Vol. 35 No. 36 | SUNDAY | JUNE 2, 2024 | 28 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Ghosts go hyperlocal Lead a better life www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Indian folklore rules the big screen with interesting cinematic adaptations Quality at Value Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 Seven Japanese concepts to boost your productivity and make your life awesome Gandhi plays Gandhi Pratik Gandhi gets candid about playing Mahatma Gandhi in a biopic on the Father of the Nation Even better than 2019 for Modi Exit polls give a higher tally to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance than it won in the last elections. The BJP is expected to do even better in Uttar Pradesh, and will make significant gains in the South, Odisha and Bengal With the polling for the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections coming to an end on Saturday a large number of , exit polls have predicted another clean sweep for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Most of the polls have given the alliance between 355 and 370 seats, a number higher than even its 2019 tally of 353. As for the BJP, these exit polls have predicted that the ruling party would get between 305 and 315 seats, topping its 303 of 2019, as the party has been able to overcome a spirited opposition from the INDIA bloc that is expected to poll less than 200 seats this time. The exit poll results demonstrate that the effort put in by senior BJP leaders – including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on the last day of voting was meditating at Vivekananda Rock Memorial near Kanyakumari -- in the five southern states and West Bengal and Odisha have helped the NDA repeat and probably even better its performance in the last Lok Sabha polls. As the dust settles on the nearly two-month campaign that tested the patience and stamina of the leaders in the searing heat, the picture that THE FP BULLETIN ADANI TOPS AMBANI B illionaire Gautam Adani has reclaimed the title of Asia's richest person, overtaking Mukesh Ambani. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Adani's net worth reached $111 billion, surpassing Ambani's $109 billion. The surge in Adani Group stocks up to 14 per cent on Friday, driven by aggressive expansion plans and a report by Jefferies (financial group), propelled this change. Adani's comeback follows a period where Ambani had taken the lead after Adani's shares dipped earlier this year. GOLD HIGH IN KERALA K erala is famous for its craze for gold, but now it is official. The State has the highest per capita consumption of the yellow metal in India. The annual consumption of gold in the state is estimated to be around 200-225 tonnes, the highest in India, according to Sachin Jain, Regional CEO of the World Gold Council (WGC). According to a release shared by the WGC, there are more than 15,000 establishments trading in gold and silver jewellery in Kerala. Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Jain said that consumers in the state were particular about the quality of the gold, with almost 100% of the gold and precious stones sold in the state being hallmarked. Most of the gold sold in the state is in the form of high-value jewellery. Kerala has also witnessed a sharp rise in loans against gold. BOMB THREAT GROUNDS INDIGO A n IndiGo flight from Varanasi to New Delhi received a bomb threat on Saturday, following which all passengers safely disembarked from the aircraft after landing at the Delhi airport. “Upon landing in Delhi, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay as per security agency guidelines and the crew followed all standard operating procedures,” the airline said. The aircraft is currently undergoing inspection, it said. PREDICTIONS AT A GLANCE NDA Total Seats: 543 I.N.D.I.A Others 371 362-392 359 353-368 342-378 281-350 248-280 355-370 353-383 400 371-401 358 366 125 47 141-161 10-20 154 30 118-133 43-48 153-169 21-23 145-201 33-49 118-150 118-150 125-140 42-52 152-182 04-12 107 36 109-139 28-38 152 33 144 33 Election 2024 Agency INDIA NEWS – D Dynamics Jan Ki Baat Republic TV – PMARQ RB – Matrize News Nation Dainik Bhaskar India Today – Axis My India News 18 ABP CVoter News24-Chanakya India TV-CNX Times Now-ETG NDTV Poll emerges from the exit polls is that the BJP managed to do well by working closely with its old allies as with Janata Dal (United) in Bihar and Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in Maharashtra while forging new alliances as with Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The ruling party also appears to be on the verge of sweeping some of the major states ruled by it –Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In Gujarat, the exit polls are predicting that it may lose one seat this time while there is a stiff contest on two others. Phase 7 turnout is 59.15% EXIT POLLS & REALITY CHECK P eople from across the political spectrum were glued to the television screens to see what the exit polls would predict for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, for which polling ended on Saturday. It is a no-brainer that exit polls can be very far off the mark as they have been in some instances. However, in the last two elections, the exit polls have largely been able to catch the pulse of the voters. An average of 13 exit polls for the 2019 elections put the tally for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party at 306 and that of the United Progressive Alliance at 120. However, the exit polls put out by six agencies for the same elections gave the NDA anything between a low of 300 seats to a high of 365 and the UPA 77 to 132 seats. CONTD. ON NATION PTI / NEW DELHI An approximate voter turnout of 59.15 per cent was recorded on Saturday in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls with incidents of violence between TMC and BJP supporters reported in Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, and complaints of EVM glitches and rigging at some booths being lodged. Polling was conducted in seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for 57 constituencies, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha. Voting was held amid a severe heatwave in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh also took place simultaneously . Saturday's voting marked the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. The assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also went to polls. The picture that emerges is that the BJP managed to do well by working closely with its old allies as with Janata Dal (United) in Bihar and Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in Maharashtra while forging new alliances as with Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Though the exit polls show it to be losing some seats in Haryana, owing to the anger of the farmers with it, and Delhi, where Congress and Aam Aadmi Party fought together against it for the first time and Arvind Kejriwal led a sharp campaign during his interim bail period, the party appears to be making up for it elsewhere. LOSSES CONTAINED: In Haryana, where BJP won all the 10 seats in 2019, the exit polls are giving it 6-8 this time with INDIA bloc getting the remaining 2-4. The farmers’ agitation had also impacted Punjab, but here BJP did not have much to lose. Though AAP had wrested the state from the Congress in 2022, the exit polls are only giving it one seat of the 13 at the most. They are predicting 8-10 for the Congress and 2-4 for the NDA. In Delhi, some exit polls are giving BJP another clean sweep on the seven seats while a few are giving AAP a couple of seats. BETTER IN UP: As per most polls, the BJP-led NDA would be gaining in the elections because in the key state of Uttar Pradesh it appears to have performed better than it did in 2019 when it won 64 of the 80 seats. CONTD. ON NATION MEGA BLOCK, MEGA WOES During this period many people return after vacations. I came across a couple who came back from vacation. They found it difficult to reach their home. BHALCHANDRA CHORGHADE MUMBAI Central Railway initiated a marathon mega block at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Saturday caus, ing disruptions to the daily movement of commuters. This extensive activity to expand platforms and yard renovation, spanning over 36 hours, is aimed at improving the infrastructure and ensuring longterm safety and efficiency How. ever, the immediate impact on daily travel is profound, affecting thousands of passengers who rely on this mode of transport for their daily commutes. As many as 930 suburban local trains and 72 mail express trains were to be cancelled affecting over 33 lakh people. The block started at 12.30 am on Saturday and will end on Sunday afternoon. Porsche deaths: Teen’s mother arrested ANKIT SHUKLA / PUNE The mother of the juvenile accused in the Porsche drunk and drive incident that saw two deaths was arrested on Saturday morning by Pune police on the charge of giving her blood sample to switch with that of the accused minor at the Sassoon General Hospital. Shivani Agarwal has been absconding for the last few days. She was finally arrested at her home and will be produced in the Special Court on Sunday . Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said it has been confirmed that blood samples of the juvenile had been replaced with that of his mother. On Friday police also interrogated minor accused for more than an hour in the observation home where he has been ordered to stay till June 5, as per the Juvenile Justice Board Act. Earlier, police had arrested Dr Ajay Taware, then head of the department of forensic medicine at Sassoon General Hospital, medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and fourth grade employee Atul Ghatkamble on charges of evidence tampering. According to the police, more than a dozen calls were exchanged between Dr Ajay Taware and Vishal Agrawal, father of teenager while the blood samples were being collected. CONTD. ON NATION – Nandkumar Deshmukh, President, URPM The buses were crowded. The roads were jam packed due to additional buses. It was difficult for people to manoeuvre through the traffic. – Nikhil Adhav, Ulhasnagar resident Trains are either being rerouted or temporarily halted, causing delays and overcrowding on alternative routes. The services between CSMT-Byculla and CSMT-Vadala on harbour line remain suspended completely during the block period even as BEST authorities deployed additional 486 buses for commuters who had to face longer travel times and increased waiting periods at stations. Many passengers altered their travel plans, opting for earlier or later trains to avoid rush during peak hours. De- spite authorities’ efforts to inform the public through announcements and digital platforms, the unexpected schedule changes caught commuters off guard. Office-goers, students, and daily wage workers are among the most affected. CONTD. ON NATION Court reserves order on Kejri bail till June 5 GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR / NEW DELHI A Delhi Court on Saturday reserved till June 5 its order on the interim and regular bail plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor case on March 21 and was granted interim bail in view of the Lok Sabha elections by the Supreme Court on May 10, will thus have to return to Tihar Jail on Sunday . Kejriwal has made fervent efforts over the last couple of weeks, to get an additional interim bail for a week on health grounds. The Chief Minister had also moved the vacation bench of the Supreme Court in this regard, but the top court had refused to pass an order and referred the matter to the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court registry had subsequently also refused early listing of the hearing. Both the regular and interim bail pleas of Kejriwal were heard on Saturday at Rouse Avenue Courts by Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who had on Thursday asked the ED to submit its response in the cases. The ED contended that the Supreme Court had also prohibited Kejriwal from filing a plea for the extension of interim bail and had allowed it to only file a regular bail plea. The apex court had laid down that bail was only applicable if a person was in custody but as Kejriwal was not in custody the interim bail application was invalid, said Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who appeared for the federal agency . CONTD. ON NATION West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee shows a victory sign after casting her vote in Kolkata on Saturday. PTI With the focus now on June 4, the counting for the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on June 2. According to the EC's voterturnout app at 8 pm, the estimated polling percentage in the last phase was 59.15. A voter turnout of nearly 69.03 per cent was recorded in Jharkhand. Uttar Pradesh logged a polling percentage of 55.60, West Bengal 69.89, Bihar 49.58 and Himachal Pradesh 67.39. Punjab recorded a voter turnout of 55.69 per cent while Chandigarh registered a voting percentage of 62.80. Odisha recorded around 63.21 per cent voting. Bengal's polling was marred by violence. In Bengal's Sandeshkhali, clashes broke out between TMC and BJP supporters over allegations of electoral malpractices. BJP candidate Rekha Patra alleged that TMC goons stopped voters from casting their votes. The TMC made counter allegations and accused Patra and BJP goons of trying to vitiate the poll atmosphere. As both the groups came to blows on Basanti express highway police resorted to baton , charge and tear gas shelling to disperse the mob. Basirhat SP Hossain Mehedi Rahaman said three persons were injured during the clash between TMC and BJP supporters at Bayramari in Sandeshkhali. Prominent candidates among the 904 in the fray are Union minister Anurag Thakur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and actor Kangana Ranaut. CONTD. ON NATION PM concludes meditation AGENCIES / KANYAKUMARI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday concluded his 45-hour-long meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial here and paid floral tributes to Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar. On conclusion of his dhyana session, Modi, clad in white, visited the 133-ft statue of Thiruvalluvar, next to the rock memorial and placed a huge garland there. He arrived at the statue complex by a ferry service and later went back to the shore. Thereafter he left by a helicopter for Thiruvananthapuram and from there, by flight to Delhi. On his arrival here on May 30, the PM prayed at the Bhagavathy Amman temple and later arrived at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. During his stay at the memorial, the PM did meditation, clad in saffron, and also performed 'Surya Arghya' at sunrise. The PM's visit to Kanyakumari evoked opposition from INDIA bloc constituents including Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK. The opposition was to the broadcast of meditation in view of last phase of polling on June 1. Senior DMK leader and Water Resources Minister Du- raimurugan alleged that tourists were not allowed in that area which had seriously affected the local businesses and 'we have pointed out that this is not good.' Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai on Saturday told reporters that those doing meditation do it peacefully without any hindrance and all alone. "How can a person do Dhyana with 14 cameras in front of him? Is this meditation? This is dhyana eyeing electoral politics," the Congress leader alleged. He accused Modi of trying to sully Swami Vivekananda's reputation by acting against the spiritual leader's legacy and hence, 'condemnable.' How can a person do dhyana with 14 cameras in front of him? Is this meditation? This is dhyana eyeing electoral politics – K Selvaperunthagai, President, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee LAST WORD Heat overwhelms Manikarnika Ghat: Over 700 cremations in 48 hrs BISWAJEET BANERJEE/ VARANASI As residents of Varanasi lined up to vote on Saturday another , sombre queue formed from Maidagin to Mokshdwar in the holy city where people brought , bodies for cremation at Manikarnika Ghat. For the second consecutive day the ancient cremation , ground witnessed an unprecedented surge in bodies arriving for last rites. Over the past 48 hours, more than 700 bodies have been cremated—three times the usual number for this ghat. Bodies from Varanasi and neighboring districts are regularly brought to Manikarnika Ghat for cremation, as it is believed that those cremated here attain salvation. Dom Raja Om Chaudhary , responsible for managing the last rites at the ghat, attributed the sudden increase in bodies to the severe heatwave gripping the region. Director of the Met Office, Manish Ranalkar, explained that the heatwave conditions across Uttar Pradesh are due to clear skies, westerly winds from Rajasthan, and increasing humidity from easterly winds. The combination of high tem- MEDIA SOURCE GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR / NEW DELHI peratures and humidity has significantly raised discomfort levels. The heatwave has led to a spike in deaths. Five polling staff in Mirzapur collapsed and died due to the extreme heat. Government officials stated that only post-mortems can confirm whether deaths are heatwave-related. However, Dom Raja Om Chaudhry as- serted, "The stream of dead bodies being brought for cremation shows that fatalities have increased, and it is only because of the heat." The streets from Maidagin to Mokshdwar were lined with bodies, leaving little space for movement. The influx was so overwhelming that bodies had to be stacked one on top of the other due to the lack of space. Records show that on May 24, 147 bodies were cremated, followed by 161 on May 25, 159 on May 26, 88 on May 27, 133 on May 28, 169 on May 29, and over 400 on May 30. The bodies that had arrived far exceeded the ghat’s capacity to handle cremations. Typically Manikarnika Ghat , can manage 25 to 30 cremations simultaneously The sheer vol. ume led to long waiting times, with some families waiting up to five hours for their turn to cremate. Mahendra Kumar Gupta, who brought a relative's body to the ghat, described the dire situation. "There is no wood available at the ghat. We never imagined it would be like this," he said. The wood shortage forced some families to consider burning two bodies on a single pyre. Others, unable to procure wood there, took their deceased to other ghats. Addressing the infrastructure and resource management aspects, SDM Sarthak Agarwal pointed out, "The Municipal Corporation is responsible for the ghat. If there is any problem, it will be fixed." Additional Municipal Commissioner Dushyant Maurya added, "When the number of dead bodies increased, additional employees have been deployed. It is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation. Work will be done immediately to resolve the problems of the people."