HYDERABAD  THURSDAY  NOVEMBER 21, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION U.S. TO LET UKRAINE USE LANDMINES AGAINST ADVANCING RUSSIAN FORCES President Joe Biden will allow Ukraine to use US-supplied anti-personnel landmines to help it slow down Russia’s battlefield progress THEY POSE LESS RISK TO CIVILIANS: AUSTIN US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US will supply non-persistent landmines that become unable to detonate over time. “We can control when they would self-activate... and that makes them far more safer eventually,” he said. Anti-personnel land mines have long been criticised because they present a lingering threat to civilians ■ 1.74L sq km U.S. EMBASSY SHUT AMID RUSSIAN ATTACK FEAR ■ The latest policy shift comes days after Biden allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike inside Russia The US Embassy in Kyiv shut its doors on Wednesday after receiving a warning of a significant Russian attack on the city in response to Biden’s decision on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles | P9 OF UKRAINIAN LAND IS INFESTED WITH LANDMINES AS PER AN ESTIMATE 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 Exit polls forecast close fight in Jharkhand with narrow edge for BJP No exit poll sees MVA win in Maharashtra Pollsters predict Maha advantage to ruling alliance P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AS the high stakes Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand came to a close on Wednesday, several pollsters gave the BJP-led alliance a clear edge in Maharashtra and a close fight in Jharkhand. An aggregate of exit polls projected that the ruling NDA may retain power in Maharashtra while four of the eight pollsters projected an NDA win in Jharkhand. Counting of votes will take place on November 23 Saturday for the single-phase Maharashtra election held on Wednesday and the two-phase voting in Jharkhand held on November 13 and 20. While the Matrize exit poll gave 150-170 seats for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra with a 48% vote share, it gave the MVA allies only 110-130 seats with a vote share of 42%. The pollster gave others 8 to 10 seats, with a vote share of 10%. In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the BJP is contesting in 149 seats, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena 81 and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress party 59. To retain power, the Mahayuti will need 145 seats to reach the majority mark. The First full draft on climate finance today S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU W ITH the clock ticking at COP29 in Azerbaijan, negotiators remain locked in intense discussions over the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, struggling to resolve disputes over the scale and structure of support needed to aid vulnerable nations in their fight against climate change. Developing countries are demanding $1.3 trillion annually to address loss and damage, adapt to climate impacts, and transition to clean energy systems. However, developed nations have so far offered proposals falling significantly short of this figure. The host presidency has promised to release the first full draft text on Thursday morning, but immediately clarified that it was not the final text but aiming to provide a starting point for resolution. Lead negotiator Yelchin Rafiyev expressed cautious optimism, describing the draft as a “clear step forward,” though substantial decisions remain unresolved. “There are still issues where all parties need to keep working to find a common ground and deliver a balanced outcome. I want to clarify that this text is not final. Based on the inputs from the parties, there would be elements in the final text which are not there in the draft,” he said and added that decisions taken in Baku will be essential to guide us from the first to the second decade of the Paris Agreement. CONTINUED ON: P9 exit poll conducted by Peoples Pulse gave Mahayuti 175-195 seats; it showed that MVA will secure only 85-112 seats and 7-12 to others in Maharashtra. In the MVA alliance, the Congress has contested in 101 seats, Uddhav Thackarey’s Shiv Sena (UBT) 95 and Sharad Pawar’s NCP 86 seats. The high-pitched campaign in the state has seen the opposition and the ruling BJP locking horns over the latter’s slogans batenge to katenge and ek hai toh safe hai on religious lines. While the ruling Mahayuti centred its campaign around its flagship schemes for women, the MVA focused POLLS 2024 on the government’s failure to address farmer’s distress, inflation, and reservation among others. In Jharkhand, Matrize predicted 42-47 seats for the NDA and 25-30 seats for the CongressJMM alliance. It gave 0-4 seats to others. Axis MyIndia and Electoral Edge predicted victory for the INDIA bloc. Dainik Bhaskar and P Marq have predicted a hung House. Jharkhand has seen highly polarised election campaigns with the BJP attacking the Hemant Soren government for the alleged illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Brisk polling in Jharkhand, Maharashtra EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Mumbai/Ranchi First-time voters after casting votes at a polling station in Nagpur on Wednesday | PTI MAHARASHTRA SEATS 288, TARGET 145 Source Chanakya Strategies Dainik Bhaskar Electoral Edge Lokshahi Marathi-Rudra Matrize P-Marq Peoples Pulse Poll Diary Times Now-JVC Poll of exit polls NDA 152-160 125-140 118 128-142 150-170 137-157 175-195 122-186 150-167 150 MVA 130-138 135-150 150 125-140 110-130 126-146 85-112 69-121 107-125 125 JHARKHAND SEATS 81, TARGET 41 Source Axis My India Chanakya Strategies Dainik Bhaskar Electoral Edge Matrize P-Marq Peoples Pulse Times Now-JVC Poll of exit polls NDA 17-27 45-50 37-40 32 42-47 31-40 44-53 40-44 39 INDIA 49-59 35-38 36-39 42 25-30 37-47 25-37 30-40 38 OTH 6-8 20-25 20 18-23 8-10 2-8 7-12 10-27 13-14 13 OTH 1-6 3-5 0-2 7 1-4 1-6 5-9 1-1 4 65% Voter turnout in Maharashtra as per latest available data. Only 52.07% voted in Mumbai 68% Jharkhand voter turnout better than that in 2019. Maoist threat didn’t deter voters 1,185 Polling booths in high-rises in Maharashtra, but not many urban voters turned up THE high-voltage campaign in Maharashtra seemed to have enthused more voters to come out and exercise their franchise as the data released late in the night showed 64.72% turnout against 61.74% recorded in the 2019 Assembly elections. Jharkhand witnessed even higher polling at 68%, surpassing 67.04% polled last time. Voting was largely peaceful in both states. In Maharashtra, the highest polling was recorded in Gadchiroli at 73.68% while Jharkhand’s Jamtara district topped the charts with 76.16% turnout. The turnout was slightly better in urban centres in Maharashtra compared to previous polls, but it remained much lower than the state average. In Jharkhand, Bokaro district recorded the lowest polling at 60.97%, data showed. All 288 seats in Maharashtra went to polls on Wednesday in a single phase. Jharkhand voted for 38 seats in the second and final phase. The first phase of polling in Jharkhand was held on November 13 for 43 seats, registering 64.86% turnout. No major incidents were reported from either state and Maoists had no impact. In Jharkhand, the Left-wing extremists were reduced to sticking posters as security forces were deployed in P8 full strength. Anmol Bishnoi applies for asylum in the US MUKESH RANJAN AND HARPREET B A J W A @ New Delhi/Chandigarh IN what was seen as a ploy to block his deportation, Anmol Bishnoi, brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has applied for political asylum in the US following his arrest by immigration officers there last week. He was detained in California for entering the country using fake papers — based on information shared by India — and subsequently arrested. Anmol is currently in Iowa’s Pottawattamie County Jail. However, chances are he could have intentionally offered himself for detention by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of his strategy to seek asylum, sources said. For, the US legal system is inclined to grant bail in such cases, like it did to another gangster Goldie Brar, sources added. The Mumbai Police has al- ready begun efforts to get Anmol extradited in connection with multiple cases, including the murder of NCP’s Baba Siddique. However, if the case takes a different trajectory, Anmol could first be handed over to the Canadian authorities in connection with the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He is facing more than 32 criminal cases against him in India on charges of abduction, extortion and murder. Of them, at least 20 are registered in Rajasthan. He also managed Lawrence’s extortion cartel and invested the gang’s money in businesses outside India. An official in the Punjab Police said Anmol is the key operator of Lawrance’s global crime syndicate. He worked behind the scenes to manage the businesses and activities of the gang. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy offers an ox to the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple in Vemulawada during his visit to the shrine on Wednesday Distance between KTR and jail shrinking: CM M A N DA RAV I N D E R R E D DY @ Hyderabad STATING that BRS working president KT Rama Rao will land behind bars for hatching conspiracies to obstruct the development works undertaken by his government, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday accused the BRS of attempting to derail progress. “KTR went to Delhi and lodged complaints. Wherever you want to go, go and complain, but be rest assured, you will land behind bars for hatching conspiracies,” the chief minister said, addressing a public meeting in Vemulawada as a part of “Praja Palana - Vijayotsavalu” celebrations. “While I am trying to acquire 1,000-1,200 acres to develop an industrial corridor in Kodangal as an expression of grati- Victory lap in Vemulawada  Lays foundation for development works in the temple town to cost an estimated `679 crore  Reviews Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple facelift for which `76 crore has been allocated  Ahead of CM’s visit, the govt sanctioned `35 crore for Nitya Annadana Satram in the temple  CM also lays stones for 4,696 Indiramma houses (estimated cost `236 crore) and for a special block at the Sircilla Govt Medical College (estimated cost `166 crore) and multiple other projects GHMC razes tilting 5-storey building A J AY T O M A R @ Hyderabad ADIOS, RAFA Spanish tennis legend and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal bid adieu to the sport as he lost in the singles tie against Netherlands in the Davis Cup | AFP | P11 A five-storey building in Siddiqnagar, Gachibowli, tilted unexpectedly on Tuesday night, forcing the GHMC to evacuate the 50 residents-plus and demolish it on Wednesday . The two-year-old building, housing 12 apartments rented for `10,000 to `13,000 per month, developed cracks. The GHMC began demolishing it after preliminary investigations pointed to excavation work on an adjacent 200 sq yd plot as the cause. The GHMC deployed a hydraulic crane for the demolition, cordoning off two nearby lanes with heavy police and emergency personnel presence. Demolition was completed by 9 pm on Wednesday . Town Planning department officials believe the digging in the adjacent plot, approximately 8–9 feet deep, destabilised the ill-fated building’s foundation on the 50 sq yd plot. Locals said that construction on the plot began two months ago. “The plot owner, V Laxman, had taken permission from the GHMC. However, we need to verify whether he constructed additional floors without authorisation. Usually for his size , (50 sq yd), only G+2 floors are allowed,”the GHMC official CONTINUED ON P3 said. tude for the people, BRS leaders attacked officials, including the district collector with hired rowdies,” he said, referring to the Lagcherla incident. Revanth demanded to know why the government should not file a case against those who attacked and tried to kill the collector and other officials. He made it clear that someone has to lose their land for the development of the state. “However, maximum compensation would be given to those who lose their lands,” the chief minister said. Revanth added: “I have instructed the chief secretary and collectors to increase the market value of that area (where projects are proposed) threefold so that farmers will come forward willingly and happily to give land for developmental CONTINUED ON P4 works.”  CM announces ‘Gulf Board’, to be set up for the welfare of Gulf migrants.  Officials deposited `5 lakh each into the bank accounts of the kin of 17 persons who died in the Gulf.  The state govt had issued orders in September to provide `5 lakh financial assistance to Gulf victims Prez in Hyd today for two-day visit E N S @ Hyderabad A crane razes the five-storey building that started tiling, on Wednesday TIME TO COVER UP PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu will arrive in Hyderabad on November 21 for a two-day visit to the state. On November 21 , she will attend the Koti Deepotsavam programme at the NTR Stadium and on Friday, November 22, the President will deliver the inaugural address at the Lokmanthan - 2024 at Shilpa Kala Vedika. The government has appointed Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) as minister-inwaiting for the President during her visit to the state. Winter finally arrives as temperatures dip across Telangana A A R T I K A S H YA P @ Hyderabad People warm themselves by a bonfire at Chinthakunta in Karimnagar | EXPRESS FOR the first time this season, the mercury dipped below the 100C mark on Wednesday, heralding the much-awaited arrival of winter in the state. As per the TGDPS reports, Kohir in Sangareddy recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 90C while Sirpur in Kumurambheem-Asifabad district was the second coldest place in the state at 9.70C — both in the range of orange alert. Further, the minimum temperature in as many as 28 districts dipped below the 15 0C mark. The average temperature in the state was 14.90C against the normal minimum temperature of 18.60C. Within Greater Hyderabad limits, Shabad in Rangareddy district recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 110C. As per the IMD, the mercury is very likely to drop further as the daytime temperatures have already gone below the 33 0C range statewide. The highest maximum temperature in the state was 32.50C in Khammam. The IMD said that mainly low-level easterlies/north-easterlies prevail over the state. For the next 48 hours, Hyderabad will experience partly cloudy sky and misty or hazy conditions are very likely to prevail during morning hours. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around . 290C and 150C respectively Surface winds are likely to be easterlies/north-easterlies with wind speeds around 04-08 kmph. TS HC UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY EX-MLA NARENDER REDDY WAS ARRESTED|P4