DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Police: AAP MP Maliwal alleges assault at CM house Has not filed a police complaint EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, MAY 13 AAM AADMI Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal made a call to the Police Control Room Monday morning, alleging assault at the Chief Minister’sresidenceinCivil Lines, Delhi Police said. Maliwal, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in January, has not filed an official complaint yet. DCP (North) Manoj Meena said, “Swati Maliwal called the PCR at 9.34 am stating that she has been attacked at CM's residence. She came to the Civil Lines Police Station and left without giving a complaint. She said she would file a complaint later.” Maliwal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. TheNationalCommissionfor Women, meanwhile, wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner SanjayAroraaskingforadetailed action taken report in the matter within three days. “The Commission has taken serious note of the allegations levelled by Ms Swati Maliwal against the PS of Shri Arvind Kejriwal and condemns the reportedincidentinstrongestpossible words. Therefore, considering the gravity of the matter you are required to invoke a `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 96 LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCIES IN 10 STATES, UTS Dip in Phase 4 too, but gap closes: 67.25% turnout BesidesJ&K,slight jumpinpollingin Odisha,Telangana Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the roadshow in Varanasi on Monday. PTI EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE PM holds roadshow in Varanasi, to file nomination today NEW DELHI, MAY 13 CONTINUING THE trend of a dip in voter turnout this Lok Sabha elections, the 96 constituencies across 10 states and Union territories which voted in the fourth phase on Monday saw 67.25 per cent polling, as per the Election Commission'sestimatesat11.45 pm. The turnout in these seats was 68.8 per cent in 2019. However, the final turnout, which the EC said would be releasedonFriday,mayincreaseas reports from all polling stations are taken into account. The turnout gap has narrowedascomparedtotheearlier phases. In the first phase, when 102 constituencies went to polls, the final turnout was 66.14 per cent,downfrom69.89percentin 2019. In the second phase, in which 88 seats voted, the final turnoutwas66.71percent,down from69.64percentin2019.Inthe thirdphase,across93constituencies, the final turnout was 65.68 per cent as compared to 67.3 per cent in 2019. In Jammu and Kashmir, which had one constituency (Srinagar) in the fourth phase, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Outside a polling booth in Pulwama district of J&K during the fourth phase of elections on Monday. Shuaib Masoodi PHASE 4 TURNOUT (IN %) Overall turnout 2019 (96 seats) 2024 Phase 5 68.8 67.25 States where polling is complete after Phase 4 2019 MAY20 (in %) 2024 Andhra Pradesh (25seats) 79.64 76.5 Telangana (17seats) 62.69 64.74 Madhya Pradesh (8seats) 75.59 70.98 Source: EC, Note: Figures till 11:45 pm BJP’s Hyderabad nominee asks women in burqa to lift veil at booth; FIR filed SREENIVAS JANYALA HYDERABAD, MAY 13 POLICE ON Monday filed an FIR against the BJP candidate from Hyderabad constituency, K Madhavi Latha, after a video emerged of her at a polling booth,checkingtheidentitydocuments of women in burqa and asking them to lift their veil. A video grab of K Madhavi Latha, BJP candidate from Hyderabad, at the booth District electoral officer RonaldRossinstructedthepolice to lodge a complaint, following which a case was registered under IPC sections 171C (undue influence at an election), 186 (obstructing public servant), 505(1)(c) (intent to incite) and section132of theRepresentation of the People Act (misconduct at the polling station). CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In highest turnout since 1996, Srinagar records nearly 38 per cent voting NAVEED IQBAL & BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, MAY 13 VOTERS LOOKING for “umeed (hope)” and for political representationqueueduponMonday atpollingboothsacrossSrinagar, which saw a turnout of 37.98% (estimates till 10.45 pm) — the highest since 1996. National Conference candidate Aga Ruhulla Mehdi is taking on Peoples Democratic Party’s Waheed ur Rehman Para and J&K Apni Party’s Ashraf Mir for the seat, where a total of 24 candidates are in the fray. “This is not a vote in protest against our past, it is a vote of umeed, of the hope of a better future,” said 62-year-old Ghulam Qadir Wani, who cast E Behind jumpin ● turnout WHILE OFFICIALS attributed confidence-building measures for candidates and voter outreach programmes, voters cited the “political vacuum” and absence of a political structure where they can “register their grievances” as reasons for the turnout. his vote at Dara. He said that for the last 10 years, people have been “bystanders” to the changing political landscape of Jammu and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Former Dy CM Sushil Modi, force behind BJP rise in Bihar, dies at 72 DECISION 2024 SANTOSH SINGH PATNA, MAY 13 SENIOR BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi died Monday night at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was 72. The veteran leader was battling cancer for the past eight months.Hospitalsourcessaidhe breathed his last at 9.45 pm. In his condolence message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sushil Modi played an invaluable role in the rise and success of the BJP in Bihar. “Strongly opposing the Emergency, he made a name for himself in student politics. He ● BJP faces farm protests in Punjab and Haryana villages ● Surrogates flood Meta with communal political adverts SUSHIL KUMAR MODI 1952-2024 was known as a very hardworking and sociable MLA. He had a deepunderstandingof theissues related to politics. He also did a lot of commendable work as an administrator. His active role in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM EXPRESS NETWORK SORENCITES KEJRIWALORDER, SEEKS SCRELIEF PAGE 3 Modiji said don’t be overconfident, get up and vote first: Shinde P3 SANDEEP SINGH & P VAIDYANATHAN IYER MUMBAI, MAY 13 MAHARASHTRA CHIEF minister Eknath Shinde has said the Shiv Senaledbyhimwastheonetakingforwardtheideologyof party founder Balasaheb Thackeray. In an interview to The Indian Express, Shinde said the Sena wouldhaveremainedintacthad Uddhav Thackeray worked and stood behind workers when he was the CM. Fighting his first electoral battle against rival Uddhav since the split in June 2022, and against whom he is pitched di- THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW EKNATH SHINDE MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER rectly in 13 out of the 15 constituencies his party is contesting, Shinde exuded confidence that the Mahayuti alliance (with BJP and NCP-Ajit Pawar) would CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Assam’s crusader against witch-hunting dies at 75: ‘Haven’t met any woman, or man, as brave as her’ PAGE 1 ANCHOR SUKRITA BARUAH GUWAHATI, MAY 13 LONG BEFORE there was any institutional effort to address witch-hunting in Assam, a diminutivewomanwouldtravel from village to village, interveningeverytimeshelearntof cases of women being targeted in the name of the outdated practice. It wasn’t easy by any measure. Despite threats of violence, social ostracisation for her dec- larationthatwitchesdonotexist, and even being branded a witch herself,BirubalaRabhastoodher ground. On Monday, Birubala, Assam’sstoriedcrusaderagainst witch-hunting and the recipient of severalhonours,includingthe Padma Shri, passed away at the age of 75. TheworkbyBirubalaandher local Mahila Samiti (self-help group) in Assam’s Goalpara district grew in 2011 into the NGO ‘Mission Birubala’, a grouping of activists, lawyers and survivors, united by their resolve to end with-hunting. When Assam finally tabled the Assam Witch Hunting Shivala, Sonarpura, Madanpura and Jangamwadi Math, before VARANASI, MAY 13 reaching the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, where Modi offered PRIME MINISTER Narendra prayers. Modi held a roadshow in “Kashiisspecial...Thewarmth Varanasi on Monday, on the eve and affection of the people here of filing his nomination is unbelievable,” Modi papers from the Lok posted on X. Sabha constituency. WhilehewasfirstacTheroadshow,which companied by Uttar lasted for about twoPradesh Chief Minister and-a-half hours,started Yogi Adityanath, state from the Madan Mohan DECISION BJPpresidentBhupendra 2024 Malaviya statue outside Singh Chaudhary joined the main gate of Banaras them later. Hindu University (BHU) at 5 pm, Seeking a third consecutive and passed through Ravidas term from Varanasi, which will Gate, Pushkar Lake, Assi Ghat, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ASAD REHMAN EXPLAINED BY UNNY POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2024, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL ● Birubala Rabha was conferred the Padma Shri in 2021 (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill in 2015, making witch-hunting a “conginisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable” offence, Birubala and her NGO were seen as the force behind the law. The Act ultimatelycameintoeffectin2018. Anamika Baruah, an executivememberof MissionBirubala, says Birubala rescued about 35 womeninherpersonalcapacity, afterwhichtheNGOrescuedanother 55 women. “Her courage was inspiring, I have never met a woman as courageous as her... I haven’t met any men as brave as her either,” says Baruah. For someone who didn’t study beyond Class 5, Birubala impressed many with her rationalandlogicalthinking.While talking of what led her to question superstitious beliefs, many CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Jaipur BILLBOARD FALLS, 8 DEAD Eight people were killed and 74 injured when a billboard collapsed due to a storm in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Monday. Deepak Joshi PAGE3