MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 | LC SINCE 1818 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR REDDY URGES SOUTHERN STATES TO UNITE TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS ‘DEFEAT PAVES THE WAY FOR THE FUTURE; INDIA BLOC TO GROW STRONGER’ P4 WHAT WAS IN IT FOR THE CORPORATE SECTOR? P8 P7 ROHIT’S TON HELPS INDIA BEAT ENGLAND BY FOUR WICKETS P12 New CM of Delhi may Decisive blow: 31 Maoists and two security take oath after PM personnel killed in Chhattisgarh gunbattle returns from USA SHISHIR ROY CHOWDHURY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR, 9 FEBRUARY NEW DELHI, 9 FEBRUARY A crucial meeting was held here on Sunday at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, where discussions were held regarding the government formation in Delhi. Union Minister and BJP President JP Nadda also attended the meeting which was held a day after the party's historic win in the Delhi assembly polls, where it wrested power from the Aam Aadmi Party by winning 48 out of 70 seats in the elections. The BJP is yet to announce the Chief Ministerial face for Delhi. The high-level meeting at Shah's residence also discussed who will be the next Chief Minister of Delhi, sources said. On Saturday, speaking on the Chief Ministerial candidate, BJP candidate from the New Delhi assembly seat Parvesh Verma said the party's decision on the CM's face will be acceptable to everyone. “In our party, the legislative party decides (CM's face) and then the party leadership approves it. So the party's decision will be acceptable to everyone,' he said. Meanwhile, according to sources, the swearing-in ceremony of the new Delhi Chief Minister is likely to be held after 13 February after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from the United States. Earlier, following the resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi after the AAP I ceded defeat in the assembly elections, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena dissolved the seventh legislative assembly, paving the way for a new government. An official communication from Raj Niwas said the incumbent chief minister has been asked by the LG to continue on the post till the new government is formed. “In exercise of the power conferred upon me by subsection (2)(b) of section 6 of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, I, Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, hereby dissolve the Seventh Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from February 8, 2025." the LG’s order said. Atishi, who resigned as chief minister, has been serving in the capacity since September last year following the resignation of then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from the post. The BJP has won the justconcluded Delhi assembly polls, the results of which were declared on Saturday, with a historic mandate, is returning to power in the national capital after 27 years ousting the AAP. Manipur chief minister Biren Singh resigns STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE IMPHAL, 9 FEBRUARY The Manipur Chief Minister, Nongthongbam Biren Singh, on Sunday tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Bhalla, 21 months after the state was first plunged into prolonged conflict during which more than 250 people have lost their lives and 60,000 have been rendered homeless, with the state itself left emotionally and physically divided. Biren Singh, accompanied by BJP MP Samit Patra, the party in-charge of Manipur submitted his resignation shortly after 5 p.m. to Govenor Bhalla at the Imphal Raj Bhawan today.Both he and the Governor had returned to Imphal today afternoon from New Delhi where they had been summoned yesterday by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Biren Singh had been in the eye of the storm beginning from 3 May 2023 when the ethnic conflict broke out between the tribal Kukis and the Meiteis which had led to the present state of affairs. The clamour for Biren Singh’s resignation had been mounting since mid-May 2023 and he had at one point staged a resignation drama where he was waylaid en route to the Raj Bhawan and his resignation letter torn by a crowd of women folks. The latest drama began unfolding since 3 February after Union Home Minister Amit Shah summoned Speaker Th Satybrata Singh and dissident minister Y.Khemchand and MLA Th Radheshyam and CM Biren Singh to Delhi. None of them could meet Amit Shah and Mr Singh and his entourage had returned home after taking a dip at Prayagraj in the Kumbh Mela that is currently on. Then out of the blue Mr Singh was summoned yesterday and he caught a char- tered flight to the capital. Prior to this the threat of a no-confidence motion had been looming large over Biren Singh in the Assembly Session scheduled to start from tomorrow. The motion was on the cards of the Opposition Congress Party which has only five MLAs in the House. But then the six MLAs of the National Peoples Party had withdrawn from the coalition government led by Biren Singh and were to be seated in the opposition benches in the House tomorrow. The Congress was so confident of garnering support from dissenting BJP MLAs that they had even stated that they were going to launch a ‘Brahmastra’ which will destroy one of the ‘double engines’ of the BJP. According to informed sources, upon arrival in Imphal, Sambit Patra is said to have instructed the BJP State President to summon a meeting of the BJP legislators at the BJP’s Imphal headquarters but apparently none turned up. Hence the decision by Biren Singh to put in his papers post haste. It is not known as to who will succeed him but in all likelihood Manipur will be put under President’s Rule, keeping the Legislative Assembly under animated suspension. Reliable sources indicate that along with his resignation, Biren Singh has recommended placing the Assembly under animated suspension, though details regarding this proposal remain unclear. n a decisive blow to Left Wing Extremist insurgency, security forces in Chhattisgarh killed as many as 31 Maoists on Sunday morning in a major operation conducted along the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border, official sources said. Two security personnel lost their lives, while two others were injured in the encounter. Over1,000securitypersonnel were deployed in the large- scale operation in the Indravati National Park area of the Bijapur district. All 31 bodies of the Naxals have been recovered and are currently undergoing identification as search operations continue across the region. According to official sources, acting on credible intelligence regarding a significant Maoist presence, the forces from the Bastar Fighters, District Reserve Guard (DRG), and Special Task Force (STF) launched an expansive operation that quickly encircled the enemy. In the ensuing clash, the security forces eliminated 31 insurgents and recovered a substantial quantity of arms and explosive materials. Among the recovered items were automatic rifles, grenade launchers, and other lethal weaponry. Two personnel, one each from DRG and STF, died during the encounter, and two more personnel sustained injuries. The injured have been airlifted to Raipur for advanced medical treatment and are reported to be in stable condition. Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the operation, stating: “In the pursuit of a Naxal-free India, our security forces have achieved a major success in Bijapur. In this operation, we have neutralised 31 Naxal insurgents and recovered a large quantity of weapons and explosive material. Today, while we celebrate this victory, we also mourn the loss of two brave soldiers. The nation will always be indebted to these heroes. I extend my heartfelt condolences to their families and reaffirm our commitment to eradicating Naxalism from our country by March 31, 2026.”