wednesdAY 12 november, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard NDA sitting pretty X.com/TheMornStandard I SRA E L seats 243 buries JAWAN held in Gaza for 11 Yrs Thousands of people packed a cemetery in central Israel on Tuesday for the funeral of an Israeli soldier whose body had been held in Gaza for 11 years. Target 122 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Source NDA Chanakya Strategies 130-138 MGB JSP OTH 100-108 0-0  3-5 Dainik Bhaskar 145-160 73-91 0-3  5-7 DV Research 137-152 83-98 2-4  1-8 JVC 135-150 88-103 0-1  3-6 Matrize 147-167 70-90 0-2  2-8 P-Marq 142-162 80-98 1-4  0-3 Peoples Insight 133-148 87-102 0-2  3-6 TIF Research 145-163 76-95 0  3-6 Peoples Pulse 133-159 75-101 0-5  2-8 Poll of Polls 148 90 1 5 Polls suggest exit of Oppn aspirations P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AS the high-stakes Bihar assembly election came to a close on Tuesday, pollsters were unanimous in predicting the National Democratic Alliance’s return to power with a convincing majority If the predic. tions stand, it will be a huge setback for the Opposition’s Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), which was trying to win the politically crucial state after a gap of 20 years. The poll of exit polls projected the NDA comprising Janata Trump says levy cut soon; India waits for US word P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi A day after US President Donald Trump said that Washington is ‘pretty close’ to signing a trade deal with India, which would also pave the way for lowering tariffs on Indian goods, sources in Delhi said the trade talks have been so comprehensive that another round of negotiations may not be necessary . Commerce ministry officials said New Delhi is awaiting a response from Washington on the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) talks. “They (US) have to get back to us. India’s negotiations have been the most comprehensive and WTO-compliant as compared to any other country Negotia. tions have been done cautiously and carefully, keeping the sensitive sectors in mind.” The ministry’s update came a day after Trump said the deal would soon be sealed, which would enhance the bilateral relaUS President Donald Trump tions, boost US energy exports and promote investments in key US sectors. According to US media reports, Trump also signalled that the tariffs on Indian goods would be lowered. “The tariffs on India are really high because of the Russian oil [imports], but they have now substantially reduced Russian oil [imports], so we will be bringing the tariffs down,” Trump was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that while India wants a fair trade deal with the US, it won’t compromise on the interests of farmers and the dairy sector. In February Prime Minister , Narendra Modi and Trump announced the official deadline for the first tranche of the BTA as the fall of 2025 (October-November). Both countries need to finalise a deal soon to meet that deadline. Dal United JD (U), the BJP and the LJP(RV) , will cross the majority mark by securing 148 seats, giving the RJD-led grand alliance just 88 seats, less than the 110 seats it won in the 2020 election. The majority mark for the 243-seat assembly is 122. Election strategist Prashant Kishore’s Jan Suraaj Party which was hyped to play , a crucial role in this election, may end up with a poor showing, as per exit polls. The Bihar polls were conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, and the results will be out on November 14. The results will also set the tone for the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu next year as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls has already begun in these states. Bihar is the first state to go to polls after the SIR exercise. Exit poll projections are made by election survey agencies based on interviews of voters as they come out after casting their votes. These may vary widely from the actual results. P8 Illustration: sourav roy l Intercepted letter from Nowgam proves key link l Suspects may be ‘linked’ to Faridabad terror module: l Jaish hand evident, say officials Blast probe handed over to NIA photo: pti M ukesh R a n ja n , F aya z Wa n i & Nam i ta B ajpa i @ New Delhi/Srinagar/Lucknow THE investigation into the deadly car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10 that killed 12 people was on Tuesday formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), following high-level security meetings chaired by home minister Amit Shah. Security agencies, working in coordination with state police across J&K, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, launched extensive search operations on Tuesday and found multiple leads linked to the banned Pakistanbased Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit. Preliminary investigations revealed incriminating JeM internal communications that suggest ‘revenge’ as the motive for internal disloyalty. An intercepted letter recovered in J&K’s Nowgam, believed to have originated from the Pakistan-based outfit, threatens punishment for ‘betrayals’ within JeM, exhibiting rhetoric consistent with earlier internal directives. Senior intelligence officials suggest that factional pressure and infighting within JeM could have precipitated the Delhi blast, following counter-insurgency activity in Kashmir. Umar Mohammad Nabi, Pulwama doctor in the middle of ‘car bomb’ N i t i n R a w at @ New Delhi Umar Mohammad Nabi Car track Charred remains of vehicles on Tuesday, following the deadly blast near Red Fort Metro Station the previous night that killed 12 people in New Delhi; and a forensic official collects samples from the site a day after the explosion | Shekhar yadav The police registered a case headlined ‘bomb blast’ invoking sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act, after forensics teams began analysing specimens from the site and vehicle to match those from the deceased. Investigators are scrutinising CCTV footage and digital devices and matching DNA samples to ascertain the identity of the car’s occupants. Early findings indicate the use of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil as the explosive material, and a possible operational link to the Faridabad module, from which 350 kg of explosives and a cache of weapons were seized. Several individuals associated with the accused doctors from Kashmir, notably Dr Umar Nabi and Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Adeel Ahmed, have been detained for questioning in coordinated raids in Pulwama, Srinagar, Faridabad, and parts of western Uttar Pradesh. In UP ATS teams car, ried out raids in Saharanpur, Lucknow and Muzaffarnagar, detaining individuals connected to the JeM module. In Srinagar, at least eight persons including father, mother and two brothers of Dr Umar Nabi, who is suspected of driving the car that exploded,were detained. Security has been ramped up at sensitive locations, including Ayodhya. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently in Thimpu on an official visit, said: “The conspirators will not be spared.” India hit out at Pakistan for attempting to link New Delhi to the terrorist attack in Islamabad on Tuesday, calling the charge “baseless, unfounded, and a predictable tactic.” Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif alleged India’s role in a suicide bombing that killed 12 people in Islamabad. P3 & 7 Umar’s i20 first spotted outside Asian hospital in Faridabad around 7.30 am on Monday Car entered Delhi after crossing the Badarpur toll plaza at 8.13 am Seen near a petrol pump in the Okhla Industrial Area at 8.20 am At 3.19 pm, car entered parking lot near the Red Fort complex, stayed there for 3 hrs Exited at 6.22 pm, drove toward Red Fort; blast at 6.52 pm A day after the Red Fort blast, which killed 12 people and injured more than 20, investigators are focusing on Umar Mohammad Nabi, a Pulwama-born medical professional suspected to have been behind the wheel of the white Hyundai i20 that exploded near Gate No. 1 of the Lal Qila Metro Station. According to officials familiar with the probe, Umar is suspected to have links with the radicalised white-collar module busted in Faridabad, in a joint operation by the J&K Police and Haryana’s Special Task Force. The operation led to the arrest of eight individuals, including three doctors, and the seizure of 2,900 kg of explosive-making material from multiple locations in Haryana. Umar, a resident of Koil village in Pulwama, was allegedly in touch with members of the same Faridabad module, according to sources. CCTV footage shows a man with a mask at the wheel of the car before the blast. Tracing the ownership of the i20 provided the breakthrough that led investigators to the Faridabad module. The car was initially registered in the name of Salman. He sold it to Devender, who later sold it to Taariq, based in Pulwama. While tracking Taariq, investigators found the white i20 was with Nabi. The police said specialised teams, including crime units, are collecting forensic evidence from the site. Raids have been carried out across the National Capital Region, with security checks in Daryaganj, Paharganj, railway stations, airports, and bus terminals. Investigators said the Pulwama-Faridabad connection is the key line of inquiry . What Red Fort blast left of 34-yr-old Amar Kataria? His ink, their memory Major markets struggle with security lapses “Mom my first love, Dad my strength.” That was the tattoo on Amar Kataria’s hand—the mark by which his family finally recognised him at the mortuary on Monday night. Hours earlier, he had called his father to say he was leaving work, a routine conversation that now echoes in the quiet of their Srinivaspuri home. The 34-year-old pharmaceutical bizman was among those killed in the blast. He had shut his shop in Bhagirath Palace at Express read Maha rift as Cong to go it alone in local body polls In a blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), one of its key ally Congress has decided to go solo in local body elections, including Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The Maharashtra Congress said on Tuesday it is not comfortable with Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance due to the latter’s proximity to Raj Thackeray-led MNS. The Congress also said the alliance partners do not transfer votes. Booker Prize to Hungarian-British author David Szalay Szalay’s novel Flesh won the prize (£50,000 and a trophy), beating Indian author Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny | P9 around 6:30 pm and was on his way home. When his phone went unreachable, his family assumed he was caught in traffic. By the time the news came, 800 cops deployed at Faridabad village Uneasy calm prevailed at the prominent markets in the capital, with traders recalling the memories of the 2005 serial blasts that had ripped through shopping hubs and questioned the lack of preparedness even after two decades. P3 n i t i n ra w at @ New Delhi Car with J&K number plate triggers panic The Haryana Police deployed around 800 personnel for extensive combing and search operations at Dhauj village in Faridabad early Tuesday morning following the recovery of 2,910 kg explosives and inflammable substances. P7 An abandoned car with J&K number plate in Bhogal created panic. Police, however, said no suspicious item was found. The Tata Altroz was left unattended since the previous night. Police founb that the car belonged to a lawyer, staying nearby. hope had already begun to fray . Amar was the only son of his parents. He lived with them, his wife, their three-year-old son, and a married sister. His father runs an electronics shop in Mayur Vihar. “He called every evening before leaving work,” a relative said. “That day was no different—until it was.” An MBA, Amar had started his career in the corporate world before setting up his own business. Friends describe him as ambitious yet soft-spoken, a man who spent Sundays at home playing with his son or helping his father at the shop. On Tuesday morning, the police handed over his body after post-mortem. At home, grief has settled like a shadow. His son keeps asking when his father will return. “We tell him papa will be back soon,” said a relative, holding back tears. The words etched on Amar’s arm—“Mom my first love, Dad my strength”—now read like a message he left behind, a final trace of love from a son who never made it home. AQI spikes to 428 in first ‘severe’ air day India slams ‘delirious’ Pak of this year, GRAP-III invoked in capital charge on Islamabad attack P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ New Delhi Delhi woke up under a thick, choking haze on Tuesday as the city’s air quality index (AQI) shot up to 428, officially tipping into the “severe” category for the first time this year. Authorities have invoked GRAP Stage III in the NCR. An AQI between 401 and 500 can affect even healthy individuals and poses serious risks for those with asthma, heart disease, or other respiratory issues. The toxic blanket dimmed the Delhi skyline, stung the eyes, and left residents coughing as they went about their morning routines. Several monitoring stations recorded numbers well past 400. Bawana (462), RK Puram (446), Alipur (442), and Patparganj (438) were among the worst-hit. Inner-city areas such as Chandni Chowk (416), Anand Vihar (412), and Sonia Vihar (433) also registered “severe” readings. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed a sharp deterioration overnight. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) responded by invoking Stage III of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The restrictions, effective immediately, ban nonessential construction and demolition work, shut down stone crushers and mining sites, and bar the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles—except those used by persons with disabilities. Schools have been told to switch to online or hybrid classes up to Class V P4 . J aya n th J a c o b @ New Delhi India on Tuesday hit out at Pakistan for trying to link Delhi to the terror attack in Islamabad, calling the charge “baseless, unfounded, and a predictable tactic” to divert attention from its internal political crisis. Even as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed 12 people on Tuesday, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif sought to shift blame toward India. In response, MEA spokesper- son Randhir Jaiswal said India “unequivocally rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations being made by an obviously delirious Pakistani leadership.” “It is a predictable tactic by Pakistan to concoct false narratives against India in order to deflect the attention of its own public from the ongoing military-inspired constitutional subversion and power-grab unfolding within the country,” Jaiswal said. He added that the inter national community would not be misled by “desperate diversionary ploys.” P9