FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 161 | BHOPAL | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 24, 2024 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports John new venture in sports P.16 fp Briefs NEW DELHI PM: Negative politics lost Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the people of Maharashtra today for what he called their "historic verdict", saying the mandate was a firm rejection of the negative politics of the Opposition. The election in Maharashtra proved the maxim of "Ek hai toh safe hai (there is safety in unity)" which has become a mantra to the whole country, he added to massive cheers in an address to party workers at the BJP headquarters. LUCKNOW BJP+ win 7 of 9 in UP Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won big in the Uttar Pradesh assembly bypolls held in nine seats as the party secured victory in six constituencies, while its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won one seat, taking National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tally to seven. KOLKATA TMC sweeps Bengal In a clear sign that issues like the rape-and-murder case at the R G Kar Hospital had no impact, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday swept the Assembly bypolls in West Bengal, winning all six seats with an increased margin while wresting the Madarihat seat from the BJP. Conceding defeat, BJP state unit president Sukanta Majumder claimed that these results were expected in bypolls. A shock defeat for the Congress in the Samaguri constituency – a seat it had held since 2000 – helped the BJP and its allies achieve a clean sweep in the Assam bypolls for five assembly seats. The BJP contested three seats and its candidates won each one – Diplu Ranjan Sarmah in Samaguri, Diganta Ghatowal in Behali, and Nihar Ranjan Das in Dholai. AHMEDABAD Congress loses in Guj The Congress lost its bastion of Vav Assembly seat in the bypoll, with the result going right down to the wire. The party’s Gulabsinh Rajput lost to the BJP’s Swarupji Thakor by just over 2,400 votes, the lowest-ever margin for the seat. JAIPUR Raj: BJP wins 5 Cong one The BJP has won five Rajasthan bypolls seats while the Congress has won one, BAP has retained Chorasi while RLP has lost in its bastion in Khimsar. The BJP has won in Ramgarh, Deoli Uniara, Khinvsar, Jhunjhunu and Salumber, while Congress has won Dausa and the BAP has retained its Chorasi seat. iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper readers’ corner Trump’s Return: A Global Challenge P.8 NATO, Kyiv to hold crisis talks Cinema Mohini Dey denies rumours P.14 CONGRESS SHELL SHOCKED: Decimated in Maharashtra, Grand Old Party proves to be a weak link in Jharkhand; Priyanka’s victory in Wayanad Lok Sabha seat is a small consolation NDA WINS MAHA, INDIA KEEPS J’KHAND PTI MUMBAI The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Saturday retained power in Maharashtra, maintaining sway over 230 of the 288 assembly seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of wresting power fizzled, with the opposition combine ahead in just 50 seats. While results have been declared in 164 seats, counting of votes, which began at 8 am, is still in progress in the remaining 124 seats, election officials said. After the certainty of the poll outcome, the focus has now shifted to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, the architect of his party's stunning victory. Political circles are abuzz with reports that the state's second Brahmin to become the CM will don the post for the third time. There is already speculation that the swearing in of the new CM may take place as early as Monday and that too in the same venue, the sprawling Wankhede Stadium in south Mumbai, where Fadnavis was Maha troika Kaun banega CM No LoP? The focus is now on who will succeed Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister. BJP's Devendra Fadnavis - a two-time holder of that post (even if the second was a matter of days only) - offered some insight into that vexed query, declaring a decision had already been taken. Alliance leaders, he said, had been instructed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Chief Minister will be selected after a consultation between all. The Mahayuti landslide in Maharashtra will leave the state assembly without a leader of opposition as no party outside the ruling alliance has been able to get the mandatory minimum 29 seats. The Shiv Sena (UBT), part of the opposition MVA, had won 17 seats and was leading on three. Results for 220 of the 288 seats had been declared as at 7pm. As per the EC website, the BJP had won 95 seats and was leading on 38. sworn in as the CM 10 years ago. As per the latest figures from the Election Commission, the BJP has so far won 35 seats and is leading in 78, the Shiv Sena won 27 and is ahead in 29 seats, while the NCP has won 25 and is leading in 16 seats. In the MVA, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidates won 6 seats and were leading in 4 seats, Congress won 5 and its candidates were leading in 11 seats, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) won 11 and was leading in 9 seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi suffered a crushing defeat, with its candidates leading in just 50 seats, a far cry from the boasts - till this morning - by many of its senior leaders that the combine will trounce the Mahayuti. Going by the results, Maharashtra may not have a leader of opposition in the Lower House, as norms stipulate that a party should have at least 10 per cent of the total members of the assembly and not cobble up the number as an alliance. 4Continued on | P6 has won in but if we DemocracyCommissionJharkhand..and EVMs get a huge victory in Maharashtra... then Election is 'biased' are 'hacked' Devendra Fadnavis Min Rawat loses in Vijaypur, Bhargava wins Budhni seat Rawat Malhotra Our Staff Reporter The BJP and the Congress have won one seat each in the assembly by-election, the outcome of which was announced on Saturday. Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat lost to Congress’s Mukesh Malhotra by a margin of 7,364 votes. After his shock defeat, Rawat has offered to resign as minister. In Budhni, BJP candidate Ramakant Bhargava defeated Congress’s Rajkumar Patel by a margin of 13, 901 votes. Rawat switched over to the BJP from the Congress before the Lok Sabha election. After Rawat resigned from the assembly seat, he was made a minister. Despite this, Malhotra defeated him. The BJP pulled out all the stops to ensure Rawat’s victory, but party’s strategy failed to match the Congress’s tribal card. Now, Rawat has to resign from the ministry. The defeat of the BJP in Vijaypur and tough fight in Budhni shocked the ruling party. After being wiped out in the Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the Congress’s win in Vijaypur and giving a tough fight to the ruling dispensation in Budhni have given a new lease of life to the party. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 Patel Bhargava BJP, Cong share honours in by-polls BHOPAL JEE aspirant from MP commits suicide in Kota A student from district Anuupur taking coaching for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in Kota, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of his hostel here, police said on Saturday. Deputy Superintendent of Police Yogesh Sharma said that the 18-year-old student Vivek Kumar, a resident of Annupur in Madhya Pradesh, had been preparing for JEE at a coaching institute here since April. He had allegedly jumped from the sixth floor around midnight. No suicide note was recovered from his room, and the reason for the suicide is yet to be ascertained, police said. It is informed that he lived in a hostel room in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Jawahar Nagar area, the police said. Vivek was taken to hospital where he died during treatment, Sharma said. The safety net installed on the balcony of the boy's room had holes and was found nicked, suggesting it might have been tampered with for the jump, police said. A forensic team was sent to the spot to collect evidence and examine the circumstances surrounding the reason for death, he added. GUWAHATI BJP’s Assam clean sweep ESTD-1983 ‘Will review defeat’ After the party’s loss in Vijaypur, Yadav said the seat belonged to the Congress. The party may have lost the election, but the BJP’s vote share has increased, Yadav said, adding that reasons for the defeat would be reviewed. ‘Cong strengthened’ MPCC president Jitu Patwari said the party’s victory in Vijaypur and the reduction in BJP’s margin of win in Budhni, were the triumph of the Constitution and democracy. The voters strengthened the opposition. The party’s victory in Vijaypur is the people’s reply to the BJP’s hooliganism, he said. offgrid Govt to start cow-related course Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the degree course related to ‘Gau Mata’ will be started through Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University. Milk production will be encouraged by providing cow\calf to every home. “We will try to ensure every house has one cow,” he said. He said this after laying the foundation stone of high-tech Gau Shala in Barkhedi Dob village, on Saturday. The high-tech Gau Shala is coming up on 25acre land and can house 10,000 cows. It will be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 15 crores. CM underlined that since the formation of new government in the state, arrangements have been made to take care of 50,000 cows. To stress the importance of cows and milk, state government is celebrating current year as a Cow Conservation Year. Also, the government is all set to give bonuses on milk production. 4Continued on | P6 NOT WAVE, BUT TSUNAMI: UDDHAV Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former CM Uddhav Thackeray said that it seems like a tsunami swept aside the Maha Vikas Aghadi, but felt that there is some ‘gadbad’ (amiss). In his first reaction after the last of the results were coming out, Thackeray admitted that it was indeed a bolt for the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance, yet expressed his gratitude for all the people who voted for the MVA candidates. “It was not just a wave, but a tsunami… This was beyond all expectations… Some say it’s the victory of the EVMs… Maybe. But if it's also acceptable to the masses then we have nothing to add,” said Thackeray, addressing media persons. He recalled how once BJP had said once that only one party would survive in the country, “We are now moving in that direction, but whether it is acceptable to the people or not remains a question”. Hemant Soren with his sons PTI RANCHI Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance stormed back to power in Jharkhand on Saturday for the second consecutive term, winning 52 seats and leading in four others in the 81-member assembly. The BJP-led NDA, which was confident about its prospects in the state after an aggressive campaign, won 21 seats and was leading in three. Expressing gratitude to the people, Chief Minister Soren described the alliance's stellar performance as "passing the exam of democracy". Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP coincharge for the assembly elections in Jharkhand, said the party's loss was deeply painful for him. The BJP's poll plank was driving out "infiltrators" from the Santhal Parganas region, but it seemed to have fallen flat in front of the 'Adivasi' card played by the JMM, which also sought the people's sympathy over the arrest of Soren. Also, bickering within the BJP over gpartyiving nominations to turncoats seemed to have cost the party. 4Continued on | P6 in Jharkhand painful for me The party’s losspersonally is deeply Assam CM Himanta Sarma