DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, MAY 13, 2024, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES ALLOFANDHRA,TELANGANA vote today; polling ends in MP `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 SIMULTANEOUSASSEMBLY polls: All 175 seats in AP, 28 in Odisha 379LSCONSTITUENCIES will have voted at end of Phase 4 Phase 4: Vote in 96 seats today In fray: Akhilesh to Adhir, Mahua to Giriraj; BJP, allies won 47 of these seats in 2019 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, MAY 12 AS THE BJP and the opposition parties sharpen their attack against each other, with Prime MinisterNarendraModialleging that corruption was the commoncharacterof INDIAblocparties and the Congress arguing that a third term for the BJP wouldmeanenslavementof the poor, Dalits and tribals, 96 constituencies across 10 states and Union Territories will vote Monday in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections. The stakes are significant for the BJP and its allies, which had won 47 of the 96 seats in 2019. While the BJP had won 42 seats, the TDP had won 3 and JD(U) BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY and LJP one each. The INDIA bloc parties, on the other hand, had won 12 of these seats. The rest had gone to YSRCP (22), BRS (9), BJD (2), AIMIM (2) and the undivided Shiv Sena (2). In2019,theseatsgoingtopolls in the fourth phase had recorded anoverallvoterturnoutof69.12%. With the first three phases this timerecordingadipinturnoutas compared to last time, it is to be seen whether the voting on Monday bucks the trend. Intheongoingpollssofar,the turnoutinPhase1stoodat66.14% against 69.89% in those seats in 2019; 66.71% in Phase 2 against 69.64% last time; and 65.68% in Phase 3 against 67.3% in 2019. Apart from the Lok Sabha voting, the spotlight on Monday CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DECISION 2024 PHASE4 Totalseats 96 AMALAPURAM (ANDHRA PRADESH), MAY 12 HAVING LOST five years ago, G Harish Balayogi, the 33-year-old sonof formerLokSabhaSpeaker G MC Balayogi, is testing his luck for the second time from the Amalapuram Lok Sabha seat in 1,717 Electors in Phase 4 17.70 cr (18.29%) Share ( %) of voters in total Male Female 8.97cr 8.73 cr VOTESHARE (Phase4) NDA 40.34% INDIA Others 23.73% 35.93% 2019 PM Narendra Modi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and BJP Patna Sahib candidate Ravi Shankar Prasad at a roadshow on Sunday. Patna Sahib votes in the last phase on June 1. PTI Andhra votes today, Jagan looks to defend turf against resurgent TDP SREENIVAS JANYALA Candidates Andhra Pradesh. Unlike 2019, there is a spring in the TDP candidate’s step and that is down to the alliance with the BJP. Amalapuram in the newly created Konaseema district in central Andhra is an example of how TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who appeared down and out last year, is hoping to consolidate anti-incumbency votes acrossthestatewhereLokSabha and Assembly polls will be held on Monday. With rural voters seemingly backing Chief MinisterYSJaganMohanReddy, largely because of his government’s welfare schemes, the Opposition NDA alliance of the TDP, BJP and the JanaSena Party (JSP) has its task cut out. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DECISION 2024 MADHYAPRADESHCM INTERVIEW: ‘PM upheld Basic Structure of Constitution... Congress killed its soul’ PAGES 3, 5, 6 & 7 SEATSGOINGTOPOLLS AND2019TURNOUT(%) FULLSTATES AndhraPradesh 25 80.38% Telangana 17 62.77% STATESTHATWILL COMPLETEPOLLING MadhyaPradesh 8 75.74% OTHERS UttarPradesh Maharashtra WestBengal Bihar Jharkhand Odisha J&K 13 11 8 5 4 4 1 58.86% 61.61% 82.88% 59.35% 66.95% 74.28% 14.43% Turnout(%)in2024 Phase1 Phase2 Phase3 66.14 66.71 65.68 Integrated commands structure plan looks at Vice CDS, Deputy CDS with clear roles Jaipur, Lucknow and Coimbatore likely homes for theatre commands AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, MAY 12 READY WITH the organisational structure for the creation of integrated theatre commands, the Armed Forces are looking at the appointment of a Vice Chief of DefenceStaff andaDeputyChief of Defence Staff. The Vice CDS, likely to be an officer of the rank of General or equivalent, will in all probability look after strategic planning, capability development and procurement-related matters. The Deputy CDS, likely to be an officer of the rank of The three fronts THE THEATRE commands look at integrating resources of the Army, IAF and Navy to meet threats from three fronts: China, Pakistan and via the sea routes. This should streamline planning, logistics and operations. LieutenantGeneralorequivalent, willberesponsibleforoperations, intelligence and will coordinate CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Sonia spent over 70% of Robin Hood economics MP funds on minorities, cannot work anymore: claims Shah in Rae Bareli Sitharaman slams Cong On PM’s Ambani-Adani remark, says he was calling out Rahul stand on businesses EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE LUCKNOW, MAY 12 UNION HOME Minister Amit Shah claimed on Sunday that senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhispentatleast70percent of her MP funds on minorities and urged the people of Rae Barelitochoosealocalcandidate who will remain with them and not an outsider who will go “missing” for the next five years. Addressing a rally in support CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PRASANTA SAHU & SHOBHANA SUBRAMANIAN NEW DELHI, MAY 12 UnionHomeMinisterAmit ShahataBJPrallyin RaeBareli onSunday. PTI PRIYANKAHITSBACK,PAGE3 THE CONGRESS idea of wealth redistribution was nothing but robbing Peter to pay Paul, something that was not only an outdated approach but also an irresponsible one, Union Finance FM Nirmala Sitharaman INTERVIEW, PAGE13 Minister Nirmala Sitharaman toldFinancialExpressinanexclusiveinterview.“Thesearenotthe CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SP, Cong bonhomie on ground as they fight BJP — and their last experience MAULSHREE SETH RAE BARELI, MAY 12 ‘Nobody is with the BJP during the elections. They are always with them after the elections’ SAJAD LONE PRESIDENT, THE PEOPLE’S CONFERENCE PAGE 14 THEIR ALLIANCE having failed to make a dent the last time they got together in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party and Congress are working overtime to put up a united fight against the BJP as the Lok Sabha elections moves towards the fourth and fifth phases. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 At a ‘nukkad’ meet in Rae Bareli, Congress and SP members stand on either side of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Express Eyes on Paris prize, archers look for edge: Recreating venue, sessions with top coach PAGE 1 ANCHOR MIHIR VASAVDA MUMBAI, MAY 12 IN A corner of Haryana, there will soon be a small slice of central Paris. It won’t be an exact replica of the iconic gardens of Les Invalides, where the Olympics archerycompetitionwillbeheld. But the lawns of the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Sonepat centre will be trans- South Korean coach Kim Hyung Tak at SAI’s Sonepat centre. formed into a field of play that will be “very similar” to the venue of the games, said Indian archery’s high-performance director Sanjeeva Singh. Be it the platform on which the archers will stand and shoot, the colour scheme of blue, red, green and purple, the positioningof theshottimers oreventhe big LED screens near the targets, the Archery Association of India (AAI) is in the process of recreating the Olympics venue at the training base to prepare the athletes for what to expect in the French capital. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow