DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2024, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES BY UNNY AAP’s Maliwal alleges assault at CM house, no complaint yet: Delhi cops RS member Swati Maliwal; NCW seeks report 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.ShecametotheCivilLines 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 seriousnoteoftheallegationslevelledbyMsSwatiMaliwalagainst thePSofShriArvindKejriwaland condemns the reported incident in strongest possible words. Therefore, considering the gravityof thematteryouarerequired 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 PM holds roadshow in Varanasi, to file nomination today EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 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'sestimates at 11.45 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. “Kashi is special... The warmthandaffectionof thepeople here is unbelievable,” Modi VARANASI, MAY 13 posted on X. While he was first accompaPRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi held a roadshow in nied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Varanasi on Monday, on the eve Minister Yogi Adityanath, state BJP president Bhupendra of filinghisnomination Singh Chaudhary joined papers from the Lok them later. Sabha constituency. SeekingathirdconsecThe roadshow, utive term from Varanasi, which lasted for about which will go to polls in two-and-a-half hours, startedfromtheMadan DECISION the last phase on June 1, Modi will file his nominaMohanMalaviyastatue 2024 tion papers on Tuesday. outsidethemaingateof BanarasHinduUniversity(BHU) The Opposition INDIA bloc has at 5 pm, and passed through fielded Uttar Pradesh Congress Ravidas Gate, Pushkar Lake, Assi president Ajay Rai. On Monday, as BJP supportGhat, Shivala, Sonarpura, Madanpura and Jangamwadi ers raised slogans of “Jai Shri Math, before reaching the Kashi Ram”,“HarHarMahadev”,“Humar Vishwanath Temple, where Kashi, Humar Modi”, and “Phir ek CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Modi offered prayers. ASAD REHMAN 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 11.45 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 E X P L A I NE D BUSINESS AS USUAL `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Behind jump in ● 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 MUMBAI DUST STORM: EIGHT KILLED AS BILLBOARD FALLS Eight people were killed and 74 injured when a billboard collapsed due to a storm in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area on Monday. Deepak Joshi PAGE4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Modiji said don’t be overconfident, get up and vote first: Shinde P7 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 wouldhave remained intact had 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 Former Dy CM Sushil Modi, force behind BJP rise in Bihar, dies at 72 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 died 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 SUSHIL KUMAR MODI 1952-2024 Emergency, he made a name for himself in student politics. He was known as a very hardworking and sociable MLA. He had a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow