FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR India-US trade talks: Major issues unresolved Page 10 ‘India, Japan have larger responsibility towards Indo-Pacific’ Surreal Promises Page 6 Page 4 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 5 November C Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi speaks during a press conference, in New Delhi on Wednesday. SUBRATA DUTTA rolls, including a woman whose photograph appears on 22 different voter ID cards, casting votes at 10 different booths under multiple names. The photograph, Mr Gandhi, said, was of a Brazilian model. “This is a centralized operation, what I call the ‘Brazil model’ of vote manipulation,” he said. “This is a system. This has now been industrialised and can be used in any state. The same will happen in Bihar. You may ask why we can’t stop it. The voters’ list is given to us at the last minute before the elections,” he said. According to him, one in eight voter IDs in Haryana is fake. There are as many as 5,21, 619 duplicate voters in Haryana, around 90,000 with invalid addresses and 19 lakh bulk voters, he clamed. “In the case of 25 lakh voters we have crystal clear proof they are fake, duplicate, do not exist, or (the voter IDs) were designed in a way that anyone can vote, like blurry images in the identity cards,” Mr Gandhi said. “We asked the ECI to run the software to identify voters with the same name and address, but they refused. It is clear that the ECI is aiding the BJP,” he charged. The ECI rejected Mr Gandhi’s allegations, labeling the claims as unfounded and raising questions about the Congress party’s own accountability in monitoring the electoral process. ECI officials pointed out that no claims or objections were filed by Congress-appointed Booth Level Agents during the revision of voter lists in Haryana, a critical period when discrepancies could have been flagged. “Why were no claims and objections raised by INC’s BLAs during revision to avoid multiple names?” an Election Commission source questioned. The ECI also challenged Mr Gandhi’s narrative regarding “house number zero” voters, clarifying that these designations pertain to areas without officially assigned house numbers, not homeless individuals as alleged. Officials further pointed out that records indicate some voters accused of double voting had actually supported the Congress, undercutting claims of a BJP conspiracy. Kiren Rijiju calls Gandhi’s claims baseless: New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday strongly refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of widespread vote theft in Haryana, accusing him of using unsubstantiated claims to divert attention from the challenges his party faces in Bihar and to mislead young voters. Speaking to reporters, Mr Rijiju said: “Rahul Gandhi held a Press conference not to discuss the Bihar polls but to hide his failures by raking up the Haryana issue. This shows Congress has nothing left in Bihar, so they try to distract people with irrelevant matters.” He urged the Opposition leader to focus on serious issues instead of making baseless accusations. PM Modi likely to visit Bhutan on 11-12 November Trinamul likely to move motion against SIR in Assembly's Winter session STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 5 November Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Bhutan on November 11-12 to celebrate the 70th birthday of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. According to sources at the Prime Minister's Office, the timing of Mr Modi's visit to the Himalayan nation aligns with the 70th birthday of the fourth king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who is the father of the current king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The sources said Mr Modi will inaugurate infrastructure projects during his visit to Bhutan and participate in cultural events there. As reported by Bhutan's media outlet Kuensel, Prime Minister Modi is expected to be a distinguished guest at the celebration of King Maharaja's 70th birthday. It has also been stated that he will inaugurate the Punatsangchhu-II hydropower project during his visit. On Monday, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay emphasised the development of India-Bhutan relations by stating, "Currently, there has been an increase in cooperation between India and Bhutan. In fact, the foundation of this Arsenal, Bayern Munich stay perfect, Liverpool beat Real Madrid EDITORIAL PAGE Rahul alleges massive vote fraud in Haryana, ECI rejects charges ongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday escalated his claims of widespread voter fraud in Haryana, unveiling what he termed a calculated effort to convert a projected Congress victory into a win for the BJP during the Assembly elections held last year. Speaking at a packed Press conference, he provided detailed evidence of alleged irregularities that have sent shockwaves through the political landscape. “The exit polls and postal ballots clearly showed a Congress sweep in Haryana, but the final tally tells a different story,” Mr Gandhi, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, asserted. “We have proof that approximately 25 lakh votes were stolen in the state. I bring this to you with 101 per cent truth.” The Congress MP, who was armed with reams of documents, highlighted multiple discrepancies in the electoral Thursday, 06 November 2025 SPORTS NATION BUSINESS | collaboration was established thousands of years ago, which we continue to enjoy today. “This is because many spiritual leaders from India have travelled to Bhutan or sometimes to other parts of the Himalayas, residing in Bhutan, and their teachings are not complete until they have personally visited Bhutan. Many have ultimately made Bhutan their home,” he added. "With the assistance of Prime Minister Modi, the Gelefu Mindfulness City in Bhutan could be transformed into a centre for Vajrayana practice. In the future, it will be possible to achieve much in collaboration with Prime Minister Modi, the Government of India, and the people of India, establishing Gelefu Mindfulness City as a Vajrayana centre,” he said. Kolkata, 5 November The Trinamul Congress is likely to bring a motion in the upcoming Winter session of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the party claims has caused widespread panic and distress across the state. Though the ruling party has officially cooperated with the Election Commission in the revision process, senior TMC leaders have accused the Commission of conducting the SIR to “appease the ruling party at the Centre.” The party has also alleged that confusion over the exercise has triggered a spate of suicides in several districts. According to Trinamul insiders, discussions are underway within the legislature party to move a motion highlighting public anxiety over the SIR. “People are panicking over the way the process is being carried out. Several citizens have taken their own lives fearing deletion of their names from the voter rolls. The issue must be raised inside the Assembly,” said a senior party MLA. The Winter session, likely to commence in mid-November, is expected to be the last full-fledged session of the current Assembly before the 2026 state polls. The Trinamul Congress plans to use the Winter sitting to launch a political offensive against both the BJP and the Election Commission, portraying itself as a defender of citizens’ rights. Page 12 Battle lines drawn in crucial first phase of Bihar polls IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 5 November The stage is set for the first phase of the crucial Assembly elections in Bihar on Thursday, in which more than 3.75 crore voters will decide the political fortunes of 1,314 candidates, including 122 women. The Election Commission of India has completed all preparations for polling in 121 assembly constituencies, of which 102 are general seats and 19 are reserved for Scheduled Castes. These 121 constituencies are spread across 18 districts, namely Madhepura, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Patna, Bhojpur, and Buxar. A mock poll will be conducted at 5 a.m. on Thursday in the presence of booth-level agents, and voting will begin at 7 a.m. Voting will continue till 6 p.m, except at a few sensitive booths where polling will stop at 5 p.m. According to the Election Commission’s schedule, polling in Simri Bakhtiyarpur and Mahishi will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all polling stations. In the Suryagarha Assembly constituency, voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 56 polling stations, while the remaining polling stations in Suryagarha will remain open until 6 p.m. The first phase includes over 7.37 lakh first-time voters, most of them aged 18-19 years. In addition, about 1.96 lakh young voters aged 18-40 years are expected to play a decisive role in shaping the outcome. This phase of the election is being seen as a ‘political litmus test’ for both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. Nitish’s political base has traditionally been strongest in these regions, while Tejashwi’s alliance had won the most seats here in the previous election. Political observers expect a closely fought contest between the two main alliances ~ the NDA, comprising BJP-JD(U)-HAM-RLM and LJP (Ram Vilas), and the INDIA bloc of RJD-Congress-VIP-IIP and the Left parties. However, poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party is expected to make an impact in a few constituencies, making the contest between the two alliances more intense. Although there is no visible wave either in support of or against CM Nitish Kumar, voting in this phase will indicate whether his ‘Sushasan’ (good governance) factor still holds sway. Thursday’s polling is also expected to reveal whether anti-incumbency sentiments exist in Bihar, whether Hindu polarisation has taken place, how much the Owaisi factor influences the results, and whether Chirag Paswan can repeat his performance from the parliamentary elections. Several prominent leaders are contesting in this phase, and voters will determine their political fortunes. Eight women pilgrims run over by train while crossing tracks in UP’s Mirzapur STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Mirzapur, 5 November Six women pilgrims were killed, while two others were critically injured on Wednesday when the Kalka Express ran over a group of people crossing the railway tracks at Chunar Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district. According to reports, around 9:30 a.m, the victims were heading to the Ganga Ghat for a holy dip on the occasion of Kartik Purnima, a significant day in the Hindu calendar, when the incident occurred. The passenger train from Chopan had arrived at platform number 3. After getting off, several pilgrims began crossing the tracks to reach the other side. As they stepped down near platform number 4, the Kalka Express passed through the station at high speed – it UTTAR PRADESH CHIEF MINISTER YOGI ADITYANATH HAS ANNOUNCED RS 2 LAKH EACH TO THE FAMILY OF THE DECEASED. HE INSTRUCTED OFFICIALS TO IMMEDIATELY REACH THE SPOT AND EXPEDITE RELIEF EFFORTS. did not have a scheduled stop there. Passengers panicked as the train arrived suddenly. The men quickly climbed onto the platform, while the women couldn't and were hit by the train. Body parts were seen scattered across a 50-metre stretch of track. The bodies were packed in bags and sent for postmortem. Teams from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) quickly reached the site. The officers removed the bodies from the tracks and began restoring order at the station. The authorities are yet to confirm the exact number of casualties and have initiated an investigation into the incident. The Ganga Ghat is only 2-3 km from the railway station. Five of the deceased women were from Mirzapur and one from Sonbhadra. They were identified as Savita (28), Sadhna (15), Shivkumari (17), Anju Devi (20), Sushila (60), and Kalavati Devi (50), a resident of Sonbhadra. Two injured people were admitted to the hospital. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced Rs 2 lakh each to the family of the deceased. He expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and instructed officials to immediately reach the spot and expedite relief efforts. AI: Govt unveils guidelines for safe, inclusive and responsible adoption Zohran Mamdani wins New York mayoral election STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, of Indian descent, won New York City's mayoral race, capitalising on the liberal metropolis' antipathy to President Donald Trump and economic angst. Preliminary results on Tuesday night showed Mr Mamdani, the Democratic Party candidate, winning about 50 per cent of the 2 million votes cast, to 41 per cent polled by former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the party's nomination to him in the June primaries. Mr Mamdani will be the city's first mayor of Indian descent and the third non-White in the city's New Delhi, 5 November The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ( M e i t Y ) o n We d n e s d ay u nve i l e d t h e I n d i a A I G overnance Guidelines under the India AI Mission, a comprehensive framework to ensure safe, inclusive, and responsible AI adoption across sectors. The guidelines propose a robust governance framework t o f o s t e r c u t t i n g- e d g e innovation and safely develop and deploy AI for all while mitigating risks to individuals and society, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said. T h e g u i d e l i n e s we re formally unveiled by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific advisor to the government of India in the presence of S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY; Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY, CEO IndiaAI Mission, D G NIC; Kavita Bhatia, Scientist ‘G’ & GC, MeitY & COO IndiaAI Mission and Prof. B. Ravindran, IIT Madras. The framework comprises four key components: seven guiding principles (Sutras) for ethical and responsible AI; key recommendations across six pillars of AI governance; An action plan mapped to short, medium, and long-term timelines and Practical guidelines for industry, developers, and re g u l a t o r s t o e n s u re transparent and accountable AI deployment. AGENCIES New York, 5 November history. Mr Cuomo, who conceded defeat, congratulated Mr Mamdani and said he wanted him to succeed for the sake of the "greatest city in world". When his supporters booed, he tried to silence them, saying, "That is not us". It was a turn from a vicious campaign during which they and their supporters traded insults. Mr Mamdani is the son of a Shia Muslim Ugandan academic, Mahmood Mamdani, whose ancestry is Indian, and movie director Mira Nair, who is from a Hindu family in India. Mr Mamdani mobilised an army of youth, fresh off the anti-Israel protests that rocked the city, to wrest the Democratic Party nomination, and they went on to expand his base beyond the young, White, economically well-off base to the working class and the older people. He offered a socialist platform to people facing a high cost of living in the city, promising free buses, a freeze on rents in some housing, city-run shops, a wave of new home-building, and higher taxes on the rich. The stage is set for a confrontation between Mr Mamdani and US President Donald Trump, who has moved against Democratrun cities with aggressive immigration enforcement and deployed federal forces, including the National Guard, for law and order. In his victory speech, Mr Mamdani threw a challenge to Mr Trump on immigration, declaring that for his enforcement campaign “to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us”. A city led by an immigrant will always be welcoming to immigrants, he told a delirious crowd of supporters who packed a theatre in Brooklyn. Addressing the US President, he said:“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I’ve got four words for you: Turn the volume up”. Shortly after, Mr Trump posted a dramatic four-word message on Truth Social, “… AND SO IT BEGINS”! Mr Trump, who described the Democratic Socialist as a “Communist”, said in an election-eve post that New York City will be "a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster" if Mamdani wins. Casting his victory as a model of a “brave new course” for the country, Mr Mamdani said: “No longer will we have to open a history book for proof that Democrats can dare to be great.” He reiterated his campaign promise to tackle the city’s affordability crisis through free fast buses, childcare for all, freeze on rents on some residences, and more and better public housing. Every New Yorker will feel the impact of the change he was about to bring, he added. On the stage were his mother, movie director Mira Nair, and father Mahmood Mamdani, the Ugandan academic with roots in India.