The Editorial Page: Trump’s Munir-Modi balancing will not bring back India-Pak hyphenation 8 FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2026 Journalism of Courage AHMEDABAD, LATE CITy, 18 PAGES ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I Ly F R O M : A H M E DA B A D , C H A N D I GA R H , D E L H I , j A I P U R , KO L K ATA , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N AG P U R , PAT N A , P U N E , vA D O DA R A ‘TEHRAN HAS AGREED TO GIVE UP ENRICHED URANIUM’ Iran has pledged not to have nukes; may visit Pak if deal ready: Trump Happening today Says if deal with Iran happens, ‘oil goes way down... you won’t have a nuclear holocaust’ Reuters Washington, April 16 USPRESIDENTDonaldTrump said on Thursday that if a deal with Iran to conclude the war is reached and signed in Islamabad, he might go, and that Iran has agreed to almost everything. “If a deal is signed in Is- US President Donald Trump at the White House, Thursday. AP ISRAEL, LEBANON AGREE TO TRUCE: TRUMP, PAGE 15 lamabadImaygo,”Trumpsaid. “They want me.” Trump struck an optimistic toneaboutIranashespokewith reporters on the White House TRACK THIS AND MORE ON www.INDIANExPrEss.cOm The Indian Express reviewed affidavits submitted by the candidates nominated by the two main parties, BJP and the Congress, which showed that nearly 65% of the 150 candidates of the BJP and the Congress,whoareinthefrayforthe 76 seats, have not pursued higher education after Class 12 or its equivalent courses. For a party like BJP, which Liz Mathew, Vikas Pathak & Deeptiman Tiwary lawn on his way to a trip to Nevada and Arizona. He said he could extend a US-Iran ceasefire set to expire next week, but may not need to do so. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In pursuit of ‘winnability’ and ‘rewarding workers ’, top parties placed education at lower priority, say leaders THE FOCUS on “winnability”, “rewarding grassroot workers with tickets” and the higher OBC quota in the April 26 local bodies elections in Gujarat seemed to have taken priority over all other markers of merit, at least in the case of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. 2023lawcomes intoforceas NDAshortof numbers,Govt weighsoptions Emmanuel Macron and British PM Keir Starmer will co-host a meeting to discuss a plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz. 65% BJP, Congress candidates have not pursued higher education Vadodara, April 16 Pass the Bill, or women of India won’t forgive: PM to Parliament lFRENCH PRESIDENT APRIL 26 VADODARA CORPORATION POLLS Aditi Raja LOK SABHA DEBATES BILLS ON WOMEN QUOTA, DELIMITATION, HOUSE STRENGTH INCREASE hasclaimedtohaveasmembers several professionals and its organisation has dedicated cells for lawyers, doctors, traders, teachers and 'intellectual citizens' , which comprises academicians,engineersandother professionals, 64.47% of the candidates fielded in the VMC elections have not attained higher education. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 New Delhi, April 16 Visitors watch the proceedings in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. PTI RELATED REPORTS, PAGE 13 ‘Delimitation will not discriminate against any state, proportion of seats in Lok Sabha will remain the same’ Divya A, Asad Rehman, Nikhil Ghanekar & Anonna Dutt Vikas Pathak New Delhi, April 16 ADDRESSING CONCERNS over representation, especially in southern and smaller states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday that no state will be discriminated against in the delimitation of constituencies linked to the reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. He said “the proportion of seats (in Lok Sabha) will not change”. He cautioned Opposition parties that women of the country would not forgive Priyanka, Akhilesh lead Opp charge: Using women quota to change poll map, ignore OBCs Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha, Thursday. PTI themiftheyweretostallimplementation of the proposed law for “inclusion of 50% of the »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad E. »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Business as Usual New Delhi, April 16 MOUNTING A scathing attack on the government over its decisiontobringtheBillstothe House in the middle of Assemblyelections,leadersofOpposition parties Thursday accused the BJP of using the plank of reservation of seats for women to push for delimitation of constituencies to seek electoral advantage. The Constitution (131st Amendment)Billtoamendthe WITH THE NDA short of numbers in Lok Sabha for the passage of Constitution amendment Bills linked to reservation of seats for women in Parliament and state Assemblies, the government, as it weighed its options, issued a By EP UNNY Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speaks in Lok Sabha. PTI women’s quota law was introducedinLokSabhaafteradivision of votes demanded by »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2