NEW DELHI 06 OCTOBER 2024 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in Loo and She can’t Behold PLUS: 12 PAGES THE GHOST HOUSES OF Calling on Armenia’s Van Gogh MAGAZINE The Selflove that is True Love EXCLUSIVE VOICES Pushpesh Pant S Vaidhyasubramaniam Ravi Shankar Preeti Shenoy KERALA Decoding the Politics of Being Green Setting the Legendary Course Right DineshSingh Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Namrata Josh SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS ‘AI is Going to be Quite a Game-changer’ Art of Simplifying Life Pollsters predict BJP exit in Haryana Exit polls suggest Congress victory in Haryana, advantage for its alliance with NC in J&K R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi 3 doctors, including couple, save flyer mid-air S L A L I T H A @ Bengaluru HIGH drama unfolded midair on an Indigo flight that had taken off from Bengaluru to Kolkata on Saturday afternoon when a flyer in his forties with preexisting health issues developed an emergency. The flight had three doctors on board and they managed to stabilise him and take him safely up to Kolkata airport. Dr MM Samim, who was conferred a gold medal just a day earlier during the convocation at NIMHANS, and his wife Dr Naznin Parvin, a paediatrician, along with a surgeon from MS Ramaiah Hospital were instrumental in the rescue act. Their timely action also saved a potential diversion of the flight to Bhubaneswar. The Flight No 6E 503 took off from Terminal 1 of Kempegowda International Airport at 10.42 am, which was late by 20 minutes. It was an hour later that the flyer, who is from West Bengal and works as a labourer in Kerala, developed breathlessness and threw up. He was travelling with his son to get himself admitted to a government hospital in Kolkata for his chronic liver condition. Dr Parvin, who works at a private hospital in Siliguri, said, “The patient was struggling to breathe and was vomiting blood. His BP was low. We gave him oxygen and administered drips with normal saline. Soon, his condition improved.” Over Sporadic incidents of polling in violence Haryana reported in Nuh Voter turnout and in 2019 Hisar Assembly districts polls was of the around 68% state 61% POLLSTERS on Saturday predicted the exit of BJP rule in Haryana, giving the Congress a clear majority. They also saw a Congress edge in J&K as it has a prepoll alliance with the National Conference. The exit poll results came in shortly after polling concluded in Haryana, where the voter turnout was over 61%. The counting of votes in both states is scheduled for Tuesday October 8. , However, NC leader Omar Abdullah was derisive of the exit polls, saying “I’m amazed channels are bothering with exit polls especially after the fiasco of the recent general elections. I’m ignoring all the noise on channels, social media, WhatsApp etc because the only numbers that matter will be revealed on the 8th of Oct. The rest is just time pass.” As for Haryana, the contest was particularly intense, with the ruling BJP facing severe antiincumbency, having stayed in power for two consecutive terms. The AAP did not appear to have an impact in the state. Bouyed by the exit poll outcome, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the decision on chief minister’s face will be taken by the party’s high command after factoring in the opinions of the party’s lawmakers. Peoples’ Pulse gave the Congress an average of 55 seats in Haryana while the BJP was trailing at 26. The Jannayak Janta Yamunanagar recorded a poll percentage of 67.93, Sirsa 65.37, Rohtak 60.56, Nuh 68.28, Palwal 67.69, Mahendragarh 65.76, Kurukshetra 65.55 and Jind 66.02 at 5 pm Paris Olympics medallist shooter Manu Bhaker and her family show their inked fingers after casting their votes during the Haryana elections, in Jhajjar on Saturday | PTI POLL OF EXIT POLLS FOR TWO STATES HARYANA Source BJP Axis My India 18-28 Dainik Bhaskar 19-29 Dhruv Research 22-32 India Today-C 20-28 Voter Jist-TIF Research 29-37 Peoples Pulse 20-32 Republic Bharat18-24 Matrize Republic TV27-35 P-Marq Poll of Polls 26 SEATS: 90 | TARGET: 46 Cong+ JJP+ INLD+ AAP OTH 53-65 0 1-5 0 3-8 44-54 0-1 1-5 0-1 4-9 50-64 0 0 0 2-8 J&K Source SEATS: 90 | TARGET: 46 BJP Axis My India 24-34 Cong+NC PDP OTH 35-45 4-6 8-23 Dainik Bhaskar 20-25 35-40 4-7 12-18 Gulistan News 28-30 31-36 5-7 10-17 27-32 40-48 6-12 6-11 50-58 0-2 0 0 10-14 45-53 49-61 0 0-1 0-2 2-3 0 0 4-6 3-5 55-62 0-3 3-6 0 2-5 India Today-C Voter 51-61 0 3-6 0 0-0 Peoples Pulse 23-27 46-50 7-11 4-6 55 0 2 0 7 Poll of Polls 27 41 7 15 Party (JJP), which was in alliance with the BJP till a few weeks ago, was heading for a washout, as was the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). All exit polls placed the Congress far ahead of the ruling BJP . Dainik Bhaskar predicted the Supreme Court rejects review of verdict on electoral bonds No error in order S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking a review of the Constitution bench’s February 15 judgment striking down the electoral bonds scheme as unconstitutional. A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, JB Paridwala and Manoj Misra, dismissed the review petition filed by advocate Mathews Nedumpara and another person. The order passed on September 25, was uploaded on Saturday in the SC website. “The court failed to notice that even assuming the issue is justiciable, the petitioners therein having not claimed any specific legal injury exclusive to them, their petition could not have been decided as if a private litigation for the en- “Having perused the review petitions, there is no error apparent on the face of the record. No case for review under Order XLVII Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules 2013. The review petitions are, therefore, dismissed,” the court observed forcement of rights which are specific and exclusive to them,” Nedumpara had submitted. While venturing into the forbidden domain of adjudicating upon a matter of legislative policy, the court had the duty to hear the public at large. So, “the proceedings ought to be converted into representative proceedings,” the plea said. On February 15, the bench had struck down amendments to laws in 2018 to allow the anonymous electoral bonds scheme, saying voters have the fundamental right to know the source of the funding of all political parties. “The Union has been unable to establish the measure adopted in clause 7(4)(1) of the electoral scheme is the least restrictive measure,” the bench said. The court had directed the SBI to stop issuing electoral bonds and disclose all the details about the donors to the Election Commission. An electoral bond is an instrument in the nature of a promissory note which can be purchased by any individual, company, firm or association of persons. They were introduced through Finance Act 2017, which in turn amended three statutes — the RBI Act, the Income Tax Act and the Representation of People Act. Congress getting 44-54 seats and the BJP 15-29 in the 90-member Haryana Assembly The C-Voter. India Today polls gave Congress 50-58 seats and the BJP 20-28 in Haryana, while Republic BharatMatrize put the Congress tally higher at 55-62 seats. In J&K, the C-Voter-India Today survey put the National Conference-Congress alliance at 40-48 seats and the BJP at 27-32 in the 90-member assembly. As for Dainik Bhaskar, it gave the NCCongress alliance 35-40 and the BJP 20-25. Axis My India polls gave NC-Congress 35-45 and the BJP 24-34. Peoples’ Pulse predicted the NC-Congress getting 46-50 against the BJP’s 23-27. Awami Ittehad Party chief Sheikh Abdul Rashid was pessimistic about the J&K poll outcome, saying irrespective of the results, the control will lie with Delhi. But he was courted by Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi, who called on him at his residence. It led to speculation about the Congress seeking his support for a post-poll coalition government. On Channi’s visit, Rashid said he was the only leader to raise voice for him in Parliament. “He came to visit and I thanked him for raising voice for me. We had a good discussion,” Rashid said. The People’s Democratic Party said exit polls were not reliable, adding it was premature to talk about government formation. “What matters are the numbers at the end of counting,” senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said. P7 More than 61% polling in peaceful Haryana election H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh MORE than 61% polling was recorded in Haryana assembly polls on Saturday in which the ruling BJP is eyeing a third term and the Opposition Congress seeking a comeback after a decade. According to the data available at 5 pm, over 61% polling has been registered and it will further increase once all information comes in. Officials said that polling, which closed at 6 pm, went on smoothly barring clashes in Nuh between supporters of two candidates which left three persons injured. Among the top names in the fray are CM Nayab Singh Saini, BJP’s Anil Vij and OP Dhankar, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat of Congress, INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala and JJP’s Dushyant Chautala. Among the districts, according to the Election Commission data available at 5 pm, Yamunanagar had recorded a poll percentage of 67.93, Sirsa 65.37, Rohtak 60.56, Nuh 68.28, Palwal 67.69, Mahendragarh 65.76, Kurukshetra 65.55 and Jind 66.02. However, by 5 pm, districts like Gurugram recorded 49.92 poll percentage, Faridabad 51.28 while Panchkula registered 54.71%. High drama mars capital CAP ON DARSHAN politics over bus marshals Online ticket A S H I S H S R T I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi UTTER chaos prevailed inside and outside the Delhi Assembly on Saturday with the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP resorting to theatrics leading to the detainment of AAP MLAs. The bone of contention was the reinstatement of bus marshals who were removed from their posts in November 2023 following a row over their appointment made to enhance passenger security in city transport. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj along with other AAP leaders were detained while protesting outside Rajniwas. The development came after a cabinet note was passed earlier in the day AAP leaders . led by CM Atishi and BJP legislators with Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta reached L-G VK Saxena’s residence seeking the note’s approval. When AAP leaders angrily protested against the L-G and accused the BJP of backtracking, they were detained by cops. Atishi, who was present inside the Raj Niwas during the protest, criticised the BJP. “They (BJP leaders) did not even once ask the L-G to sign the note,” she said. However, Gupta told the media that the L-G had accepted the proposal. In a display of their frustration, Bharadwaj and his supporters prostrated themselves before Gupta, urging him to accompany AAP leaders to meet the LG. The strife is rooted in a decision made in 2015 to appoint civil defence volunteers (CDVs) as bus marshals. A row erupted in 2023 when the state’s revenue and finance departments questioned their deployment. About 10,000 bus marshals were terminated in November 2023. NO PLACE FOR HATE Veteran Australia pacer Schutt shines light on queer side of cricket TSS @ WOMEN’S Everything that was deemed important for a heterosexual couple wasn’t possible for a gay couple. I hated that because it’s obviously inequality, but also you are just seen as less natural Megan Schutt WORLD CUP KALYANI MANGALE DUBAI I Australia pacer Megan Schutt celebrates a wicket against Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 World Cup on Saturday | ICC N the last few years, social media has proved to be a tool for women’s cricket. Not just from the fan engagement perspective, but the stories of the athletes have received a massive platform and there is no denying it. Just one look at the ever-increasing engagement numbers published by the International Cricket Council after every women’s tournament is proof of that. However, there is a gloomy side of social media that has affected the fans and athletes alike, especially the queer athletes. Australia pacer Megan Schutt is one of those players. The 31-year-old has been a proud openly queer player and had to deal with inappropriate comments about her sexuality on social media. A firm believer in her thoughts, she has never shied away from voicing her opinions, however these days, she has decided to pick and choose who to reply to. “Firstly I don’t , call them all out,” Schutt told this daily . “The ones that I feel are just trying to poke the bear. I don’t engage with them. They’re just using a derogatory comment because they can. Sometimes I feel like it can be in an uneducated way and that’s when I’ll probably react more because I feel like if we can have a civil conversation about something or engage in a conversation and change someone’s mindset, that’s when things can change,” she added. Schutt is not the only queer athlete at the ongoing T20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates. England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu, and Scotland’s Abbi Aitken-Drummond are some of the openly gay players of this edition. Most of them have faced similar harassment on social media, but Schutt has been vocal the most. “Sometimes it’s even as simple as saying what’s your problem? And then they’ll divulge and then realise that it’s not really a problem and it can lead to a decent discussion,” Schutt said . “I feel like there’s a big education piece that’s available to people out there and that’s part of having a platform but also at the same time, people need to learn when something isn’t okay. And that’s when I’ll call them out and. The ones that float in between, I’ll let it slide obviously but now and again, some people need to be put in their place,” she added. slot must for Sabarimala M S V I D YA N A N D A N @ T’Puram ALL pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple, including those travelling on the forest routes, will have to make prior online booking during the upcoming MandalamMakaravilakku season. Also, the daily number of pilgrims visiting the shrine will be limited to 80,000. The Travancore Devaswom Board’s (TDB) proposal to make Virtual Queue booking mandatory for all pilgrims was approved by the high-level committee chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday . “Virtual Queue booking is mandatory and those coming without prior booking will not be allowed to trek the main Pampa-Sannidhanam route, and also the forest routes from Sathram and Azhutha-Kalaketti. Drinking water and kanji (gruel) supply will be arranged on the forest routes,” TDB president P S Prasanth told this newspaper. There will be no spot booking facility for pilgrims on any route this year. Prasanth said the pilgrims will have the freedom to change their route. “Our concern is the daily intake of pilgrims. They are free to change routes if required,” he said. EXPRESS READ 10 killed in Meghalaya floods and landslides Rain-induced floods and landslips claimed lives of at least 10 people in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills region. All five districts of Garo Hills have been hit. The deaths occurred in West Garo Hills (three) and South Garo Hills (seven), the two worstaffected districts, according to CM Conrad K Sangma.