eye THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT When the Wallflower Blooms JAIPUR,LATECITY MAY12,2024 12+4PAGES,`6.00 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM As a new season of Bridgerton arrives, a look at the perks of being a wallflower DAY AFTER RELEASE ON INTERIM BAIL, CITES PM ‘RULE’ OF RETIREMENT AT 75 West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Howrah. PTI ‘SEXUAL HARASSMENT’ Got pen drive, another video: Mamata attacks Governor over allegations ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, MAY 11 WEST BENGAL Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday claimed she has “another video, pen drive” of Governor CV Ananda Bose, who has been accused by a Raj Bhavan contractualstafferof sexualharassment. Her attack comes days after the Raj Bhavan showed CCTV footage of the premises from May 2 — the day of the alleged incident—toaround100people. At an election rally in Hooghly, Banerjee said: “The Honourable Governor says ‘didigiri nahi chalegi’. That is true, dadagiri and didigiri nahi chalegi. But the Governor must first resign. Who is he to torture women? He recently called the press and showed a few edited videos. Why didn’t he show the entire footage? I ask the press to gothroughthefootagecarefully.” She said: “I got another video... pen drive. More scandal. Scandal after scandal... My God... If he calls me to Raj Bhavan, I will notgo.If he callsme tomeet him on the streets, I will do that. But, afterhearing aboutthe scandals, even sitting next to you is a sin.” Bose has said the charges are “engineered narratives” meant to “stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal”. On Monday, he had hit out at Banerjee, saying, “I always took CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 If you vote for BJP, you are voting for Amit Shah (as PM), not Modi: Kejriwal NIRMALA, NADDA, YOGI ALSO HIT BACK ‘PM on 1-nation, 1-leader mission, Opp leaders will be held, those in BJP sidelined’ BJP top brass counters: Modi to complete 3rd Cong spreading fear term, remain leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public meeting in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Saturday. PTI MALLICA JOSHI NEW DELHI, MAY 11 OPENING A new front in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday “warned” that with Prime Minister Narendra Modi turning 75 next September, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann thosevotingfortheBJPwouldbe in Mehrauli on Saturday. Tashi Tobgyal. voting for Amit Shah (as PM). Kejriwal also launched an all-out attack on Modi, acpartyheadquartershere,a Minister?... Modi ji is turning 75 cusing him of carrying out day after his release on in- on September 17 next year. He a “one-nation, one-leader” terim bail, the AAP na- made a rule in 2014 that people mission at “two-levels” — DECISION tional convenor said: in the BJP must retire at 75 2024 by arresting Opposition “These people ask the IN- years... So, I want to ask the BJP leaders, and sidelining DIA bloc who will be your who is your Prime Ministerial those within the BJP. Prime Minister? I ask the BJP candidate?” Addressingagatheringatthe who will be your Prime CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MAHARASHTRA Farmer pain, few jobs, Maratha quota are issues, but Modi rises above these SANDEEP SINGH & P VAIDYANATHAN IYER MAVAL, SHIRUR, AHMEDNAGAR, AURANGABAD, MAY 11 IN THE HEART of Ahmednagar, 250 km east of Mumbai, businessmanMachhindraDarkunde, 42,who producesedible oils,acknowledges that farmers are in pain and the Maratha community is upset over reservation. Machhindra Darkunde, a small businessman in Ahmednagar district “My people are angry that Modiji didn’t refer at all to reservation during his rally here four days ago,” he says and then promptlyrisestoexplain.“Butthe peoplehavetounderstandthatif he makes a promise here, he will have to promise in other states too. How can he do that?” says Darkunde, a Maratha himself. In Maharashtra, the most industrialised state in India,which accounts for almost 10 per cent CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 As Patnaik, his schemes put BJD on course, BJP banks on promise of change to close Odisha gap LIZ MATHEW & SUJIT BISOYI SAMBALPUR, HINJILI, MAY 11 BJD’s VK Pandian campaigns in Odisha’s Hinjili. Sujit Bisoyi “WE HAVE good schemes for women, elderly people and youngsters. Naveen (Patnaik) babu has taken care of us very well,”saidSharatKanar,aresident of KadligarhvillageinSambalpur district,afirst-timevoterinthesimultaneous Odisha Assembly (147 seats) and Lok Sabha (21 seats)electionsbeginningMay13. “It’s true that more needs to bedonetoprovidejobstoyouths because many of us have to migrate fromOdisha.So we have to give one more chance to Modi at the Centre, but Naveen babu is just fine for Odisha,” he said, making his choices clear. At Charichhak in Boudh district,DuryodhanSahu,whoruns CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 No age bar, no confusion, says Shah; Opp in panic, aim to mislead: Nadda VIKAS PATHAK & SREENIVAS JANYALA NEW DELHI, HYDERABAD, MAY 11 SUJIT BISOYI THE TOP brass of the BJP rushed inSaturdaytorallyaroundPrime Minister Narendra Modi after Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that the purported age-bar of 75 in the BJP would mean that Modi, 73, could, if he got a third term, step down in September 2025, mak- PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModi onSaturdaysaid“thecountryhas decided that the Congress will notevenbetheOppositionparty as its numbers will fall to below 50”, pointing out that the party needsatleastone-tenthofthetotalLokSabhaseatstobethemain Opposition party. AddressingarallyatOdisha’s Phulbani under Kandhamal Lok Sabhaconstituency,Modireiter- BHUBANESWAR, MAY 11 Home Minister Amit Shah in Hyderabad Saturday. PTI ingwayforAmitShahtobecome Prime Minister. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Complaint on turnout ‘our EVM moment’, had to respond, says EC official DECISION Vinesh Phogat SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS RIGHT FROM the morning of Friday, May 10, my fellow wrestlers and I were waiting to know what happens in court. We had logged in online but the connection had snapped for a while. Later in the afternoon, it ● In his Baharampur seat, Adhir holds steady as TMC dials up the heat ASAD REHMAN & RITIKA CHOPRA NEW DELHI, MAY 11 RESPONDING TO the scathing rejoinder from the Election Commission (EC) regarding his allegations about voter turnout data, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote back to the poll watchdog Saturday, stating that although he has “misgivings”aboutthelanguage usedinthe EC’s letter,he willnot dwell on that issue as he understands “the pressures” EC is “working under”. However, a senior officer of the Commission told The Sunday Express that Kharge’s accusations were akin to the EC’s “EVM moment of 2019”, one where the fundamental integrity of the process was being questioned without any evidence. And so the institution had to put its foot down to unequivocally make its case . On Friday, in a response uncharacteristic of the poll CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Most sportspeople must have thought we were mad to protest like we did.... I hope with the framing of charges, their thought process has changed” Vinesh Phogat after beating Kyrgyzstan’s Laura Ganikyzy last month at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek to win a Paris Olympics quota. United World Wrestling/Kadir Caliskan 2024 PAGES 4, 5 ‘Today we can stand without fear, look Brij Bhushan in the eye, and tell him: We are not going anywhere’ was someone from our team of lawyers who informed Sakshi (Malik) that charges have been framed. I was at training when I got the news. The framing of charges (sexual harassment and outraging modesty of women) against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is a win for us but our battle will continue in court. Today we can standwithoutfear,ourheadheld high, look him in the eye, the man we were afraid of for so manyyears.BrijBhushanhasgot the message that we are not go- over Pak, tally will fall below 50: Modi ing anywhere until women wrestlers get justice. The framing of charges also sends a strong message that womencantakeonpowerfulmen and they don’t have to be afraid. Protesting against someone so CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jaipur ated that the NDA would cross the 400-mark while the BJP wouldbreakitspastrecord.“You takemywordonrecord,”hesaid. Modi also accused the Congressof spreadingfearbyrepeatedly stating that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Speaking on the anniversary of the Pokhrantests26yearsago,Modi hailed former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that “Indians across the entire world had taken pride in it”. “That was the time when CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ● 65.68% voting in third phase, 57% seats saw a decline in turnout ● NDA needs 400-plus seats for UCC, Mathura temple: Himanta