DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2024, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Sensex, Nifty at new highs day after dividend payout decision MUMBAI, MAY 23 BENCHMARK STOCK market indicesSensexandNiftysurged1.6 per cent to end at record high Thursday after the RBI announced a record surplus transfer of Rs 2.11 lakh crore and on heavyinflowsfromforeignportfolio investors (FPIs). The BSE’s Sensex scaled 1196.98 points, or 1.61 per cent to end at a record high of 75,418.04. The Nifty climbed 369.85 points, or 1.64 per cent, to close at an all-time high of 22,967.65. According to some market analysts, the higher dividend payout by the RBI to the government is also because of the confidence that the ruling BJP will E EXPLAINED HITESH VYAS The market ● message A SECTION of market analysts are reading into the higher dividend payout by the RBI as an expression of the confidence that the ruling BJP is coming back to power. The market’s message of political stability after the elections is seen as having prompted Thursday’s rally, which was led by large caps and banking stocks. again come to power. “The interest rate in the US Battle for Allahabad is BJP scion vs SP-Cong scion, no holds barred SHYAMLAL YADAV PRAYAGRAJ, MAY 23 IN AN election where the BJP leadershiphasconsistentlyused the term “do shehzade (two princes)” to attack Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, the battle for the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat is between two scions as well – the BJP’s Neeraj Tripathi and Ujjwal Raman Singh contesting on the Congress symbol. Neeraj is the son of former state Assembly Speaker and exWest Bengal Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi, who passed away last year, while Ujjwal’s father VOTE SHARE (%) IN ALLAHABAD Party 2014 2019 BJP 35.19 55.62 SP 28.24 34.89 BSP 18.18 — Cong 11.49 3.59 Note: SP and BSP were allies in 2019; Source: Election Commission Kunwar Rewati Raman Singh of the SP represented Allahabad in the Lok Sabha between 2004 and 2014. The third candidate in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 has gone up from 0 per cent to 5.25-5.5 per cent. With the forex reserves holding of $645 billion, the rise in the RBI’s earnings is substantive. The timing and the amount (of the surplus to the government) are definitely part of a well thought-out plan. It indicates that the present government will continue,” said a market analyst, who did not want to be identified. The RBI’s earnings have been robust in recent times. It has been earning around 3 per cent on its forex reserves. The central bank has been lending in the moneymarketaround1.5-2lakh crore daily, on which it charges 6.5 per cent. It is also earning fromtradingintheforexmarket, the analyst said. “The Nifty hitting a new CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD SUNAK, STARMER HIT CAMPAIGN TRAIL AFTER SHOCK ELECTION CALL THE HAGUE TO RULE TODAY ON REQUEST TO HALT ISRAEL’S RAFAH OPS PAGE 14 EXPRESS NETWORK WILL‘EXPEDITE’ DECISIONON GUPTA EXTRADITION: CZECH MINISTRY PAGE 5 ‘CAN REMAIN CM FROM JAIL’ Kejriwal: If I resign, Mamata, Pinarayi govts will be toppled Says institutional safeguards being demolished, judiciary threatened PHASE 6 TOMORROW Officials leave for their polling stations in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Fifty-eight Lok Sabha constituencies in eight states and Union Territories will vote in the sixth phase on May 25. ANI Women voter turnout higher than men in Phase 5, says EC Of 24 seats which saw higher women polling, 22 saw same trend in 2019 DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, MAY 23 FOR THE first time this election, the turnout of women voters was higher than the turnout of men voters in the fifth phase on May 20, when polling was held in 49 Lok Sabha constituencies acrosseightstatesandUnionterritories (UTs), according to data released by the Election Commission on Thursday. Reversing past trends, the overallturnoutof women voters (67.18 per cent) was marginally higher as compared to men BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY 2024 ■ Men CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ■ Women PHASE1:(66.14%*) 66.22% 66.07% PHASE2:(66.71%*) 66.99% 66.42% PHASE3:(65.68%*) 66.89% 64.41% PHASE4:(69.16%*) 69.58% 68.73% PHASE5:(62.20%*) 61.48% 63.00% Overall (67.02 per cent) in the 2019 P10 MALLICA JOSHI & RAHUL SABHARWAL 2019 Men Women 67.4% 67.02% 67.18% Source: EC *Overall turnout Jaipur NEW DELHI, MAY 23 RESIGNING AS Chief Minister of Delhiwillsetadangerousprecedent that will allow the BJP to topple governments in states where they are not in power, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said Thursday. In an interview to The Indian Express, Kejriwal, responding to a question on why he hadn’t resigned as Chief Minister despite his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case, said, “Let me explain why I am not resigning. People accuse me of being stuck to my chair. I have never been greedy for a chair or a post. When I was Income Tax commissioner, I quit to work in slums for 10 years. WhenIbecameCM,Iresignedin 49dayswithoutanyprovocation. I did it for my principles. This time I am not resigning because itispartof mystruggle.They(the BJP)understandthey cannot defeat the AAP in Delhi, so they frameKejriwalinafalsecaseand topple his government. This is dangerous for democracy.” “If I resign today, then they will topple Mamata Banerjee’s, Pinarayi Vijayan’s governments tomorrow. Wherever the BJP THE EXPRESS INTERVIEW ‘ONLY PM CAN ANSWER HOW LONG HE WANTS TO KEEP ME IN JAIL’ ARVIND KEJRIWAL DELHI CHIEF MINISTER loses,theCMcanbearrestedand hisgovernmenttoppled.Thisbattle will have to be fought. If they putdemocracyinjail,democracy willberunfromjail.Wewillfight this tooth and nail — in courts, wherever else,” he said. Spelling out how he hopes to “run democracy from jail”, he said, “The Supreme Court and High Court have already heard PILsseekingmyremoval(asCM). TheSupremeCourtsaidwecan’t remove him. So I can remain CM from jail. If I can remain CM, the court has to provideme facilities to discharge my duties from inside jail. We will go to court CONTINUED ON PAGE 2