11102024-TTC-01.qxd 11-10-2024 00:37 Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 282 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 WINNER OF 22 GRAND SLAMS, RAFAEL NADAL TO RETIRE SPORT /thetribunechd 76 MLAs CROREPATIS, KARRA RICHEST WITH ~148-CR ASSETS J&K UPI TRANSACTION VOLUME RISES 52% IN JAN-JUNE BUSINESS PM UNVEILS 10-POINT PLAN TO BOOST TIES WITH ASEAN BACK PAGE friday | 11 october 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Omar set to be CM, 4 Ind MLAs extend support Hry Cabinet in works, BJP to factor in caste Nation mourns, bids adieu Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service NC elects him legislature party leader Adil Akhzer Srinagar, October 10 National Conference vicepresident Omar Abdullah is set to be the new Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as his MLAs on Thursday unanimously elected him as the legislature party leader. The newly elected National Conference (NC) MLAs met at the party headquarters in Srinagar and reposed faith in Omar, who won from both constituencies he contested in the Valley — Budgam and Ganderbal. He was first elected the CM of the erstwhile J&K state in 2009 at the age of 38. In another significant development, four of the seven Independent MLAs have extended support to the NC, which had emerged as the single-largest party with 42 legislators, helping it reach the magic mark of 46 on its own. The NC had fought the election in an alliance with the Congress and the CPM, the two parties securing six and one seat, respectively. MAJORITY MINUS CONG ■ With the support of 4 Inde- pendent MLAs, NC touches magic mark of 46 on its own ■ NC allies Congress and CPM have 6 and 1 seats, taking the winning coalition’s tally to 53 ■ Before staking claim to form the govt, NC to meet its allies Congress and CPM on Friday The coalition now has 53 MLAs in the 90-member Assembly. The BJP won 29 seats, PDP three while one each went to the People’s Conference and the Aam Aadmi Party. Omar said the NC was in touch with the Congress and as soon as it received the letter of support, they would meet J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to stake claim to form the government. “Party chief Farooq Abdullah presided over the legislature party meeting. The elected members unanimously chose vice-president Omar Abdullah as their CM candidate,” the NC said in a statement. People pay their last respects to former chairman of Tata Sons Ratan Tata in Mumbai on Thursday. REUTERS REPORTS INSIDE Chandigarh, October 10 After scoring a spectacular hat-trick in Haryana, the BJP is now getting down to the business of formation of a new Council of Ministers with caste and region calculations being worked out by the party top brass. As the lobbying for ministerial berths picks up momentum in New Delhi, the party top brass has initiated a preliminary exercise to shortlist the possible names to be included in the Cabinet. The names would be finalised after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his two-day Laos trip, sources told The Tribune. FRONTRUNNERS ■ OBCs: Rao Narbir Singh, Harvinder Kalyan, OP Yadav, Ranbir Gangua, Arti Rao ■ Brahmins: Moolchand Sharma, Shakti Rani Sharma ■ Jats: Mahipal Dhanda, Shruti Chaudhry; Punjabi: Anil Vij ■ Dalits: Krishan Panwar, Krishan Bedi; Vaish: Savitri Jindal Haryana can have a 14member Cabinet, including the Chief Minister. With other constitutional posts — Speaker and Deputy Speaker — up for grabs, the party will only be able to accommodate about one-third of its 48 MLAs. The sources said at least one Cabinet slot was set to go continued on page 12 Literature Nobel for S Korea’s Han Student protests swell in Canada over deportation fears STOCKHOLM: Sukhmeet Bhasin South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday for what the Nobel committee called “her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”. The committee praised Han’s “physical empathy for the vulnerable, often female lives” of her characters. INSIDE OUTRAGE OVER CAP ON IMMIGRATION WORKERS Tribune News Service Bathinda, October 10 Hundreds of Punjabi students in Canada have taken to the streets against the government decision to impose a cap on immigration workers. Fearing deportation, these students, who arrived with the hope of a promising future, are now expressing their anguish on the streets. ■ A new policy, which limits the number of international students eligible for postgraduation work permits, has sparked outrage ■ The policy changes have shattered the dreams of many who intend- ed to apply for permanent residency after completing their studies The new policy, which limits the number of international students eligible for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) and other employment-related immigration pathways, c m y b has sparked outrage, particularly among the Punjabi student community, which fears its future prospects in Canada are bleak. The policy changes continued on page 12 Students from Punjab stage a protest in Brampton, Canada.