vote and then stay on for Saturday and Sunday.

Kerala: CPI criticises BJP candidate Rajeev for not exercising franchise

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP candidate in Thiruvananthapuram Rajeev Chandrasekhars failure to cast his vote is snowballing into a controversy with the CPI questioning the Union ministers faith in the democratic process. It was when the media asked the minister about his vote that Rajeev revealed that he had missed the voting this time as he could not transfer his vote from Bengaluru where he is residing with family. I regret that I could not travel to Bengaluru to cast my vote. I have been voting there for years. However, this time my priority is to be here. I think this election will create history, he said. Rajeev is locked in a three-cornered fight in Thiruvananthapuram. Meanwhile, questioning the Union ministers faith in the democratic process, CPI leader and minister in the LDF government G R Anil termed Rajeev Chandrasekhars action an insult to the democratic process. Rajeev not exercising his franchise is proof of his lack of faith in democracy. It is a very serious issue. The ministers action reflects corporate interests. They have only business interests, he said.

Archery World Cup: Indian women's team clinches first gold with dominant win over Italy

SHANGHAI: India trounced Italy 236-225 in the women's compound team event to win their first gold at the ongoing Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai here on Saturday. The team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur, who qualified as top seed, dropped just four points from 24 arrows to down sixth seeded Italy in a handsome margin and open their account in the season-opening global showpiece. In the first three ends of six arrows each, Jyothi, Aditi and Parneet missed the perfect 10 only twice to take a handsome 178-171 lead over Marcella Tonioli, Irene Franchini and Elisa Roner. In the fourth end, the Indians dropped two points but it did not matter much as they nailed the gold with an 11-point margin.

A taste of Asia: Cafe De Bangkok

KOCHI: Inspired by their culinary travels in Southeast Asia, S Sujesh and Santhosh Baby decided to introduce the mesmerising flavours of Thailand to Kochi. The duo partnered up and started a franchise of the renowned restaurant Cafe De Bangkok, a multi-cuisine restaurant two years ago. Before we started the franchise, Thai cuisine wasnt prominent in the city. A few restaurants served the cuisine back then but the places lacked authenticity. Thats when we bumped into Thai chef Ratchadaporn Puthong who runs the Cafe De Bangkok in Chennai. After that there has been noturning back, we brought the business to Kochi, says Sujesh. Now, the restaurant is raising the bar with a pan-Asian food fest, Oishi. This addition to the restaurants repertoire, created in collaboration with Malaysian celebrity chef Kuan Lai, showcases a blend of flavours, especially from Japan, Malaysia, and China. And it is for tasting the Oishi offerings, that I entered the restaurant on a fine Monday evening. Chef Lai greeted me with a warm smile and pointed to the Japanese dishes on the special menu. There has been a surge in all things Japanese lately. From what Ive learned so far, Kochi is no different. The city has many restaurants that serve Japanese cuisine. However, knowing the soul of the food is important. Be it a bowl of Ramen, or Sushi, at the end of the day, Japanese food is an art, he says. Nyonya coconut veg curry The tasting began with the popular Salmon Maki. Unlike other sushi in Kochi, it features two types of salmon. Fresh salmon is placed on top and smoked one is wrapped in sticky rice, crispy seaweed and cheese. Instead of using just a sliver of wasabi with a touch of soy sauce, the chef showed me the proper way to prepare the dip mix a small amount of wasabi with soy sauce on a plate, then dip the sushi into the mixture. A single bite delivered an instant burst of smokey flavour, and the dual layers of salmon added a rich texture. The next on the list was the chefs signature Malaysian cuisine a brief pause from the Japanese dishes. He brought the exclusive Nyonya food to the table. The Nyonya cuisine is known for its mix of Chinese and Malay. It came into being after the descendants of Chinese immigrants started marrying native Malaysians. The cultural fusion is reflected not just in the cooking style, but also in the clothing of the people, explains the chef. The Nyonya coconut veg curry with rice is exquisite. The curry has tofu puffs, cabbage, eggplant, and a lot more veggies cooked primarily in coconut milk. The mix highlights the Malaysian flavour whereas the glass noodles in the curry hint at the Chinese influence. The curry is the standout dish. When served with rice, it is a complete meal, bursting with flavours that leave no need for any other accompaniments. Then came the beef rendang curry served with roasted bamboo jasmine rice cakes. This dish is an occasional one. It takes too long to cook and requires tremendous effort in the making. People are sure to pay a price for it, adds the chef. The beef is cooked in coconut milk and the tender pieces are easy to pull apart. The semi-gravy dish reminds one of Kerala beef, the only difference is that its less spicy. The roasted rice is wrapped in banana leaf and it can be mixed with beef and a special Nyonya achar. Its now time for the much-awaited steaming bowl of Hokkaido miso broth katsu chicken ramen. The broth is what makes the ramen special, it is cooked for almost 10 hours. The noodles are imported from Japan, adds the chef. The rich creamy miso broth with soybeans, mushrooms, sake, mirin and dried fish powder tastes refreshingly mild. Its the texture of the noodle that makes all the difference, it is smooth and slurpy. The noodle is topped with crispy sesame katsu chicken. After a hearty meal, the chef comes out with Mochi. This is a guilt-free indulgence. The dessert wont shoot up your calories. We curated this specifically keeping the concept of wellness in mind, the chef explains. I decided to wind up the session with the soft and chewy mochi. The item is coated in cocoa powder, and once cut in half, you can see the gooey centre of the banana, chocolate filling and lychee fruit. When you take a bite, the bitter taste of cocoa powder dominates for a few seconds, and then the flavour of fruits comes rushing in like a sweet melody.

Glimpses of polling day in Kochi

KOCHI: After the crescendo of campaigning that most had gotten accustomed to these past weeks, the silence that accompanied the morning of April 26, when Kerala went to polls, had an air of collectedness to it. From the early hours of polling day, thousands were seen making a beeline to the nearest booth.The groups were diverse, comprising the young and old, families, friends and colleagues. They moved together; some went solo. But all of them had a vote to cast, and, hence, a reason to celebrate. This was their right and duty. In exercising their franchise, they knew they had a say in the affairs of the country and its future. So it was no surprise that voters turned up in droves, braving the heat. The queues were seen well after sunset. Finally, the day came to an end. The votes were cast. Now starts the long wait for the result.

Ballot bash in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Friday broke abuzz with anticipation and excitement as the 2,730 booths in Thiruvananthapuram district opened their doors from 7am to let 28,27,338 voters exercise their right to franchise to elect their representatives for the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha. A total of 19 candidates are in the fray, 12 in Thiruvananthapuram and seven in Attingal. Probably sensing a crowd later in the day and fearing the afternoon heat, people started flocking to the voting centres right from the morning. The queues were long in some centres as early as 8.30am, especially in coastal areas. By afternoon, the turnout slowed, and the votes registered were around 65.68% in the 1,307 booths in Thiruvananthapuram and 68.84% in the 1,423 booths in Attingal. While voting was brisk, scenes at polling booths were vivid with novice voters pepped up to cast their first vote. Senior voters displayed a sense of duty as they came on chairs carried by others.

India Triumph at Archery World Championships: Compound Men and Women Clinch Team Gold

India Triumph at Archery World Championships: Compound Men and Women Clinch Team Gold India men's and women's compound teams dished out dominant displays to win gold medals at the ongoing Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai here on Saturday. India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur dropped just four points to trounce Italy 236-225 in the women's compound team event to open their account with a gold in the season-opening global showpiece. The men's team of Abhishek Verma, Priyansh and Prathamesh Fuge went one step better as they missed just two points en route to defeating Netherlands' Mike Schloesser, Sil Pater and Stef Willems 238-231. The women's team, who qualified as top seed, dropped just four points from 24 arrows to down sixth seeded Italy. In the first three ends of six arrows each, Jyothi, Aditi and Parneet missed the perfect 10 only twice to take a handsome 178-171 lead over Marcella Tonioli, Irene Franchini and Elisa Roner. In the fourth end, the Indians dropped two points but it did not matter much as they nailed the gold with an 11-point margin. The men's team, who qualified as the fourth seed, put up a near flawless show to defeat their Dutch opponents. They began with a perfect round of 60 and dropped just two points in the next two ends, before sealing the rout with another perfect 60 in the final set of six arrows.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' movie review: An underwhelming nostalgia bait

CHENNAI : It is often said that the primary objective of franchise films is to evoke nostalgia in the viewers. These films serve as a reminder of the time when we first met the characters, a time when we had fun and didnt have the adult perspective to over analyse the older filmmaking style. An ideal scenario in such cases, is a sequel that takes a new approach while still retaining the warmth of the original film, thereby providing you with a refreshing yet nostalgic experience. However, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the latest addition to the Ghostbusters franchise, fails to deliver in terms of novelty, instead relying solely on nostalgia. This fifth addition to the supernatural comedy franchise takes place three years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The Spenglers, including Egon Spenglers daughter Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), her boyfriend, Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), and their close friends Lucky Domingo and Podcast, move to New York City to assist Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) in reestablishing the paranormal investigation group known as Ghostbusters. The most exciting factor about Ghostbusters are the wacky, thrilling supernatural adventures. However, Frozen Empire is mired down by indulgent dialogues and hardly has any entertaining action scenes. The writing is often repetitive and lacks originality, exposing the evident shortcomings. The attempts at humour and performances also fall short and are just relegated to referencing the previous films. The humour might have worked on paper but due to the poor execution, the jokes dont land as well as they should have. The only line that gets a chuckle out of you is when Kumail Nanjianis Nadeem Razmaadi wrings a joke out of a tense situation towards the end. The biggest shortcoming of Frozen Empire is that it tries too hard to capture the audiences attention and in that pursuit, it meanders through a loosely packed screenplay. The film tries to do too much at once and fails at all of them. While the Ghostbusters are busy with a mission, we are treated to a subplot involving Phoebe, who meets a ghost named Melody and builds an intimate relationship with her. In another instance, when Trevor asks for help from his mother, she replies, Arent you an adult boy?, essentially pushing him to become more mature. While these subplots had interesting potential, the film never truly fleshes them out. All of these different plot threads are crammed together, causing the story to lose its focus and diluting the impact of the story. Towards the end of the final act, struggling to make sense of the many plot threads it opened, Frozen Empire falls flat and fails to establish the antagonist satisfactorily. Since we do not understand or connect with the motivations of the antagonist, the finale becomes forced. Unfortunately, even with all the quirkiness, thrills, and adventures inherent in the franchise, Frozen Empire never truly leverages any of its strengths. It fails to capture the unique charm and appeal that made the original a classic. Nostalgia can be a powerful tool if combined with fresh ideas, but in this case, its a missed opportunity. Just like the ghosts in the Ghostbusters firehouse headquarters, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire fades away and fails to leave a lasting impression. Film: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Director: Gil Kenan Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani Rating: 2/5

Woman suffers cardiac arrest in a polling booth, doctor saves her

BENGALURU: A woman in her fifties, who suffered a cardiac arrest in a polling booth in the city on Friday, was saved by a doctor who was waiting in a queue there to exercise his franchise. The incident occurred at the government school in Jumbo Savari Dinne, JP Nagar, 8th Phase. The woman collapsed in front of Dr Ganesh Srinivasa Prasad in the booth (No 210) around 9am. Dr Prasad immediately resorted to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and saved her life. Dr Prasad, 36, hails from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. He works as a nephrologist at Narayana Health Centre in Bommasandra. The woman collapsed while taking water from a can at the booth. I checked her pulse but did not feel it. She was gasping for breath and I immediately resorted to CPR till her condition improved, Dr Prasad told TNIE. Netizens praise doc who saved woman She would have lost her life had there been a delay in attending to her, Dr Prasad said. He said, Vasovagal Syncope could have triggered the cardiac arrest. Her heart had stopped beating when I checked. Many factors, including anxiety, heat stroke or even fear when injections are given can cause the condition. Dr Prasad studied MBBS in Andhra Pradesh and completed Doctorate in National Board (DrNB) Nephrology at Narayana Health Centre. He worked in Tumakuru for two years. He joined Narayana Health Centre two years ago. The incident went viral after the doctor posted the videos on X. Many responded to the posts by him and TNIE . Most of them lauded Dr Prasad and stressed the need for people to learn CPR.

17 years of struggle later, Kerala's Chengara is still out of the polling booth

PATHANAMTHITTA: Even after 17 years of struggle for land at Chengara in Pathanamthitta, nearly 2,000 people from marginalised communities here are still deprived of the basic right to exercise their franchise. On polling day, a board titled Dr Ambedkar Smaraka Mathruka Gramam welcomed one to this rural settlement, where 598 families have been living following a major protest for land 2007. An eerie silence prevailed here, even as the rest of the state celebrated democracy. We hail from different districts, where our names were on the voters list. After the land struggle, most of our names were removed from the voters list, said T R Sasi, the president of Ambedkar Smaraka Mathruka Grama Vikasana Society (ASMGVS). About 2,000 people here cant vote. Sasi added that the community had given several applications and complaints to district and state authorities. There have been denying our fundamental right citing legal complications, he lamented. The community had also approached the BJP district committee, seeking former Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Gopis intervention, but there was no further development. Sasi said the community would vote en masse for whichever party that helps us. When asked about the issue, Konni MLA Jenish Kumar said the people were supposed to be on the voters list. I will inquire if there are any anomalies in the matter, he said.

2 CRPF personnel killed in Manipur's Naransena in an attack by militants

BISHNUPUR: Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel lost their lives in an attack by Kuki militants starting from Friday midnight at the Naransena area in Manipur, police said. According to the police, the CRPF personnel were attacked by Kuki militants starting from midnight till 2:15 am. The personnel who lost their lives are from the CRPF 128 Battalion deployed at the Naransena area in Bishnupur district in the state. Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Electoral Officer, Pradeep Kumar Jha on Friday highlighted higher turnout and minimal incidents of violence in Outer Manipur in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls. Till the last report that we received about an hour back, the voting percentage was in the range of 75 per cent and no major hiccups were reported, said Manipur Chief Electoral Officer. He also said that people came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise during the second phase of voting. One incident of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning was reported at a polling booth and no major hiccups were reported. Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency, the 13 assembly segments... The voting has remained peaceful... One incident of damage to EVM has been reported so far. We are looking into it and have been following up with all the districts and they have reported that voting has been peaceful, he told ANI. Jha further said that voting in the Outer Manipur constituency had been relatively more peaceful compared to the 2019 election. People have turned out in huge numbers. As compared to the previous elections, the election in Outer Manipur has been very peaceful... We are very hopeful that by late evening today, we should have a clear picture. Except for one or two incidents, nothing major has happened and voting has been very encouraging, Jha added. According to the voter turnout app of the Election Commission of India, 78.78 per cent of votes were recorded till the last report. Earlier, re-polling was held in 11 polling stations of the Inner Manipur constituency on April 22, after multiple incidents of violence were reported during the first phase of polling on April 19. Polling for the second phase in 88 seats across 13 states and Union Territories (UTs) ended at 6 pm. The first phase of voting for the seven-phased general elections was conducted successfully on April 19 in 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories. According to the Election Commission, the overall voter turnout in the opening phase was recorded at over 62 per cent. The next round of polling will be held on May 7. The counting of votes and results will be declared on June 4.

Karnataka: Test is between person and personality

BENGALURU: Braving the scorching heat, people in the high-voltage Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency briskly cast their votes. Likening the election to a festival, local leaders of both the Congress and BJP-JDS alliance have invited voters of villages and towns settled in faraway places to come and vote, besides making all other efforts on the ground. This constituency is a test for voters to elect a person or personality, with candidates DK Suresh of the Congress and Dr CN Manjunath of the BJP in the fray. Voters joined serpentine queues even in villages to exercise their franchise. The influential DK Suresh, brother of DCM DK Shivakumar, a professional politician who has grown from the grassroots, is trying his luck to enter Parliament for the fourth time. On the other hand, Dr CN Manjunath, a renowned cardiologist and son-in-law of former PM and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, is new to politics. But he is seen as a rare person who has carved a niche in the hearts of countless people through his service in society. Being fielded as the NDA candidate, Manjunath has put up a tough counter to incumbent MP DK Suresh. We support JDS in the assembly and other local elections, but vote for DK Suresh in parliamentary elections, since he is a powerful person who is locally available, said Mujahid, a voter in Channapatna of Ramanagara district, which falls under Bengaluru Rural parliamentary constituency.

The big fat Indian election

My memory of elections is deeply associated with Prannoy Roy, Indias foremost and finest psephologist. The first televised coverage of an election result in India was produced during the 1989 general election. Roy who began his career as a TV journalist by covering it for Doordarshan and then as anews presenterin the international news show The World This Week became a household name. Thirty-five years since that coverage, we enter yet another election season, and the question we need to ask is: Is India an electoral autocracy? That we hold an election on time, and that in every state and general election, the losing side and the party have unquestioningly accepted the result is a clear indication of our continuing faith in the electoral process. The same cannot be said even of the US elections. In India, no party has ever received more than 50 per cent of the vote share, so we have always had an opposition, though it has weakened considerably. The electoral process in India does have its challenges issues such as voter fraud, corruption, and the influence of money in politics pose significant hurdles to free and fair elections. Moreover, Indias vast geographical expanse and diverse population present logistical challenges in ensuring equitable access to the electoral process, particularly in remote and marginalised regions. However, we do go to great lengths to ensure franchise. In Navin Chawlas book, Every Vote Counts , he shares the story of a polling station that was set up in the village of Banej in Junagadh district in Gujarat for the 2009 election. Located in the heart of Indias only lion sanctuary, it was set up for a single voter Pujari Bharatdas Dashandas. A presiding officer and two other officials travelled through almost 40km of dense jungle, accompanied by a couple of policemen presumably to keep the lions at bay! Where it all began The roots of elections hark back to ancient Greece but it was in the Roman Republic that the concept of representative government and periodic elections emerged. The Roman model of electing officials to represent the interests of the people laid the foundation for modern democratic practices. When the greatest Roman orator Marcus Cicero ran for the highest office in the Roman Republic in 64BCE, his younger brother Quintus Tullius decided to give him some practical advice in the form of a campaign guide. This was published by Princeton University Press as How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians. Promise everything to everyone. Give people hope, at least until the election then inevitably you will let them down. Would you believe such nuggets date back over 2,000 years? Medieval Europe saw the emergence of feudalism but the Magna Carta in 1215 marked a pivotal moment in the struggle for democratic principles. Over time, this led to the establishment of parliamentary systems and the gradual expansion of suffrage. The Enlightenment further fuelled the ideals of democracy and individual rights, inspiring the American and French Revolutions. The 19th century witnessed the expansion of suffrage and the democratisation of electoral systems in many countries. Movements for womens suffrage, workers rights, and civil rights challenged entrenched power structures and fought for equal participation in governance. Fast forward to the 20th century, one can see significant advancements in electoral practices and technology, transforming the nature of elections. The advent of mass media, political parties, and campaign strategies reshaped electoral campaigns, enabling candidates to reach wider audiences and mobilise support. However, the century also saw challenges to democratic norms, including the rise of authoritarian regimes and the manipulation of elections for political gain. Polls today Today, elections face new challenges, including disinformation, voter suppression, and the influence of money. Tech advancements have transformed the way elections are conducted, raising concerns about cybersecurity and the integrity of electoral systems. Indias first general elections were held between 25 October 1951 and 27 March 1952 (of a population of 34.8 crore, 17.3 crore voted). Schoolteacher Shyam Saran Negi was the first to cast a vote for independent India. The Election Commission of India, an autonomous body, was established on 25 January 1950, so the adult franchise was effective from the very day India became a republic. Unlike in the West, democratic institutions in India are not well studied (eg. the last book about the PMs office The Indian Prime Minister: Office and Powers was written in 1976 by LN Sharma although the PMO was created in 1960). Of the few good books on elections, one of my favourites is Rajdeep Sardesais 2014: The Election that Changed India . This election has been regarded as the most important in Indian history since 1977. It saw the decimation of the ruling Congress party, a spectacular victory for the BJP and a new style of campaigning that broke every rule in the political game. A page-turner, this is political storytelling at its best. The Verdict: Decoding Indias Elections by Prannoy Roy and Dorab R Sopariwala, offers a detailed analysis, drawing on data, anecdotes, and interviews to unravel the complexities of electoral politics in the worlds largest democracy. Both these books are worth revisiting, especially before an election season! An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election by SY Quraishi delves into the behind-the-scenes workings of the Election Commission of India, offering insights into the planning, execution, and challenges of conducting our elections. As India readies itself for a mammoth exercise in democracy about 969 million are eligible to cast their vote in the upcoming election more than the populations of North America and the European Union combined Prime Minister Narendra Modi is standing for a rare third consecutive term in power, something that has happened for the first time since Nehru. Being the biggest democracy is not good enough; we should aspire to be the greatest too, the best example of democracy in the world. Meanwhile, let us remember that it is the voter, not the politician, who is at the core of democracy. And the voter has been known to surprise us even when the outcome seems a foregone conclusion. As former President Pranab Mukherjee said, You can only understand an election after it is over. (The writers views are personal)

LS polls: Gautam Buddh Nagar seat records 53 per cent voter turnout

NEW DELHI: Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency recorded 53.30 per cent peaceful voting in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) data showed. It had recorded a voter turnout of 60.47 per cent in the 2019 general elections. The constituency, with its diverse political landscape, saw a total of 15 candidates vying for the seat. This includes a mix of established politicians and new faces, all hoping to secure the votes of over 26.75 lakh registered voters. The voting started on a peaceful note with nearly 12 per cent voting at 9 am in the seat comprising Dadri, Noida, Jewar, Sikandrabad and Khurja assembly segments. Sikandrabad and Khujra geographically fall in the adjoining Bulandshahr district but are part of Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency. The turnout reached 24 per cent at 11 am, nearly 35 per cent at 1 pm, 44 per cent at 3 pm and 51.60 per cent at 5 pm. According to the reports, one of the EVMs malfunctioned at a polling station in Noida Sector 66, and the Election Commission officials replaced the machine. At Mamura in Greater Noida, an EVM reportedly broke down. Among the prominent figures exercising their franchise were Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawatis nephew Akash Anand, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Singh Nagar, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala and Noida District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma. The district administration had earlier stated that of the 1,852 polling booths, webcasting will be introduced at 931 to enable real-time monitoring of the electoral process from control rooms. The authorities had identified 330 booths as critical and 204 as vulnerable. Around 10,000 polling officials and 11,000 security personnel were deployed to conduct smooth elections. Among the citys most posh sectors, the residents welfare association (RWA) in Sector 15A arranged electric vehicles to ferry voters to and from the polling booth. The ruling BJP decided to go to the polls with its sitting MP, Mahesh Sharma, while the INDIA bloc allies Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress fielded Rahul Awana on the SP ticket. The BSP, which is contesting alone, has given the ticket to Rajendra Singh Solanki. The results will be announced on June 4.

Karnataka: Villagers attack booth near MM Hills, burn EVMs, injure staff

MYSURU: Tension prevailed at Indiganatha village in Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday when people set fire to electronic voting machines (EVMs) in a polling booth there and attacked election officials for forcing them to exercise their franchise. The agitators had decided to boycott polling in protest against lack of basic amenities such as drinking water, roads and electricity in their village. They alleged that local officials did nothing though they had submitted several memorandums to them seeking amenities. They had to walk miles to bring drinking water. They decided to boycott polling this time when officials imposed restrictions on their movement inside the forest. Because of the restrictions, they could not even bring drinking water to their houses, they said. There are 170 houses at Indiganatha. When people of the village did not visit the booth till 2pm, police and revenue officials contacted the voters at Mendara village near Indiganatha. They managed to bring 14 voters from Mendara to the polling booth to exercise their franchise. Enraged by this, people of Indiganatha took the officials to task. An argument broke out and soon people of the village started throwing stones at the officials. The police resorted to a lathicharge when some election officials, including tahsildar YK Guruprasad and inspector Jagadish, were injured in stone throwing. The agitators also destroyed the EVMs, furniture, gate and the compound wall of the booth. The injured officers were treated at a hospital in MM Hills. Assistant returning officer Mallikarjuna filed a complaint with MM Hills police, accusing the villagers, including some women, of attacking them and preventing them from doing their poll duty. Guru Prasad said that they had gone to the village to convince voters to take part in polling. He said that it was a pre-planned attack by the villagers. Meanwhile, Soligara Abhivrudhi Sangha president Muthaiah accused the people of Indiganatha village of attacking Soligas of Mendara village who went to the polling booth along with the officials to exercise their franchise. He said the sangha will stage a protest in MM Hills seeking action against those who had assaulted the Soligas. Chamarajanagar SP Padmini Sahoo visited Indiganatha village.

Awareness drives have no impact, Kerala's Malapandaram tribals skip voting

IDUKKI: Malapandaram tribals of Idukkis Vandiperiyar, a dwindling semi-nomadic population living inside the forests in Sathram, Vallakkadavu areas of Vandiperiyar panchayat, didnt exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls in the Idukki constituency on Friday. Of the 20 registered voters in Ward 12 (Mount) of Vandiperiyar, only three came to the polling booth. Ward member Guneshwari A told TNIE that though four tribal community members came to the booth, one had lost his voter ID following which he was not allowed to vote. Chellamma, 79, Sarada, 30, and her husband Madhavan voted at booth 186 at Government LP School in Arnakkal. This time, however, hopes ran high as the district administration along with the district election department through Nanka Vote campaign had distributed identity cards to 10 new voters. Field-level awareness was given too. Officials even promised to arrange transportation for residents, said Peermade tribal extension officer Jovy Varghese. Tribal member Sarada said that though she urged other tribals to cast their votes, they were reluctant to come out of the forest. She said that this was the second time that she was exercising her right to vote. Dollies come to voters rescue in PThitta again For the ninth year straight, dollies came to the help of the elderly and persons with disabilities eager to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections in Pathanamthitta on Friday. More than 80 people engaged the four palanquin-type carriages operated by 12 porters, to carry them past the 48 steps, to the three booths at Sree Narayana Satha Valsara Memorial LP School at Mundukottackal in Pathanamthitta municipality. Since relocating the booths was not possible owing to the unavailability of facilities and absence of roads nearby, dollies were the lone option for voters. The government had started the dolly service in 2015 following the High Courts intervention. Saji K Simon, a local Congress leader, had moved the plea that reached HC and resulted in the favourable order.

Nomination filing for phase II polls in Odisha kicks off

BHUBANESWAR: The nomination filing process for the second phase of general elections to five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments in the state commenced on Friday. As per the notification of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal, and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies and their 35 Assembly segments will go to polls in the second phase on May 20. Nomination filing for the phase will continue till May 3, while the papers will be scrutinised on May 4. Candidates will be able to withdraw their nominations till May 6. ECI representatives in the state said a total of 79.62 lakh voters including 40.30 lakh males and 39.31 lakh females will exercise their franchise during the phase. The usual voting timing for simultaneous polls in the seats is 7 am to 6 pm. However, keeping in view of security, the timing of voting in booths of some of the constituencies will be adjusted, sources said. In order to ensure a free and fair elections, the ECI has already mobilised resources to check model code of conduct violation and other norms in the Lok Sabha seats and their Assembly segments. Around Rs 46 crore cash has been seized during different searches in all the constituencies since March 1. Nomination filing for the first phase General Elections to four Lok Sabha constituencies - Koraput, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Berhampur - and their 28 Assembly segments is already over. ECI officials said a total of 75 nomination papers have been received from 39 candidates for the four Lok Sabha seats, while 483 nomination papers have been received from 266 candidates in 28 Assembly seats. The scrutiny of nominations were taken up on Friday, while the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers for the candidates is April 29.

Low voter turnout marks second phase polls in Western UP

Parties pushed for higher voter turnout after the initial phase, but even fewer people come to exercise franchise on Friday

Kerala LS polls: Low voter turnout leaves Left on a high

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The low turnout in the Lok Sabha elections, despite the high-decibel campaigning in the state, has left the three major fronts confused. Going by conventional theory, the CPM believes the drop in turnout hints at a lack of anti-incumbency sentiment against the state government. According to the CPMs internal assessment, only 370 UDF votes were polled in a polling booth at Kollam town, where the opposition front enjoys a majority of 1,200 votes. Its not an isolated incident, the party noted. The substantially low voter turnout of 70.35% has given fresh hopes to ruling Left, while it has left the UDF and the NDA a tad disappointed. Poll statistics of the last four general elections show whenever there has been a huge voter turnout, it has proven to be a washout for either LDF or UDF. In 2004, when the state recorded 77.77 polling percentage, the Left romped home with 18 seats. Similarly, in 2019, when the poll percentage was 77.84, the UDF won 19 of the 20 seats. As per the Lefts calculations, there was considerable leakage of UDF votes in its strongholds. In some places, it believes, the NDA poached UDF votes. The reluctance on the part of UDF voters was evident from low voter turnout in even assured seats like Ernakulam. The unexpectedly low poll percentage in Muslim League strongholds Ponnani and Malappuram indicated a visible reluctance among minority voters, too. The CPM claimed there was no dip in the Left votes, most of which were polled in the first half of the day itself. By around 5pm, 95% of the Left votes were polled. There was a visible dip in voter turnout in many UDF strongholds. The Left has considerable winning chances in many seats, said a CPM state committee member. The CPM leadership said there was a split in Muslim votes, and that would prove beneficial to the Left. Most political votes seem to have been polled, while the majority of the fluctuating voters didnt turn up, observed political commentator N M Pearson. Avida Saleem shows her ID card after voting at Government UP School at Valluvalli near Paravoor on Friday. The moderate voters who usually cast their franchise in favour of or against the governments have not been polled, he said. The absence of pro- or anti-state government votes show that the Left could well improve its performance. Meanwhile, the NDA maintains high hopes. In some constituencies, all the CPM votes havent been polled, said a senior BJP leader. Also there was considerable lag from the part of polling officials. This has also led to delay in polling and many voters returning without casting their votes. The UDF also claimed reluctance to vote among LDF supporters. Contrary to general perception, the dip in poll percentage was not due to absence of UDF voters, said CMP general secretary C P John. There was visible reluctance by LDF voters. The last minute issues around the E P Jayarajan episode might have contributed to this reluctance.

E Sbhum to issue toll-free number to report water crisis

12.87 lakh people cast votes as Jammu seat records tentative 72.32% turnout

Heavy polling in rural areas, slightly low in urban belt Mismanagement, untrained staff lead to long queues at some booths People suffer at many places due to no voter slips Sanjeev Pargal JAMMU, Apr 26: Tentative 72.32 percent turnout was recorded for Jammu-Reasi Parliamentary constituency which went to polls today in second phase with 12.87 lakh electorates exercising their right to franchise from a total of 17.80 lakh as Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Assembly segment recorded highest 79.43 percent polling [] The post 12.87 lakh people cast votes as Jammu seat records tentative 72.32% turnout appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

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Bizman wanting franchise cheated of 22L - The Times of India

Bizman wanting franchise cheated of 22L The Times of India

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Around 59.19 pc votes for 13 seats in final phase of poll in Rajasthan

Jaipur, April 26 (UNI) Around 59.19 per cent of 2.80 crore voters exercised their franchise in 13 parliamentary constituencies in the second and final phase of Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan amid tight security arrangements on Friday. The poll officers said that during polling in the final phase of Lok Sabha poll in the state,... The post Around 59.19 pc votes for 13 seats in final phase of poll in Rajasthan first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Jammu Lok Sabha Constituency Witnesses Robust 72% Voter Turnout

Jammu Lok Sabha Constituency Witnesses Robust 72% Voter Turnout The Jammu parliamentary constituency, where 22 candidates are in the fray, saw peaceful polling and recorded nearly 72 per cent voter turnout on Friday in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, officials said. The overall polling figure in the constituency this time was lower than the last general election in 2019 when 74 per cent voters exercised their franchise. The officials said voting was held in 2,416 polling stations in the constituency peacefully and 71.91 per cent votes were polled. There are more than 17.80 lakh eligible voters in the Jammu constituency. ''Despite scorching hot weather, enthusiastic voters from Jammu, Samba, Reasi, and Rajouri turned up in record numbers... Long queues formed at polling stations as people eagerly waited for their turn, with youngsters and first-time voters excitedly participating in this festival of democracy,'' an official spokesperson said. There are 22 candidates in the fray, including sitting MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, who is eyeing a third term after winning the seat for the BJP in 2014 and 2019. The INDIA bloc fielded Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla from the seat. This Lok Sabha election is the first major electoral battle in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- on August 5, 2019. The highest voter turnout of 79.43 per cent was recorded in the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi assembly segment, the officials said. The Marh segment recorded 79.31 per cent polling, followed by Akhnoor with 78.27 per cent, Bishnah with 76.54 per cent, Suchetgarh with 75.94 per cent, Chham with 75.76 per cent, Vijaypur with 75.67 per cent, Nagrota with 75.63 per cent and Ramgarh with 75.27 per cent. The lowest voter turnout was recorded in the Bahu segment at 62.34 per cent, the officials said. Union minister Jitendra Singh cast his vote in the Trikutanagar area of Jammu. ''This is the base of successful democracy and that is why it is called a festival... All the phases will turn out to be great for the BJP,'' he told reporters here. Sitting MP Sharma, who along with his family members voted at a polling booth set up at the Kishenpur government high school in Nagrota, said people should come out of their homes and contribute to a strong democracy by exercising their right to vote. Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who visited a number of polling booths in Samba and Jammu districts, thanked people for coming out in large numbers to vote. ''People are coming out of their houses since the morning to vote. The enthusiasm is high,'' he said. Congress candidate Bhalla expressed happiness over the smooth polling process in the constituency. ''I am proud to say that this time hopefully, we will get the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi. We will win the constituency. Reasi has been included in Jammu constituency so that we can get the blessings of Mata,'' he added. In a polling station in Reasi district, 102-year-old Haji Karamdin exercised his right to vote and said he was happy to cast his vote at the polling station at this age. More than 15,000 poll staff have been deployed and foolproof security arrangements ensure free and fair polls, the officials said. Of the 2,416 polling stations 158 were along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC). ''Security and other related arrangements are in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting. A contingency plan has also been worked out to ensure no disruption in polling along the borders,'' Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole said. Around 1,454 polling stations have CCTV cameras for live webcasting and around 124 have two cameras for surveillance, they said. The Jammu constituency is the second Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir to go to polls this time. Polling was held in the Udhampur seat on April 19 and a voter turnout of more than 68 per cent was recorded.

2nd Phase of LS Polls Witnesses 61 Per Cent Voter Turnout Amid EVM Glitches

NEW DELHI: The second phase of polling for Lok Sabha elections saw nearly 61 per cent voter turnout as people avoided venturing out of homes in the summer heat and voted largely in the morning and evening. Polling in the second phase covered 88 seats across 13 states and UTs amid complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting in some states. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said polling remained largely peaceful though incidents of intimidation were reported from Manipur in the second phase too. The ECI data showed the highest voting percentage was recorded in Tripura which registered 79.25 per cent polling, followed by Manipur 77.32 per cent, while the turnout in Uttar Pradesh was at 54.85 per cent and Maharashtra at 56.63 per cent. Rajasthan registered 64.07 per cent, West Bengal 71.84 per cent, Assam 71.11 per cent, Bihar 55.08 per cent, Chhattisgarh 73.55 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 71.91 per cent, Karnataka 68.26 per cent, Kerala 65.78 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh 57.76 per cent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the morning urged people to cast their votes in record numbers and said a high voter turnout strengthens democracy. Stressing on the importance of each vote, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi issued impassioned appeals asking people to step out and exercise their franchise. After the end of polling, Modi in a tweet said, Phase Two has been too good! Gratitude to the people across India who have voted today. The unparalleled support for NDA is going to disappoint the Opposition even more. Voters want NDAs good governance. Youth and women voters are powering the strong NDA support. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumars brother D.K. Suresh (Congress), and former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (JDS) are among the key candidates while BJPs Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies. Polling was held in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir. After Fridays phase, polling is over in Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura. In the first phase on April 19, polling was completed in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).

LS polls: Brisk Polling in Chhattisgarh, Moderate in MP, Baghel Heckled

Bhopal: Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel was on Friday allegedly heckled by some BJP workers when he was visiting a booth under Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh. Rajnandgaon along with Kanker (ST) and Mahasamund LS constituencies went to polls in the second phase polling in Chhattisgarh on Friday. The incident happened when Mr Baghel who is seeking election from Rajnandgaon seat was visiting the polling booth at Dedesera under his constituency after learning about a clash between workers of BJP and Congress there, a Congress leader in Raipur said. In his post in X, formerly Twitter, Mr Baghel alleged that he was prevented from visiting the booth by some BJP activists who indulged in hooliganism. An average voter turnout of 72.15 percent was recorded in the three LS constituencies that went to polls in the second phase, according to the chief electoral officers office in Raipur. The second phase polling in Madhya Pradesh however recorded moderate voter turnout of 54.83 percent by five pm on Friday. However, the polling percentage may increase since many voters were still seen waiting to exercise their franchise. Six LS constituencies in Madhya Pradesh went to polls in second phase polling on Friday.

BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar counters LDF allegations on not casting vote

BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar counters LDF allegations on not casting vote The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Friday came out against union minister and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar for not casting his vote during the Lok Sabha polls, saying that his action was an insult to democracy. Earlier in the day, Chandrasekhar, who seeks his electoral luck from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, said he did not go to Karnataka to exercise his franchise as the seat he is contesting from was his top priority. ''I didn't go to cast vote. This is my top priority. It is my duty to be present here on the election day,'' he told reporters here. The BJP leader further said he didn't get time to transfer his vote to Thiruvananthapuram and would surely take necessary steps to exercise the franchise in the constituency in future elections. Both the CPI(M) and CPI, the major coalition partners in the LDF, slammed Chandrasekhar and said exercising franchise is not only a person's fundamental right but also a responsibility of every citizen. Senior CPI(M) leader and General Education Minister V Sivankutty said Chandrasekhar was a person who was capable of going to his respective place, where he has the vote, by a helicopter and return here. ''Chandrasekhar's decision to abstain from voting is an insult to the democratic process,'' he said. The minister further said the BJP candidate's action raises questions about his commitment to the democratic principles and his accountability to the electorates. Sharing similar views, Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil said Chandrasekhar's abstinence from voting was a ''grave'' issue and amounts to cheating the people of Thiruvananthapuram constituency. ''This reflected the BJP candidate's lack of trust in democracy,'' he added. The elections for the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala concluded on Friday with a notable decrease in voter turnout, as the figure stands at 70.22 per cent. The polling percentage during the 2019 general elections was 77.84 per cent.

Robust Voter Turnout Marks Second Phase of Indian Parliamentary Elections

Robust Voter Turnout Marks Second Phase of Indian Parliamentary Elections Over 63 per cent polling was reported in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 88 seats across 13 states amid few complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting in some states. Voters in some villages of Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, Rajasthan's Banswara and Maharashtra's Parbhani were boycotting the polls over various issues but were later persuaded by authorities to cast their franchise. Polling for the second stage of the seven-phase elections started at 7 am and ended at 6 pm. Several states experienced intense heat conditions. The first phase of polling was held on April 19 in 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories. The Election Commission (EC) said polling remained largely peaceful. The tentative figure at 8 pm of voter turnout was 63.50 per cent. It is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained, the EC said, adding voters reaching polling stations till the end of polling hour are allowed to cast their vote. The National Democratic alliance (NDA) under Prime Minister Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Election Commission data showed the highest voting percentage was recorded in Tripura which registered 79.46 per cent polling, followed by Manipur at 77.32 while the turnout was in Uttar Pradesh at 54.85 per cent and Bihar 55.08 per cent. Polling was held in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh (Cong), and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy (JDS) are among the key candidates while BJP's Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the morning urged people to cast their votes in record numbers and said a high voter turnout strengthens democracy. Stressing on the importance of each vote, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi issued impassioned appeals asking people to step out and exercise their franchise in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election. After the end of polling, Modi in a tweet said, ''Phase Two has been too good! Gratitude to the people across India who have voted today. The unparalleled support for NDA is going to disappoint the Opposition even more. Voters want NDA's good governance. Youth and women voters are powering the strong NDA support.'' In Kerala, the turnout was 65.91 per cent. The election process, held amid tight security arrangements, was primarily incident free except for instances of bogus voting and breakdowns of electronic voting machines (EVMs) being reported in some booths of the state. Such incidents resulted in delaying the polling process in the affected booths. One person each reportedly died at Palakkad, Alappuzha and Malappuram after casting their vote and a polling agent died after collapsing at a booth in Kozhikode. Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency recorded a turnout of 79.46 per cent. Election officials said there were some complaints from a few booths but those were ''promptly addressed''. A jawan of the Madhya Pradesh Special Armed Force deployed on poll duty allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at a government school where he was stationed in Gariaband district under the Mahasamund seat in Chhattisgarh, where a voter turnout of 73.62 per cent was recorded. A polling booth at Sivni village in Balod district (Kanker seat) was decorated like a wedding 'mandap', with a display of rituals of traditional weddings. Several brides and grooms, dressed in their wedding finery, cast their votes at several polling booths. The EC said people from 46 villages in Bastar and Kanker seats cast their votes in a polling booth set up in their own village for the first time in a Lok Sabha election. In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, there was a turnout of 57.88 per cent. An estimated 71.11 per cent of the 77,26,668 voters exercised their franchise in the five parliamentary constituencies of Assam that went to polls in this phase. In restive Manipur, where polling is being held under high presence of security personnel, the turnout was a significantly high 77.32 per cent. There were reports of intimidation by suspected militants, altercation between Congress workers and NPF supporters and damage of EVM at a polling station in the Tangkhul Naga-dominated hill district. At KK Leishi Phanit polling station in Ukhrul, irate voters destroyed an EVM and other items after alleged disturbances by armed miscreants. The overall voting percentage in Karnataka was 68.30. A case was booked against BJP MP and Bangalore South Candidate Tejasvi Surya for allegedly posting a video on a social media platform and soliciting votes on the grounds of religion, the Election Commission said. Another BJP leader CT Ravi was booked for allegedly promoting hatred and enmity between citizens through his social media post. Various restaurants in Bangalore were offering free dosas, laddu, coffee and other food items at discounted rates to customers who cast their vote. A private hospital assisted 41 inpatients cast their vote with the help of city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Green corridors were created for the ambulances across constituencies to ensure easy, hassle-free voting. Some EVMs were destroyed at a polling station in Indiganatha village in Chamarajanagara district of Karnataka during a clash between two groups of people over whether to vote or not. Officials said an FIR is being filed the Election Commission will take a call after getting a detailed report. A voter turnout of 57.83 per cent was recorded in eight constituencies in Maharashtra, while in Rajasthan, the turnout was 64.07 per cent. Incidents of confrontation between the supporters of the Congress candidate and an independent candidate were reported at a couple of places during polling in Barmer-Jaisalmer Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan. Police said they were looking into the complaints besides some about fake voting from some places. The by-election for the Bagidora assembly constituency in Banswara district was also held simultaneously on Friday and 76.66 per cent voting took place. A voter turnout of 54.85 per cent was recorded in the eight parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. Senior citizens dominated the early hours of voting in Noida in the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency. Some residents' welfare associations made arrangements for electric vehicles to ferry voters to and from the polling booths. In Bihar, the turnout was 55.08 per cent, 71.84 per cent in in West Bengal and 71.91 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir. The Lok Sabha polls are the first major electoral battle in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- on August 5, 2019. The Election Commission registered nearly 300 complaints in West Bengal, mostly related to EVM malfunctioning. After Friday's phase, polling is over in Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura. In the first phase on April 19, polling was completed in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). The third phase of elections for 94 seats across 12 states and Union territories will be held on May 7. Counting will be done on June 4.

Karnataka Poll: First Phase Witnesses Moderate Turnout of 69%

Karnataka Poll: First Phase Witnesses Moderate Turnout of 69% Voting was held on Friday for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, in 14 constituencies, with an estimated over 69 per cent turnout, as the Congress and BJP locked horns again on the electoral battleground in less than a year. According to poll officials, an approximate 69.23 per cent of the voters cast their ballot. ''This is tentative. It will vary slightly based on the detailed reports of the PRO (Presiding Officer),'' an official said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the same 14 segments in the first phase had recorded a turnout of 68.80 per cent. Out of 14 segments that went to polls on Friday, the highest turnout of 81.48 per cent was recorded in Mandya, followed by Kolar 78.07 per cent, and the least 52.81 per cent in Bangalore Central. The turnout was 54.42 per cent in Bangalore North, and 53.15 per cent in Bangalore South, amid indications of continued voter apathy in the city. Bangalore Rural that is witnessing a tough contest between Congress' D K Suresh, MP and brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Dr C N Manjunath, a noted cardiologist and son-in-law of former PM H D Deve Gowda, on a BJP ticket, has recorded 67.29 per cent. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena told PTI that barring an incident in Chamarajanagara district, the election process was peaceful in the state. The Electronic Voting Machines were destroyed at a polling station in Indiganatha village in Chamarajanagara district during a clash between two groups of people over whether to vote or not in the Lok Sabha elections, bringing the poll process to a halt. According to the district administration, the villagers had earlier in the day decided to boycott the polls citing lack of adequate infrastructure development. However, after assurances and efforts by the local officials, a section of them agreed to vote, while the other was keen to boycott leading to clashes between them during which they destroyed EVMs, and also indulged in stone-pelting. Reacting to the incident, Meena said, ''Tomorrow, the returning officer in the presence of the observer will do the scrutiny and then they will recommend (further course of action.)'' A total of 247 candidates -- 226 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the first phase covering most of the southern and coastal districts, where more than 2.88 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in 30,602 polling stations. Friday's elections witnessed a straight fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) combine unlike the Assembly elections in May last year which witnessed a triangular contest among the three parties. In the first phase, the Congress contested in all 14 seats, while BJP fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar. Besides the three, the segments where elections were held on Friday are: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkballapur. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state back then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments. The BJP had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya. Other than Suresh and Manjunath, the latter's brother-in-law and JD(S) state President H D Kumaraswamy from Mandya, erstwhile Mysuru royal family scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore, from the BJP, are among the prominent candidates in the fray in the first phase. Also in the contest are BJP MP Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South against Minister Ramalinga Reddy's daughter Sowmya Reddy of Congress, and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on BJP ticket from Bangalore North against former Indian Institute of Management Bangalore professor M V Rajeev Gowda of Congress. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said there is no ''Modi wave'' in Karnataka, but there is one in favour of Congress government's guarantee schemes, as he claimed his party will win about 20 out of total 28 Lok Sabha polls in the state. Asked as to how many seats the Congress will win out of 14 seats in the first phase, the chief minister said, ''it cannot be said correctly as of now, as it is a secret ballot, but we will win majority seats.'' Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress president, said he has got reports that the party will win more than 20 seats in Karnataka. ''In the first phase, Congress will win 10 of the 14 seats that went to polls today. This is not astrological predictions; this is based on political acumen and data,'' he said. Kumaraswamy said the outcome of the elections will be in favour of the NDA alliance, of which his party JD(S) is a part. Thanking voters, state BJP chief BJP Vijayendra said: ''It is our unwavering belief that your support for the security and development of India, will give strength for the Modi-led government to come to power once again in the country.'' Long queues were seen at polling booths since 7 am. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also exercised their franchise.

Trump's Failing Stock Short Sellers Pocket Millions

Trump's Failing Stock Short Sellers Pocket Millions Rooting for Donald Trump to fail has rarely been this profitable. Just ask a hardy band of mostly amateur Wall Street investors who have collectively made tens of millions of dollars over the past month by betting that the stock price of his social media business Truth Social will keep dropping despite massive buying by Trump loyalists and wild swings that often mirror the candidate's latest polls, court trials and outbursts on Truth Social itself. Several of these investors interviewed by The Associated Press say their bearish gambles using put options and other trading tools are driven less by their personal feelings about the former president (most don't like him) than their faith in the woeful underlying financials of a company that made less money last year than the average Wendy's hamburger franchise. This company makes no money. ... It makes no sense,'' said Boise, Idaho, ad executive Elle Stange, who estimates she's made USD 1,300 betting against Trump Media and Technology stock. He's not as great a businessman as he thinks. A lot of his businesses go belly up, quickly. Says Seattle IT security specialist Jeff Cheung, This is guaranteed to go to zero. As of Friday morning, a month since Trump Media's initial public offering sent its stock to USD 66.22, it has plunged to USD 38.49. An AP analysis of data from research firms FactSet and S3 Partners shows that investors using puts and short selling have paper profits so far of at least USD 200 million, not including the costs of puts, which vary from trade to trade. Still, amateur traders, mostly risking no more than a few thousand dollars each, say the stock is too volatile to declare victory yet. So they are cashing in a bit now, letting other bets ride and stealing a glance at the latest stock movements in the office cubicle, at the kitchen table or even on the toilet. There have been plenty of scary moments, including last week when DJT, the ex-president's initials and stock ticker, jumped nearly 40 per cent in two days. I don't know which direction the stock is going, says Schenectady, NY, day trader Richard Persaud while checking his iPhone amid the surge. It's so unbelievably overvalued. Many who spoke to the AP say knowing their bets have helped slash the value of Trump's 65 per cent stake in half is an added political benefit. If some of their predictions are right, they may able to someday push it to zero, making it impossible for him to tap it to pay his hefty legal bills or finance his GOP presidential campaign. They have a long way to go. Trump's stake is still worth USD 4 billion. Normally, investors betting a stock will fall, especially a gutsy breed of hedge fund traders called short sellers, will do plenty of homework. They'll pore over financial statements, develop expertise in an industry, talk to competitors, and even turn to forensic accountants to find hidden weaknesses in the books. No need in Trump Media's case. It's all there in the Sarasota, Florida-based company's 100-page financial report: A firehose of losses, USD 58 million last year, on minuscule revenue of USD 4 million from advertising and other sources. The losses are so big, as Trump Media's auditor wrote in the report, they raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. A short seller's dream? Or is it a nightmare? Amateur trader Manny Marotta has two computer screens at home, one for work, the other showing DJT stock's movements where he can gauge how much he's up or down. It wasn't looking so good earlier this week. The legal writer from suburban Cleveland had been up about USD 4,000 on put options purchased over the past few weeks. But the screen that morning was showing investors, presumably rich ones, buying large volumes of DJT shares, pushing up the stock once again. My options are worth less with every passing minute, says Marotta, adding about DJT: It's being manipulated. It's insane. Waiting for the stock to drop is especially painful to short sellers, who pay a fee to borrow shares owned by others. The idea is to quickly sell them on a hunch they will be able to buy the same number of them later for much cheaper before having to return them to the lender. That allows short sellers to pocket the difference, minus the fee, which is usually nominal. In DJT's case, the fee is anything but nominal. It was costing 565 per cent a year at one point earlier this month, meaning short sellers had only two months before any possible profits would be eaten up in fees, even if the stock went to zero. It's a rate so off the charts, that only three other stocks in recent memory have exceeded it, according to data from Boston University's Karl Diether and Wharton's Itamar Drechsler, who have studied short selling back two decades. Add in massive buying by Trump supporters who see it as a way to support their candidate, and losses could multiply fast. It's scary, says Drechsler, who likens buyers of Trump's stock to unwavering sports fans. It is everything that you hope that the stock market is not. Trump Media spokeswoman Shannon Devine said the company is in a strong financial position with USD 200 million in cash and no debt, and said the AP was selecting admitted Trump antagonists. Another danger to the stock is a short squeeze. If the price rises sharply, it could set off a rush by short sellers who fear they've bet wrongly to return their borrowed shares right away and limit their losses. And so they start buying shares to replace the ones they borrowed and sold, and that very buying tends to work against them, sending the price higher, which in turn scares other short sellers, who then also buy, setting off a vicious cycle of price hikes. If DJT starts rallying, you're going to see the mother of all squeezes, says S3 Partners short-selling expert Ihor Dusaniwsky, who spent three decades at Morgan Stanley helping investors borrow shares. This is not for the faint of heart. And if that wasn't enough, there is a final oddball feature of DJT stock that could trigger an explosion in prices, up or down. Lock up agreements prohibit Trump and other DJT executives from selling their shares until September. That leaves the float, or the number of shares that can be traded each day by others, at a dangerously tiny 29 per cent of total shares that will someday flood the market. That means a big purchase or sale on any day that would barely move a typical stock can send DJT flying or crashing. The float is smaller than that of most other notoriously volatile stocks. At their smallest levels, AMC, GameStop and Shake Shack each had more than double the float. Seattle trader Cheung sees DJT's freak characteristics as a reason to bet against the stock, not shy away. When the lock-up period ends, he predicts, the ex-president will indeed sell his shares, spooking the market and sending the price down sharply. And even if he doesn't, other insiders whose lock-ups expire will fear he will do so and will move fast to get a good price before it falls. The first one to sell out is going make to most, Cheung says. Everyone is going to sell. Still, he doesn't want to lose money in the interim, so Cheung is offsetting some of his put bets with the purchase of calls. The latter are also derivatives, but they do the opposite, paying off when the stock rises. Cheung hopes that whichever makes money, the puts or the calls, he will make enough with one to more than make up for the loss of the other. If all of this seems too complicated, there is a far simpler way to make money betting against Trump. Offshore, casino-style betting sites are taking wagers on the 2024 election, and some have even made President Joe Biden the favorite.

First-time voters in Bengaluru exercise their franchise with enthusiasm

For many of these young citizens, casting their vote for the first time was a moment of pride and responsibility. Speaking to The Hindu, several first-time voters shared their experiences and aspirations

Peaceful polling witnessed in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency with 76.06% voter turnout

With a good number of weddings slated for the day, many brides and grooms exercised their franchise before or after the ceremony

Braving odds, senior citizens cast votes in Bengaluru

Some were in wheelchair and a few came using walking sticks to exercise their franchise

Axar Patel certainty... Pant will go: Sourav Ganguly backs two Delhi Capitals players for T20 World Cup

Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly believes Axar Patel is a certainty for the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup and also backed franchise skipper Rishabh Pant for finding a place in the squad.

Nearly 61 Per Cent Turnout In Phase 2 Of LS polls; Tripura records 78.53 pc, Manipur 77.18

NEW DELHI, Apr 26: Nearly 61 per cent polling was reported in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 88 seats across 13 states amid few complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting in some states. Voters in some villages of Uttar Pradeshs Mathura, Rajasthans Banswara and Maharashtras Parbhani were boycotting the polls over various issues but were later persuaded by authorities to cast their franchise. Polling for the second stage of the seven-phase elections started at 7 am [] The post Nearly 61 Per Cent Turnout In Phase 2 Of LS polls; Tripura records 78.53 pc, Manipur 77.18 appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Bengal: Peaceful Polling in 3 LS Seats; 72% Turnout Recorded Till 5 PM

Bengal: Peaceful Polling in 3 LS Seats; 72% Turnout Recorded Till 5 PM Polling for three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal in the second phase of parliamentary elections was peaceful with a voter turnout of over 72 per cent registered till 5 pm on Friday, an EC official said. Voting for Darjeeling, Balurghat and Raiganj constituencies started at 7 AM and continued till 6 PM, he said. Till 5 PM, Balurghat recorded the highest polling percentage at 72.30, followed by Raiganj at 71.87 and Darjeeling at 71.41, the Election Commission official said. ''Today's polling was peaceful. There is no report of any untoward incident in the three parliamentary constituencies,'' he said. Forty-seven candidates, including state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, are in the fray in this phase, with 51.17 lakh people eligible to exercise their franchise. Altogether 5,298 polling stations have been set up across the three constituencies. There are 1,999 polling stations in Darjeeling, 1,730 in Raiganj and 1,569 in Balurghat, he said. A total of 272 companies, comprising 27,200 personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), along with 12,983 state policemen have been deployed for the polls, the official added.

Over 76 per cent turnout recorded in remaining part of Outer Manipur LS seat, no incident reported

Imphal, April 26: Over 76 per cent of the around 4.85 lakh voters on Friday exercised their franchise in the remaining part of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, whose major part went to polls in the first phase on April 19, officials said on Friday. Election and police officials separately said that no untoward [] The post Over 76 per cent turnout recorded in remaining part of Outer Manipur LS seat, no incident reported appeared first on The Shillong Times .

Granting Voters Physical Access to VVPAT Slips Raises Practical and Security Concerns: Supreme Court

Granting Voters Physical Access to VVPAT Slips Raises Practical and Security Concerns: Supreme Court Giving physical access to VVPAT slips to voters is problematic and impractical and will lead to misuse, malpractices and disputes, the Supreme Court on Friday said while rejecting pleas seeking 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips by voters. It also rejected the plea that sought right to the voter to physically verify the printed slip from the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine and put it in the ballot box for counting. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said while the court acknowledges the fundamental right of voters to ensure their vote is accurately recorded and counted, the same cannot be equated with the right to 100 per cent counting of VVPAT slips, or a right to physical access to the VVPAT slips. ''These are two separate aspects the former is the right itself and the latter is a plea to protect or how to secure the right. The voters' right can be protected and safeguarded by adopting several measures,'' it said. The bench said giving physical access to VVPAT slips to voters is ''problematic and impractical.'' ''It will lead to misuse, malpractices and disputes. This is not a case where fundamental right to franchise exists only as a parchment, rather, the entire electoral process protocol, and the checks as well as empirical data, ensure its meaningful exercise,'' it said. On increasing the counting of VVPAT slips to 100 per cent from the existing five per cent, the bench said it is not inclined to modify the earlier directions to increase the number of VVPAT undergoing slip count for several reasons. ''First, it will increase the time for counting and delay the declaration of results. The manpower required would have to be doubled. Manual counting is prone to human errors and may lead to deliberate mischief. Manual intervention in counting can also create multiple charges of manipulation of results. Further, the data and the results do not indicate any need to increase the number of VVPAT units subjected to manual counting,'' it said. The top court added that the VVPAT slip is a 9.9 cm x 5.6 cm thermal paper coated with a chemical to ensure print retention for about five years and it is very soft and sticky, which makes the counting process tedious and slow. However, it said that the voter can see the VVPAT slip through the glass window of VVPAT and this assures the voter that his vote as cast has been recorded and will be counted. The top court delivered its verdict on a batch of petitions, including the one filed by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, which also sought a direction to return to the paper ballot system in elections.

Moderate voter turnout in Alappuzha, Mavelikara Lok Sabha constituencies

While 73.18 % of 14,00,083 voters exercised their franchise in the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, 65.45% of 13,31,880 voters cast their ballots in the Mavelikara constituency

Poll Turnout Reaches 72.13% in Chhattisgarh's Three Lok Sabha Seats; Police Officer on Duty Ends Life

Poll Turnout Reaches 72.13% in Chhattisgarh's Three Lok Sabha Seats; Police Officer on Duty Ends Life More than 72 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 5 pm in three Lok Sabha constituencies, all having Naxalite presence, in Chhattisgarh, where the second phase of the general elections was held on Friday, officials said While polling took place amid tight security, a policeman deployed on election duty allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with a service weapon in Gariaband district during the day. Polling began in Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituencies at 7 am and was held in different time slots. A turnout of 72.13 per cent was registered till 5 pm, an election official said. Of the eight assembly segments in the Kanker Lok Sabha constituency, polling ended at 3 pm in Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Keshkal and Kanker assembly segments, while in Sihawa, Sanjari-Balod, Daundilohara and Gunderdehi it concluded at 6 pm, he said. In the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency, polling in the Manpur-Mohla assembly segment ended at 3 pm, and in the seven other assembly segments, it concluded at 6 pm. The polling was held in the Mahasamund constituency till 6 pm, except in nine sensitive polling booths under the Bindranawagarh assembly segment, where it ended at 3 pm. The tribal-dominated Kanker seat recorded a 73.50 per cent turnout, Mahasamund 71.13 per cent and Rajnandgaon 71.87 per cent till 5 pm, the official said. The voting figure may go up as they are yet to receive the final data from several booths, he said. Among the early voters, state assembly speaker and former chief minister Raman Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, former MP Abhishek Singh cast their votes in Kawardha town (Rajnandgaon seat), BJP candidate Santosh Pandey and his wife at Sahaspur-Lohara in Rajnandgaon, BJP candidate Rupkumari Chaudhary in Harratar village in Mahasamund, BJP candidate Bhojraj Nag and his wife at Antagarh in Kanker. According to the police, a jawan of the Madhya Pradesh Special Armed Force deployed on poll duty allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at a government school where he was stationed in Gariaband district under the Mahasamund seat. A polling booth at Sivni village in Balod district (Kanker seat) was decorated like a wedding 'mandap', with a display of rituals of traditional weddings. Brides and grooms, dressed in their wedding finery, cast their votes at several polling booths in the three seats. In all, 41 candidates, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and former state home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, are in the fray in three seats in a direct fight between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress. In the 2019 polls, the voter turnout in Kanker Lok Sabha seat stood at 74.27 per cent, Mahasamund at 74.51 per cent and Rajnandgaon at 76.04 per cent.

At 61.49%, Pathanamthitta witnesses a fall in polling percentage

As many as 8,79,162 out of 14,29,700 voters in the district exercised their franchise

National Womens Hockey League will give youngsters chance to assess their abilities: Former goalkeeper Yogita Bali

Harpal Singh Bedi Former national Womens Hockey Teamgoalkeeper,YogitaBali, has hailed HockeyIndiasholistic initiatives with aspecial emphasis on the NationalWomens League. The first phase of the league is scheduled to be held in Ranchi, from 30th April to 9th May. The League will stands as a landmark event in Indianwomenshockey, promising a captivating showcase of talent and Continue reading National Womens Hockey League will give youngsters chance to assess their abilities: Former goalkeeper Yogita Bali

Lok Sabha Elections | Over 67.22% Polling Recorded In Jammu Till 5:00 PM

JAMMU, APRIL 26: Jammu Parliamentary Constituency has witnessed an overall 67.22 percent voting till 5:00 pm with enthusiastic voters still waiting for their turn to exercise their franchise. As per the office of Chief Election Officer, J&K, Gulabgarh (ST) has recorded 71.47% polling, Reasi 71.65%, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi 74.65%, Ramgrah (SC) 69.76%, Samba 69.23%,Vijaypur 66.71%, Bishnah (SC) 71.33%, Suchetgarh (SC) 63.49%, R S Pora-Jammu South 62.31%, Bahu 58.82%, Jammu East 62.78%, Nagrota 71.39%,Jammu West 58.7%, Jammu North 62.4%, Marh [] The post Lok Sabha Elections | Over 67.22% Polling Recorded In Jammu Till 5:00 PM appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Sam Raimi On Spider-Man 4: 'Have To Figure Out Tobey Maguire's Character Journey'

Rumours suggest that Sam Raimi will return to direct the fourth instalment in the celebrated Spider-Man franchise.

Voters old and young throng polling centres in Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha seat

As the day progressed, queues outside the polling stations also became longer as every voter, particularly first-time voters, as well as those living in border areas, turned out to exercise their franchise. Women voters also came out in large numbers

In a first, Bru voters exercise their franchise in Tripura Lok Sabha 2024

Bru voters in Tripura cast their votes in Lok Sabha elections 2024, marking their first participation in MP elections

Rajasthan: 13 Lok Sabha Seats See Over 50% Polling Till 3 pm

Rajasthan: 13 Lok Sabha Seats See Over 50% Polling Till 3 pm After low turnout in the first phase of polling on April 19, the polling turnout showed a significant upward trend in the second phase in Rajasthan where more than 50 per cent voting took place in 13 Lok Sabha seats by 3 pm, which was 41.51 per cent on 12 seats in the first phase. 50.27 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm across the 13 parliamentary constituencies. At the same time, 66.52 per cent of voting took place in the Bagidora assembly constituency, according to official data. The polling percentage in 12 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in the first phase on April 19 was 41.51 per cent by this time. Around 2.8 crore voters are eligible to vote in the second phase of the polls. This is the final phase of polling in Rajasthan. Voting is underway in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, along with the Bagidora Assembly constituency where a by-poll is underway. The highest voter turnout of 60.01 per cent was recorded in the tribal-dominated Banswara-Dungarpur seat in South Rajasthan by 3 pm while the Barmer-Jaisalmer seat located along the Indo-Pak border recorded 59.71 per cent voting. Tonk-Sawai Madhopur recorded the lowest turnout of 42.61 per cent till 3 pm, according to official data. Voting percentage in other constituencies till 3 pm stood at 43.28 in Ajmer, 45.39 in Bhilwara, 51.71 in Chittorgarh, 49.85 in Jalore, 56.12 in Jhalawar, 50 in Jodhpur, 54.78 in Kota, 44.27 in Pali, 43.94 in Rajsamand and 51.60 in Udaipur. Enthusiasm was seen among the people who lined up at the polling booths to cast votes. However, in Banswara, no voter reached the Adibheet polling booth during the initial hours. The locals have certain demands regarding compensation against land acquired for a power plant and have declared to boycott the elections. The officials said that they are trying to convince the voters to exercise their franchise. In the first two hours of the voting, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is contesting from Kota-Bundi, BJP state president CP Joshi, BJP candidate from Chittorgarh, Union minister and BJP candidate from Jodhpur Gajendra Singh Shekhawat cast their votes. Assembly speaker Vasudev Devnani cast his vote in Ajmer while former chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Ashok Gehlot exercised their franchise in Jhalawar and Jodhpur respectively. 108-year-old Bhuri Bai cast her vote at the Gunjara polling booth in the Kota-Bundi LS constituency. She was brought to the polling booth in a wheelchair by the family members. A man, his son and granddaughters, representing three generations, reached a polling station at Sankand in Jalore to cast votes. They also took pictures at the selfie point in the booth. A groom, Radhe Suthar, cast his vote at Bhadsoda in Chittorgarh before going for his wedding procession. Suthar told reporters that it is important to exercise franchise in democracy, so he spared time to cast a vote before his marriage function. Voting for 12 seats in the desert state was held in the first phase on April 19. The Bagidora Assembly seat in Banswara fell vacant after Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya switched over to the BJP. Malviya is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Banswara as a BJP candidate. Rajasthan has a total of 25 Lok Sabha seats. 12 went to poll in the first phase on April 19 and polling in the 13 seats is underway on Friday.

Phase 2 of LS polls: Newly-settled Brus exercise their franchise in Tripura

Guwahati: For the first time, the newly settled Bru voters of Tripura exercised their franchise for the General Elections to Lok Sabha 2024 on Friday. Earlier, they had voted in the assembly elections held last year in March. Bru people in India are those who have been displaced from Mizoram and have found shelter in [] The post Phase 2 of LS polls: Newly-settled Brus exercise their franchise in Tripura appeared first on NORTHEAST NOW .