visakhapatnam l tuesday l november 05, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION U.S. all set for Kamala vs Trump electoral showdown today The presidential race appears to be hurtling towards a photo finish, with the last set of polls showing a close contest between the two first results by early wednesday Candidates make final push in key states Over 244 million Americans are eligible to vote, of which 78 million have already cast their ballots in early voting. In most US states, voting will start either at 6 am or 7 am local time. The first results will be out around 6 p.m. eastern time (4.30 am IST on Wednesday). Tightness of the race means, it could possibly take a few days for the final results to emerge | P9 ■ ■ Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump spent Monday, the last day before the election, in key battleground states, making their final pitches to the undecided voters to back them Elections for all 435 seats in the US House and 34 seats in the Senate will also be held. Republicans are in majority in the House at present Jan 20 when the new president will take oath of office CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 36 die as bus falls into U’khand gorge Khalistani attack on Canada temple cowardly: Modi MUDA scam Lokayukta police to quiz Siddaramaiah tomorrow E XPR E S S N E W S S E R V IC E @ Mysuru The Lokayukta Police have summoned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for questioning on Wednesday in connection with the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 MUDA sites to his wife Parvathi. Siddaramaiah, who is campaigning in Shiggaon, has confirmed it saying: “Yes, I will go to their office in Mysuru on Wednesday .” After the questioning, Siddaramaiah will proceed to Channapatna to campaign for Congress candidate C P Yogeshwara, who is contesting the byelection to the Legislative Assembly from that constituency sources said. , T h e L o k ay u k t a Po l i c e launched an inquiry based on complaints of alleged irregularities in MUDA in acquiring 3.18 acres of land bearing survey No. 468 at Kesare from Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi and allotting 14 sites to her in upmarket Vijayanagar locality in Mysuru, thereby causing a big loss to the state’s exchequer. Parvathi, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, landowner Devaraj, and a few other persons have already been questioned by the Lokayukta Police. A Lokayukta Police team recently visited MUDA offices in Mysuru and examined the records pertaining to the land acquired at Kesare from Parvathi for formation of a residential layout, allotment of 14 sites to her, and other documents related to the 3.18 acres of land. aSsembly session to begin on november 11 The State government will present the full-time budget during the Assembly session as the vote-onaccount budget period is set to conclude by the end of November 10 women among dead Of the 36 killed, 10 are women. Twenty-eight people died on the spot and eight succumbed to injuries in the Ramdutt Joshi Joint Hospital, Ramnagar People beaten up, consular event disrupted; 3 held; violence unacceptable, says Trudeau Yes h i S e l i a n d H a r p r ee t B a j w a @ New Delhi/Chandigarh Returning to work A state disaster relief force official said the bus was carrying people who were returning to work after spending the long Diwali weekend at home Rescuers look for survivors amid the mangled remains of the bus | PTI Jittery markets TUMBLE ahead of tight U.S. polls AR S HAD K HAN @ New Delhi INDIA’s equity markets fell sharply on Monday with benchmark indices NSE Nifty and BSE Sensex plummeting up to 2% in intraday deals to their lowest level in four months. The fresh selloff is attributed to the nervousness ahead of the US presidential election, continuous FPI/FII selling, and a disappointing September quarter earnings season. According to analysts, expectations of a fresh stimulus package by China to prop up growth also triggered selling in Indian stocks. Markets across the world are feeling the impact of a close contest between Don- WHY THE MARKETS CRASHED 1 Uncertainty ahead of US presidential elections 2 Relentless selling by foreign investors 3 Expectations of a fresh stimulus package by China Sensex A private bus plunged into a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora district on Monday, killing 36 people and injuring 27 others. The bus was on its way from Likhwal to Ramnagar when it fell 200 metres into the gorge in Koopi village in the district’s Marchula area around 8 am. The 43-seater bus had 63 passengers on board when the accident happened. “The bus was just 35 kilometers from its destination, Ramnagar, when it plummeted 200 metres into a gorge in Almora’s Marchula area,” Almora District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey said. He said the bus, operated by the Garhwal Motor Owners Association, had left Pauri in the state’s Garhwal region on Sunday evening for Ramnagar, about 250 km away . Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) told this newspaper that four SDRF teams were dispatched to the site upon receiving information about the incident. “We received information about the accident at 8.45 am on Monday Immedi. ately four SDRF teams were dis, patched. Our personnel pulled out the injured and the bodies of those killed by breaking the glass and cutting through iron sheets of the bus,” he said. Soon after the incident, Assistant Regional Transport officials of the Pauri and Almora districts were suspended on orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The chief minister announced `4 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased and `1 lakh for those injured. Separately, the Prime Minister’s Office announced `2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and `50,000 for the injured. Chief Minister Dhami instructed the Commissioner of Kumaon, Mandal Deepak Rawat to conduct a magisterial inquiry into the accident. NIFTy NAR E NDRA S E THI @ Dehradun 78,782.24 941.88 23,995.35 309 6 LAKH CR wiped out as market cap falls from `448 lakh cr MANIC MONDAY to `442 lakh cr 4,329.79 CR pulled out by FIIs on Monday ald Trump and Kamala Harris as the world’s biggest economy is all set to elect its next President. “We believe Harris’ win will be neutral/mean continuity for the economy, equities, and other asset classes. Trump would have a reasonable impact on emerging markets (EMs), equities, and currency due to de-globalisation. Amongst EMs, we expect rela- tively positive impact for India in the long-run,” said Anjali Verma and Navaneeth Vijayan of Phillip Capital in a recent note. The US Federal Reserve’s policy outcome is scheduled for Thursday, with the street anticipating a 25-basis-point rate cut. However, this may not have a favourable impact on the market, as the rate cut is already priced in. Amid a diplomatic chill between India and Canada, Khalistanis radicals attacked devotees on the premises of a temple in Brampton, drawing widespread condemnation, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Videos showed protesters with Khalistani flags attacking people and indulging in fistfights at the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton on Sunday, disrupting a consular event coorganised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate there. The attack happened despite the presence of the Peel Regional Police at the site. The police later arrested three persons and slapped criminal charges against them. “Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of the law,’’ Modi said in a strongly-worded statement. The Indian High Commission in Ottawa shared its disappointment at disruption of the consular camp. “It is deeply disappointing to see such disruptions being allowed for routine consular work, organised by our consulates with fullest cooperation of local co-organisers. We also remain very concerned for the safety of applicants, including Indian nationals, on whose demands such events are organised,’’ the Indian mission said in a statement. India also said attempts at disrupting similar camps in Vancouver and Surrey were also made. Consular camps in future will be contingent on security arrangements made by the local authorities, the statement added. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leader of the opposition Pierre Poilievre condemned the attack. “The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely said Trudeau. “Completely ,” unacceptable to see violence targeting worshippers,” said Poilievre. I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law - Narendra Modi, prime minister Unchecked khalistani extremism “This exposes just how deep and unchecked Khalistani extremism runs in Canada.... any Hindu who dares to question or resist this is swiftly branded an ‘Indian agent’, accused of engaging in so-called ‘transnational repression’,” the Coalition of Hindus of North America said waqf bill TDP cautious on its stand to keep minority support intact S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The TDP, which is a key partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, seems to be cautious in taking a stand on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The TDP, which has been maintaining that it will not compromise on the interests of Muslim minorities, is keeping its cards close to the chest in connection with the Waqf Bill, which is likely to be discussed once again in the winter session of Parliament. Revealing that TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu gave a patient hearing to the concerns raised at a meeting with the elders of the Muslim community on October 23, and promised to protect their interests, Minority Welfare Minister N Md Farooq claimed that Naidu was instrumental behind sending the Wakf (Amendment) Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Speaking to TNIE, Farooq maintained that the TDP despite being an ally of the BJP, has never compromised on the interests of Muslim minorities, and will continue the stand in the future also as it is committed to their welfare. “In fact, the State government has constituted a 15-member committee headed by an IAS officer on the issue. It includes officials from Minority Welfare and Waqf Board, representatives of Advocates Association and voluntary organisations working for the rights and welfare of Muslims. The committee has already raised objections and made suggestions at the JPC meeting held under the chairmanship of Jagadambika Pal recently the Minority Wel,” P4 fare Minister said. CRDA to invite Dy CM slams HM, police for poor law & order fresh tenders for Amaravati works E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat on Monday, decided to invite fresh tenders for all the works related to the development of Amaravati Capital City after cancelling all the old tenders called during 2014-19. Except for the State Assembly and the High Court buildings, the invitation of tenders for all the remaining development works will be completed by December 31. For the two iconic buildings of Assembly and High Court, the tender process will be completed by January 31, 2025. The Chief Minister directed officials to complete all the works of the capital city within three years, and Amaravati should be developed as one of the top five cities in the world. Disclosing the decisions taken at the CRDA meeting to mediapersons, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana said with the previous YSRC regime stalling all the development works in Amaravati, the TDP-led NDA government constituted a technical committee comprising chief engineers on July 24 to suggest way forward on the capital city project. The committee submitted its report to the government on October 29, and the CRDA meeting approved all the 23 suggestions made by it for the cancellation of old tenders. “As we cannot invite new tenders until cancelling the old tenders, the CRDA approval in this regard is crucial in taking forward the development works of Amaravati Capital City the ,” Municipal Administration P4 Minister said.  Taking exception to the law and order situation in the State not falling in line even after five months of the NDA government, Deputy Chief Minister (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) Pawan Kalyan has said things will be different if he is forced to take the Home Ministry . Addressing a public gathering at Gollaprolu Zilla Parishad High School in his Pithapuram Assembly constituency on Monday, he asked why police are not taking stern action against increase in crimes. “Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha should take the initia- Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan interacts with students during the inauguration of a science lab at Gollaprolu Zilla Parishad School on Monday | Express tive in this regard. If I am forced to take Home Ministry, things will be a lot different,” he observed. He urged the Home Minister to be impartial and merciless when it comes to maintaining law and order. “All I want is everyone’s safety Ours is not a gov. ernment that seeks vengeance, express read AP’s new sports policy to nurture talent Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu announced an ambitious new sports policy that promises to surpass that of other States in India. Naidu emphasised that significant cash incentives for medal winners will enhance interest in sports | P4 GoM constituted to curb ganja menace Complete 7.6 lakh houses by 2026: CM to officials Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to complete 7.6 lakh houses by 2026, emphasising that all eligible citizens should own a house by 2029. An MoU should be signed with the Centre to launch the Prime Minister Awas Yojana 2.0 in the State soon, Naidu said but at the same time don’t presume it to be toothless,” he asserted. Terming the law and order problem a legacy they inherited from the previous dispensation, Pawan Kalyan said the previous regime had not done anything when more than 30,000 women and children went missing. “Even the present Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and myself had received threatening calls and threats to our family members under the previous regime. However, there was no response from police at that time. Had there been an action, there would not have been such crimes that are being witP4 nessed today he felt.  ,” Last sortie Smoke billows out after a MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force crashed near Agra on Monday. The pilot ejected safely | PTI Vijayawada: The government on Monday constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to curb ganja menace and drug abuse in the State. It will suggest measures for rehabilitation of drug addicts and their reintegration into society | P4