10102024-TT-01.qxd 10/9/2024 11:10 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 281 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH ‘ANXIOUS’ CJI FEARS HOW HISTORY WILL JUDGE HIS TENURE NATION /thetribunechd OMAR FAVOURS GOOD RELATIONS WITH CENTRE J&K 3 SHARE CHEMISTRY NOBEL FOR WORK ON PROTEINS WORLD thursday | 10 october 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Saini calls on top saffron brass; Modi to attend oath ceremony Shot in the arm for BJP as three Independent legislators back party Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 9 The BJP-led Haryana Government is likely to take oath after Dasehra with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and top saffron brass, besides CMs of BJP and NDA-ruled states, set to attend the ceremony. The party, meanwhile, received a shot in the arm today with three Independent MLAs — Savitri Jindal (Hisar), former Congressman Rajesh Joon (Bahadurgarh) and BJP rebel Devender Kadyan (Ganaur) — announcing support to the BJP All three met . party’s Haryana poll incharge Dharmendra Pradhan and co-in-charge Biplab Deb before backing the BJP . These developments unfolded as Nayab Singh Saini, under whose chief ministership the party scripted a historic hat-trick, a first in the state’s 57-year history, met President Droupadi Murmu here today and also PM Modi to thank him for leading the party to a record win. “Met the country’s most popular and successful Prime Haryana caretaker CM Nayab Singh Saini presents an idol to PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi. PTI PM: HARYANA REJECTED CONG & URBAN NAXALS, SO SHOULD MAHA ■ A day after BJP’s historic hat-trick in Haryana, PM Modi on Wednesday said Maharashtra too should defeat Congress’ ‘hateful conspiracies’ ■ The PM was addressing an event to launch a Minister, discussed the Haryana mandate and expressed heartfelt gratitude to him for having special affection towards the people RBI SETS TONE FOR POTENTIAL RATE CUTS BUSINESS slew of infra projects in poll-bound Maharashtra ■ He singled out the Congress, accusing it of playing politics of communalism, casteism and divide and rule to usurp power INSIDE of Haryana. This historic victory is a victory of trust in the policies of the Prime Minister, a victory of good governance, equality and a victory of the welfare of the poor. Under the PM’s guidance, Haryana continues to work hard, touching new horizons,” Saini said, continued on page 8 Punjab gets new Chief Secy, Sinha replaces Verma Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 9 The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab today changed the Chief Secretary, replacing Anurag Verma with 1992batch IAS officer KAP Sinha. The change at the top level comes close on the heels of other changes being made in the office of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, reportedly at the behest of the party high command. Four aides of the CM have already been asked to resign or have submitted their resignation, including one who was removed. A close aide of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal — Bibhav Kumar — is also likely to join the CM’s office soon. Ever since Kejriwal has been released on bail, he has been taking stock of the situation in Punjab. With an aim to showcase the Punjab model in the upcoming Delhi poll, which is crucial for AAP he reportedly , wants to get development works moving in Punjab. Though no immediate reason for the change in the top administrative post of the state was given, sources said the party high command was continued on page 8 Norms ‘violated’ panchayat , poll stayed in parts of Punjab HC order comes on 275 pleas | Govt told to reply by Oct 14 the panchayat elections are scheduled on October 15. The order came as the Punjab Government declared the polling day a public holiday. The Bench of Justice Sandeep Moudgil also sought an urgent response from the government on whether it intended to withdraw the election notification and undertake a more efficient poll process. Available information suggests that the stay orders were applicable to only those villages that had been referenced in the petitions heard today, and that it was not a blanket order covering the entire state. Among the 275 petitions, there is the possibility of multiple petitioners from some villages moving the High Court. The affected villages are across Punjab. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintained that the stay order was a relief for the Punjab Government as the petitioner had sought the cancellation of the poll notification, an continued on page 8 Soldier abducted by ultras found dead in Valley forest Atishi evicted from CM’s residence, AAP blames L-G Vijay Mohan Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 9 Nearly a week before the elections to gram panchayats in Punjab are scheduled to be held, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday stayed the poll process in villages covered by 275 petitions that had alleged violation of norms during the course of filing and scrutiny of nomination papers. The case will now be heard on October 14, a day before Adil Akhzer Srinagar, October 9 A day after militants allegedly abducted a Territorial Army jawan from a forest area in south Kashmir, the security forces on Wednesday found his bullet-riddled body during a search operation that was launched on Tuesday. Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said in a post on X that following intelligence inputs, a joint opera- tion was launched by the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and other agencies in Kokernag’s Kazwan forest. “The operation continued overnight,” the Army said in the morning. A few hours later, it announced the death of the soldier. “Chinar Corps honours the supreme sacrifice of Hilal Ahmad Bhat in the line of duty,” it said. Sources told The Tribune that two Army personnel of continued on page 8 NEW DELHI: In a fresh face-off with Lieut Governor VK Saxena on Wednesday, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party and CMO accused the Raj Nivas of "acting at BJP's behest to forcibly evict CM Atishi from 6, Flagstaff Road, where she had moved two days ago. Videos of cartons being moved out of the house went viral. The L-G office rejected the AAP charge that it was planning to allocate the CM's house to a BJP leader. INSIDE Narbir eyes Dy CM post after stellar show in largest segment Congress analysing unexpected Haryana results, says Rahul Sumedha Sharma New Delhi, October 9 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the party was analysing the “unexpected” results in Haryana. In his first reaction after the shock defeat in Haryana, the former Congress president also thanked the people of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir for their support. “My heartfelt thanks to the people of Jammu and Kashmir – INDIA’s victory in the state is a victory of the Constitution, a victory of democratic self-respect,” he said. The BJP on Tuesday clinched a stunning hat-trick in Haryana, overcoming antiincumbency and dashing Congress’ hopes of a comeback, while the National Conference-Congress combine pulled off a spectacular victory in elections in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Rahul said the Congress was looking into the results of the Haryana Assembly poll. “We are analysing the unexpected Tribune News Service Gurugram, October 9 Former BJP minister Rao Narbir, who secured a resounding victory in Haryana’s largest Assembly segment, Badshahpur, is now in the running for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. Sources said Narbir, leveraging his newfound proximity to Home Minister Amit Shah, reportedly met the party’s central leadership to discuss the possibility. Speaking to The Tribune, Narbir said, “The victory has been encouraging. I am ready for any role the party assigns me, but I’m hopeful the party will reward me for one of the biggest victories in the state. I hope to serve the people in a prominent position.” Narbir faced significant internal opposition to secure his ticket, only receiving it after intervention from Shah, who also rallied in his support. During the campaign, Shah assured voters that Narbir would become a “big man” if elected. Now, having won with a margin of over 60,000 MADE PARTY PROUD ❝ I’m hopeful the party will reward me for one of the biggest victories in the state. I hope to serve the people in a prominent position. Rao Narbir, EX-BJP MINISTER votes, Narbir is looking to claim what was hinted at during the campaign. A senior BJP leader from Haryana said, “Narbir could not be overlooked in the Cabinet formation. He has not only won the state’s largest segment, but did so after being written off. The fact that he stayed loyal to the party despite being denied a ticket in 2019 and then excelled in this election strengthens his case. Having been a strong Cabinet member from 2014 to 2019, he will likely be considered for a major Cabinet role.” With leaders already lobbying for Cabinet positions, particularly from the Ahirwal region, Narbir has emerged as a strong contender, although he is not aligned with the Inderjit camp. Congress leaders after a meeting with Election Commission officials in New Delhi on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MUKESH AGGARWAL EVMs hacked to help BJP, Cong tells EC Cites ‘anomalies’ in 20 Haryana constituencies, seeks thorough probe Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 9 The Congress on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe into “discrepancies” found in some electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes of the Haryana Assembly polls and demanded that such EVMs should be sealed and secured pending the inquiry. A delegation of top Congress leaders comprising former CMs Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot and RAHUL SPREADING LIES: BJP ■ The BJP said it had become ■ Rahul spreads “lie and confu- Congress’ habit under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership to question EVMs and constitutional institutions every time the party lost an election sion” on every issue for no reason and has begun promoting an old “propaganda”, BJP’s media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said AICC leaders KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera, besides Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, met with top Election Commission officials here. The delegation handed over a memorandum to the officials along with specific complaints from various constituencies in Haryana. The leaders alleged “glaring discrepancies” related to some EVMs in the Haryana polls and urged the EC to conduct a probe. They alleged there were at least 20 such complaints, including seven in writing, from as many Assembly constituencies, with many referring to EVMs functioning at 99 per cent battery capacity whereas the average EVMs were found to be operating at 60 to 70 per cent battery capacity during counting. “When the counting of postal ballots took place, the Congress was winning, but when the counting of EVMs started, the opposite happened,” former CM Hooda said, adding they would submit more complaints to the EC in the next few days. Hails INDIA bloc’s performance in J&K as victory of Constitution Rahul Gandhi results of Haryana. We will inform the Election Commission about the complaints coming from many Assembly constituencies,” he said. “Heartfelt thanks to the people of Haryana for their support and to our ‘babbar sher’ workers for their hard work,” he said in a post in Hindi on X. “We will continue this fight for rights, for social and economic justice, for truth, and will keep raising your voice,” the Leader of Opposition said. — TNS Trauma centre in Shimla Had Cong polled 22K more votes in 9 seats, it would’ve won Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 9 The Haryana Assembly elections were remarkably close, with the BJP leading the Congress by just 1.18 lakh votes. The saffron party garnered 55.49 lakh votes, securing a vote share of 39.94 per cent, while the Congress followed closely with 54.31 lakh votes, representing 39.09 per cent vote share. This slim differ- ence in vote share — only 0.85 per cent — marks the lowest gap between the two major rivals in the state’s electoral history. In this intense battle, the Congress lost 10 seats to the BJP by margins of less than 5,000 votes. Had the Congress managed to secure just 22,916 additional votes in nine of those seats, it could have reached the 46-seat majority mark in the Assembly, relegat- Closest election in Haryana’s history: Cong got 39.09%, BJP 39.94% of votes ing the BJP to 39 seats. The Congress’ overconfidence during the campaign and ineffective booth management were pivotal factors in its defeat. The party struggled to prevent the division of Jat votes, losing 18 of the 35 seats where over 50,000 Jat votes were cast. Additionally, the Congress failed to forge an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as negotiations fell through. AAP captured 1.79 per cent of the votes, which contributed to the Congress’ defeat in four key constituencies — Dabwali, Rania, Uchana Kalan, and Assandh — where its votes exceeded the margin of victory. The Congress expelled 23 persons for contesting against official candidates, with eight of them playing a role in the party’s losses. Independent Chitra Sarwara came in second in Ambala Cantonment, securing over 52,581 votes and pushing Congress’ Parvinder Pal Pari to a distant third with just 14,469 votes. In Ballabgarh, rebel Sharda Rathore c m y b received 44,076 votes, finishing second and relegating Congress’ Parag Sharma to the fourth place with a mere 8,674 votes. Lalit Nagar polled 56,828 votes in Tigaon, finishing second and pushing Congress’ Rohit Nagar to the third place with only 21,656 votes. Similarly, at Pundri, Satbir Bhana got 40,608 votes, finishing second and leaving Congress’ Sultan Jadaula third with 26,341 votes. Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu at the opening of state’s 1st trauma centre at Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla. TRIBUNE PHOTO