DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024, LUCKNOW, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES PM in UP: Modi, Yogi will change face of Purvanchal in 5 years INSIDE LALMANI VERMA NEW DELHI, MAY 16 ADDRESSING A series of rallies across constituencies in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said that he alongwith UttarPradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would change the face and future of the Purvanchal region in the next five years. “Aane wale paanch saalon mein, Modi, Yogi Purvanchal ki tasveer aur taqdeer donon badalnewalehain(Inthecoming five years, Modi, Yogi are going to change the face and future of Purvanchal),”Modisaidatapublic meeting in Jaunpur, adjacent to his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi. KEJRIWAL LOST HIS MIND IN JAIL, SAYS ADITYANATH AFTER AAP CHIEF’S CLAIM PAGE 7 His statement came days after Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that Modi would not be the PM for long even if the BJP wins, and thatthedaysof AdityanathasUP CM were numbered. BJP leaders have rubbished Kejriwal’s remarks, insisting Modi will “be PM even in 2029”. Modi, who also addressed rallies in the Lalganj Lok Sabha CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DECISION 2024 ● Himanta’s infiltration claim on campaign trail stirs row back home ● We are and will be part of INDIA at national level, says Mamata ●BothseatsNaveen Patnaikinthefrayfrom havesameconcern:jobs KEYPLAYERS Pitted against Omar, Sajad Lone makes presence felt PAGES 6, 7 & 8 OVER 45.10 CRORE VOTES POLLED: EC Gap closes, overall voter turnout in first four phases reaches 66.95% Barring 5 redrawn Assam seats, 374 of 379 seats so far recorded 68% polling in 2019 THE ‘NEW ERA’ ANNOUNCEMENT DAMINI NATH Chinese President Xi Jinping with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Thursday. The two leaders pledged a “new era” of partnership. AP REPORTS,PAGES12,14 After Shah remark on Kejriwal interim bail, SC says made no exception, criticism welcome ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, MAY 16 AMID CLAIMS and counterclaims by lawyers for the Enforcement Directorate and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court said Thursday that it had not made “any exception”whilegrantinghiminterim bailuntilJune1fortheLokSabha election campaign. It also said that “critical analysis or even criticismof thejudgment”inthis regard was “welcome”. It made these remarks a day afterUnionHomeMinisterAmit Shah told news agency ANI that grant of interim bail to Kejriwal, arrested by the ED on March 21 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY FIR LODGED AFTER OFFICERS MEET AAP MP Kejriwal aide booked for assault after Swati Maliwal files complaint Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Thursday. Vishal Srivastav in the Delhi excise policy case, was “not a routine and normal judgment” and “many people in the country” believe that he had been given “special treatment”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Caste threatens social aspects and divides communities: Fadnavis P8 SHUBHANGI KHAPRE, VALLABH OZARKAR & SANDEEP SINGH MUMBAI, MAY 16 EXPRESS NETWORK 11 DEATHSIN 5DAYS OF CHAR DHAM YATRA PAGE 9 THECASTEpolarisationbetween the Marathas and the OBCs (Other Backward Class) in the Marathwada region, so evident during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is detrimental to the state’s social fabric, said BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “The most disturbing aspect NEW DELHI, MAY 16 BOOSTED BY the increase in voterturnoutinthefourthphase on May 13, the overall turnout in the first four phases of the Lok Sabha elections has touched 66.95 per cent with over 45.10 crore votes being polled, the Election Commission said on Thursday. In 2019, 374 of the 379 constituencies that have gone to polls so far (five constituencies redrawn and renamed during delimitation in Assam not included) had recorded around 68.5 per cent polling, while the total turnout was 67.4 per cent. This time, the first three phases saw a dip in turnout as compared to 2019. In the first POLLING IN FIRST FOUR PHASES Phase 2024 turnout First (April 19) 2019 turnout 66.14% 69.29%** Second (April 26) 66.71% 69.43%*** Third (May 7) 65.68% 66.58% Fourth (May 13) 69.16% * 68.80% * Provisional figure ** Does not include Kaziranga and Sonitpur in Assam *** Does not include Darrang-Udalguri, Diphu and Nagaon in Assam phase on April 19, when 102 constituencies went to polls, the final turnout was 66.14 per cent, down from around 69.29 per centin2019.Inthesecondphase on April 26, in which 88 seats voted, the final turnout was 66.71 per cent,downfrom69.43 per cent in 2019. In the third phase on May 7, across 93 constituencies,thefinalturnoutwas 65.68 per cent as compared to 66.58 per cent in 2019. But the fourth phase on May 13,across96seats,sawincreased polling in Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, MaharashtraandTelanganacon- stituenciesascompared to2019. In J&K, which had one constituency(Srinagar)inthefourth phase, the turnout jumped by over 23 percentage points, from 14.39 per cent in 2019 to 37.98 per cent this time. While the final figure for the fourthphaseisyettobereleased, the provisional voter turnout as of Thursday, according to the EC’s Voter Turnout app, was 69.16% --slightlyhigherthanthe 68.8 per cent turnout in these seats in 2019. The EC is expected to release the final turnout for the fourth phase by Friday. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ED can’t make PMLA arrest after cognisance, needs court nod: SC EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, MAY 16 THE SUPREME Court ruled Thursday that the Enforcement Directoratecannotdirectlyarrest apersonunderthePreventionof Money Laundering Act (PMLA) once a special court takes cognisance of its complaint and the agencywillhavetoapproachthe court if it wants custody of that person. The bench of Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, which was hearing Tarsem Lal vs Directorate of Enforcement, E E X P L A I NE D Narendra Modi with Yogi Adityanath in Azamgarh. PTI `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 The relief this ruling ● provides THE SUPREME Court’s ruling extends protection against arrest by the ED when an accused is actively participating in the investigation without being evasive. The relief is significant as the bar for grant of bail, once arrested, is very high in ED cases. Jalandhar Zonal Office, said, “After cognisance is taken of the offence punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA based on a complaint under Section 44, theEDanditsofficersarepowerless to exercise powers under Section 19 to arrest a person shown as accused in the complaint. If theEDwantscustodyof the accused who appears after serviceof summonsforconducting further investigation in the same offence, ED will have to seek custody of the accused by applying to the special court.” “If the accused appears CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW DEVENDRA FADNAVIS MAHARASHTRA DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER in the ongoing elections has been the casteconflict in parts of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A Delhi Police team was at AAP MP Swati Maliwal’s residence for five hours on Thursday. Abhinav Saha Time allotted, but DD & AIR censor speeches of Opp’s Yechury, Devarajan EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, MAY 16 THREE DAYS after AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal alleged in a call to the police control room that she was assaulted when she went to visit Delhi Chief MinisterArvindKejriwalat his residence, the Delhi Police ThursdaybookedKejriwal’saide Bibhav Kumar in connection with the case. The FIR against Kumar has Maliwal has named CM aide Bibhav Kumar beenfiledunderIPCsections354 (assault or use of criminal force on woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, MAY 16 TWO LEADERS from the Opposition were asked to drop the terms “communal authoritarian regime” and “draconian laws” and the word “Muslims” from their speeches made on All India Radio and Doordarshan during the broadcast time allocated to them in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. While CPI(M) General CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, AIFB’s G Devarajan Secretary Sitaram Yechury had to delete the two terms and replace the word “bankruptcy” of the governance with “failure” during his televised address in the Doordarshan studio in the national capital, All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) leader G Devarajanwasaskedtoavoidthe word “Muslims” in his address recorded in Kolkata. When asked about it, an official in Prasar Bharati said both Doordarshan and All India Radio follow the “conduct rules” given by the Election Commission of India (ECI). “But it happens with CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mumbai hoarding tragedy: How a son’s phone call from US led to location of parents’ bodies PAGE 1 ANCHOR SAGAR RAJPUT & SIDDHANT KONDUSKAR MUMBAI, MAY 16 IT WAS meant to be a quick stop at a Mumbai petrol pump around 4.30pm on May 13 to refuel their car before driving back home to Madhya Pradesh. However, gusty winds knocked down a 250-tonne hoarding at that exact moment on top of the couple’s red sports utility vehi- cle at the fuel station in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar. Late on Wednesday, nearly 50 hours later, the bodies of retired Air Traffic Control (ATC) general manager Manoj Chansoria,60,andhiswifeAnita, 59, were recovered from the car. The time and cause of their deaths are yet to be determined. The hoarding crash has claimed 16 lives so far. On Thursday, Bhavesh PrabhudasBhinde,51,theowner of the hoarding that crashed, was arrested by the Crime Branch from Udaipur. The Ghatkopar hoarding, situated Victims Manoj Chansoria, a retired Air Traffic Control (ATC) general manager, and his wife Anita. Express beside a petrol pump in Pant Nagar on Eastern Express Highway, measured 120x120 feetasagainstthepermittedsize of 40x40 feet. Bhinde, the director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, was booked in a rape case by Mumbai Police earlier this year. According to his colleagues, the couple was in Mumbai for paperwork related to their visa sotheycouldvisittheirson,Yash, who lives in the United States. Officials said the couple’s son had not been able to reach them since Monday afternoon. “Their son had been trying to contact CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Lucknow