THE TRAM PARTY 06 OCTOBER 2024 THREAT FROM SINGLE-USE PLASTIC INDIA LOOK FOR QUICK TURNAROUND IN CRUNCH TIE AGAINST PAKISTAN www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 16 PAGE 17 PAGE 19 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 PAGES 20 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain / thundershower very likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely to be around 31˚C and 25˚C respectively Exit polls for the J&K elections put the Congress-NC alliance ahead in a tight race RAINFALL: 13.9 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 96% Haryana: Exit polls predict clear majority for Congress Min. 84% TEMPERATURE Max: 30.1˚C (-2.7) SUN RISES 05:30 hrs MOON RISES 17:25 hrs Min: 25.0˚C (-0.8) SUN SETS 17:21 hrs MOON SETS 18:43 hrs Full Moon on 17 October THUMBNAILS Voters show their IDs as they wait to cast their votes for the Haryana Assembly elections, at a polling booth in Faridabad on Sunday. nANI Border Security Force (BSF) personnel during their passing out parade at Subsidiary Training Centre (STC), BSF, at Roun in Udhampur on Saturday n ANI DRDO successfully flight-tests 4th gen very short range air defence system: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted three flight-tests of the fourth Generation, technically-advanced miniaturised Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan on October 3-4. The tests were carried out against high speed targets, demonstrating very critical parameters of maximum range and maximum altitude interception. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 OCTOBER T he Opposition Congress is set to make a strong comeback in Haryana after a decade of being out power as most exit polls predicted a clear majority for the grand old party in the 90-member Haryana state legislative assembly. While exit polls often get it wrong, they have predicted the BJP will suffer a significant reduction in its seats tally in Haryana. Exit polls for the J&K Assembly polls, which are witnessing elections after 10 years, meanwhile, put the National Conference & Congress alliance ahead in a tight race. Voting for the 90-seat Haryana Assembly took place on Saturday, with the Election Commission of India reporting a 61.19 per cent voter turnout as of 5 p.m. The voting across 20,632 polling stations in the state was by and large peaceful. According to the Matrize exit poll, Congress is projected to win between 55 and 62 seats out of the 90-member Assembly in Haryana. The BJP, currently in power, is predicted to secure only 18 to 24 seats. The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), led by Dushyant Chautala, may find itself nearly wiped out, with post poll predictions ranging between zero and three seats. Other smaller parties and independents are expected to capture between 5 and 11 seats. Similarly, the Dainik Bhaskar exit poll predicted a decisive win for Congress, forecasting 44 to 54 seats for the party. The BJP, the poll indicated, could see a dramatic Not going to Islamabad to discuss Indo-Pak ties: EAM Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 OCTOBER Ahead of his visit to Pakistan for the SCO Heads of Government meeting on 15-16 October, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said he is not going to Islamabad to discuss "India-Pak- istan relations" but to attend a multilateral event. Mr Jaishankar said he is travelling to Pakistan only to be a "good member of the SCO". "Yes, I am scheduled to go to Pakistan in the middle of this month and that is for the meeting of the SCO - the heads of government meeting," Mr Jaishankar said after delivering the Sardar Patel Lecture on Governance. "I expect that there would be a lot of media interest because the very nature of the relationship is such and I think we will deal with it. But I do want to say I will be there for a multilateral event, I mean I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO. Since I am a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly," the external affairs minister emphasised. Samsung workers’ strike: Stalin deploys three ministers to resolve impasse MC RAJAN CHENNAI, 5 OCTOBER With the indefinite strike by workers at the Samsung plant on the outskirts of Chennai to press for trade union rights nearing the fifth week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday tasked three ministers to resolve the issue and bring an end to the ongoing protest. The ministerial team, comprising TRB Rajaa (Industries), CV Ganesan (Labour) and TM Anbarasan (Rural Industries), are slated to hold talks with the workers and the Samsung management on Monday. The plant is located at Sunguvarchatram in Kancheepuram district and Anbarasan is the district secretary of the ruling DMK. Over 1,500 workers employed by the South Korean technology giant are continuing their strike demanding that the CITUaffiliated union ~ Samsung India Labour Welfare Union ~ be recognised for collective bargaining on wage revision, and rationalisation of working hours. The 17-year-old factory, one of two of Samsung in the country with 2,000 workers on its roll, manufactures home appliances. The strike is one of the largest the multinational company has seen in recent years. Mr Stalin deputing the trio to hold talks comes in the wake of pressure from the DMK’s allies, the CPI(M), CPI, Marumalarchi DMK of Vaiko and others. reduction in its seat share, with estimates ranging from 15 to 29 seats. Other parties are expected to make little impact, with just zero to one seat projected for them. The Peoples Pulse exit poll have also made similar predictions, further cementing Congress' path to a likely comeback after a decade. The poll suggests that Congress could secure between 49 and 61 seats. The BJP may manage to retain only 20 to 32 seats, while the JJP is expected to win just zero to one seat, it indicated. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) of former CM Om Prakash Chautala is predicted to secure two to three seats. For Jammu and Kashmir, according to TV-Today C-voter projections, the NC-Congress alliance is likely to win 40-48 seats while the BJP can win 27-32. The People's Democratic Party, led by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is likely to win 6-12 seats while others can win 6-11 seats. The People Pulse survey has predicted 46-50 seats for the NC-Congress alliance and 23-27 for the BJP. As per them, the PDP can win 7-11 while others can win 4-6 seats. The final results for both states will be announced on 8 October. While Haryana voted in a single phase today, Jammu and Kashmir voted in three phases, on 18, 25 September and 1 October. Weak, poor India suits Congress politics: PM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 OCTOBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the BJP’s policies make it obvious the party wants disadvantaged sections to progress, while the Congress knows only how to loot people and let the poor continue in poverty, as a weak and deprived India “suits” its politics. He was addressing a massive gathering at Washim in Maharashtra, after releasing to 9.50 crore farmers across the country the 18th instalment under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, amounting to Rs 20,000 crore, and launching other projects. Mr Modi said people must beware the Congress which is under the control of “urban Naxals.” The Congress thinks if people unite, its agenda to divide the country would not succeed, the Prime Minister said. That’s why it wants people to fight each other, he said. “The whole nation is watching how the Congress is getting support for its dangerous objectives,” he said.