FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | SPORTS WORLD NATION Jaishankar presents India’s stand at G7 Page 13 43-day-long govt shutdown ends in USA as Trump signs bipartisan deal IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 13 November After a historic turnout in the two phases of the Bihar Assembly elections, preparations for vote counting are now in full swing. Counting of votes will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday at 46 counting centres across the state. District administrations have issued instructions to ensure security and maintain law and order during the counting process. According to the Election Commission of India, the Model Code of Conduct will remain in effect till 16 November. Keeping this in view, district administrations have issued notice that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 will NATION JD-U uses ‘tiger abhi zinda hai’ to highlight Nitish’s resilience Page 11 Stage set for Bihar verdict on Friday, exit polls favour NDA remain effective until the conclusion of the Model Code of Conduct. Brisk polling was witnessed across the state during the two phases of the Bihar Assembly elections held on 6 November and 11 November. The 65.08 per cent voter turnout in the first phase, coupled with 68.79 per cent in the second and final phase, took the overall turnout to a record 66.90 per cent, the highest ever in the state’s Assembly elections. Exit polls have given a clear edge to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). If these figures prove accurate, the return of the NDA government seems almost certain. At the same time, some exit polls have suggested that the RJD may emerge as the single largest party. However, the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, has rejected the exit poll projections, asserting that the alliance will form the government after the counting of votes on Friday. Friday, 14 November 2025 Page 5 Gill admits problems juggling formats before SA Tests Page 15 Delhi blast: ED, CBI roped in to probe money trail ATUL KRISHAN New Delhi, 13 November T he probe in the Delhi blast case has been widened with government sources indicating that federal probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are being pressed into service to probe financial and money-laundering issues in the matter. A DNA test has conclusively identified Dr Umar Nabi as the perpetrator who allegedly drove the i20 car involved in the blast near the Red Fort that claimed several lives and left many injured on Monday evening. Multiple teams of the CBI, ED, NIA, Haryana Police, Delhi Police, J-K Police and UP ATS conducted search operations which resulted in the detention of a few more suspect doctors and seizing Delhi police personnel during investigations at the site of the car blast near Red Fort, in New Delhi on Thursday. AGENCIES a total of four vehicles which were allegedly linked to the 10 November terror incident in Delhi, which had claimed at least 13 lives. The investigators have claimed that the Doctor Terror module had planned an operation on 6 December. There were a total of eight doctors who were initially part of the terror module. They were allegedly supposed to carry out attacks at 32 locations in the entire NCR. “The seized vehicles include a Swift Dzire, registered to Dr. Shaheen but used by Dr. Mozammil, and from which weapons were recovered. The second, an i20, was allegedly used in the blast. The third is an EcoSport, found in Faridabad, and the fourth is a Breeza. While all four cars are now in custody, the investigation into the module's activities continues to intensify,” a senior official said. Sources also revealed that the key accused Dr. Mujammil, Dr. Adil, Dr. Umar, and Dr. Shaheen~ collectively pooled approximately Rs 20 lakh in cash, which was handed over to Umar Nabi. A portion of these funds, about Rs 3 lakh, was later used to purchase more than 20 quintals of NPK fertilizer from areas in Gurugram and Nuh to prepare the IED used in the blast. Investigations have also uncovered a financial dispute over the money between Dr. Umar and Dr. Mujammil. Dr. Umar had created a secret group on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which included 2-4 members, to plan the operations, they said. Dr Adil, whose arrest led agencies to the Faridabad terror module, had recently traveled to the national capital. Investigation has confirmed that he flew from Srinagar to Delhi on 11 October, just before the alleged events unfolded. 8 dead, over 20 injured after car crushed between container trucks: Pune: At least eight people have died and more than 20 have been injured in a tragic accident that took place on Thursday near the Navale bridge on the Pune-Bengaluru highway, where two containers collided with each other, causing the trucks to catch fire, after which a speeding container hit several vehicles, officials said. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, with several reported to be in critical condition. Police said that the incident occurred when the two trucks collided, trapping a car between them before all three vehicles caught fire. The victims have not yet been identified, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash. Page 5