vijayawada l tuesday l november 10, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Milestone unlocked: Shrivatri becomes India’s 100th GM The 22-year-old earned his third and final GM norm by winning the 7th ASEAN Plus Individual Open, becoming the 100th GM from the country first gm to come from Madhya Pradesh From Anand to Anuj: India’s journey Anuj Shrivatri, who had earned the title of an International Master just before the Covid pandemic, has taken a circuitous route to becoming GM. A self-taught player, he had opportunities to go abroad for work but had eschewed that in favour of completing his GM norms. On Sunday, he achieved that while also becoming the first from Madhya Pradesh to do so ■ ■ When Viswanathan Anand became the country’s first GM in 1988, it was held as a dream for many chess players India’s GM growth curve was turbocharged around the time of the pandemic. The country has produced an average of five grandmasters per year in the last six years | P11 15 grandmasters India have produced since 2025 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI UCC should be pan-India, no reason to restrict its rollout: Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal says it has a constitutional basis; cites SC observations on the matter Shah: NDA-ruled states to implement it by 2029 Rajesh Kumar Thakur @ New Delhi Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal has said the government is committed to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country and asserted that its “constitutional basis” makes it difficult to justify restricting the legislation to a few states. Asked whether the Uniform Civil Code would remain confined to BJP-ruled states or eventually be implemented across the country, Meghwal said: “The Uniform Civil Code was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, and the makers of the Constitution incorporat- Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier described a common civil law for every citizen as a commitment of the BJP “since its inception”. He has also expressed confidence that the UCC would be implemented in all 21 BJP- and NDA-ruled states before 2029 ed a provision for it under Article 44. The Supreme Court has also made observations on the subject on several occasions. It is encouraging that some states have come forward to implement the UCC. Goa has had a common civil code for a long time, even when the BJP was not in power there,” he said in an exclusive interview with The New Indian Express. He added: “We believe that the UCC should be implemented across the country, and our government is committed to this objective. It has a constitutional basis, and there is no reason why its implementation should remain restricted to a few states. The issue is also increasingly finding a place in the election manifestos of political parties.” Uttarakhand became the first state to enact a UCC law in February 2024 and remains the only state to have fully implemented the legislation. Gujarat subsequently passed it while Assam became the first northeastern state to pass such legislation in May 2026. Madhya Pradesh has also moved towards adopting the code, approving it unanimously at a special Cabinet meeting in Bhopal in August. The UCC remains one of the BJP’s longstanding ideological objectives, alongside the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the abrogation of Article 370, both of which have Q&A: P7 been achieved.  Pawan Kalyan, Anna separate after 13 years of marriage Amid UP seat wrangling, Samajwadi Party surveys Gandhi family fiefdom E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e AMID seat-sharing talks between INDIA bloc partners, Samajwadi Party and Congress, Akhilesh Yadav’s party has commissioned surveys in constitutiencies traditionally associated with the Nehru-Gandhi family. Informed sources said the SP is trying to gauge voter sentiment and assess Congress strength in these seats, including in Amethi and Rae Bareli, before finalising seat-sharing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Despite assertions by both parties that they are committed to fighting the ruling BJP together, there has been little progress in talks. SP insiders indicated the party is seeking micro feedback from voters in Congress bastions, particular- @ Vijayawada Actor-politician and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan Konidala and his wife Anna Konidala have announced that they are parting ways after sharing a significant part of their lives together, stating in a joint statement that the decision was reached with mutual understanding and respect. Stating that their marriage has come to an end, the couple emphasised that they remain good friends and devoted parents to their children, noting that their happiness and wellbeing will always remain their shared priority . The statement also appealed for understanding, kindness, and respect for their privacy during this personal transition, while extending heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported them throughout their journey . Pawan Kalyan has previously experienced high-profile relationships and marriages in the public eye. His first marriage was to Nandini in 1997, which ended in a formal divorce in 2008. He later married actress and filmmaker Renu Desai in 2009, with whom he has two children, Akira Nandan and Aadhya, before their divorce in 2012. He subsequently married Russian actress Anna Lezhneva (now known as Anna Konidala) in 2013, with whom he also has a daughter, Polena Anjana Pawanova, and a son, Mark Shankar Pawanovich N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow File pic ly, in the Rae Bareli-Amethi belt and adjoining constituencies, including those in Sultanpur. Notably Akhilesh launched , his ‘PDA Rath Yatra’ from Rahul Gandhi’s Rae Bareli seat in September. The objective of the surveys is two-fold — first, to estimate the Congress’s ability to independently garner votes, and second, to deter mine whether conceding a large number of seats to the grand old party would be beneficial for the alliance. “This exercise is intended to provide empirical backing to SP’s negotiating position,” said Prof A K Mishra, a political scientist. The Congress state leadership has also indicated it is seeking a much larger share of seats than in the past. In 2017, SP spared it just 105 seats when they contested the Assembly polls together. UP Congress incharge Rajendra Pal Gautam has said the party should contest 180 to 200 seats this time. “We have given an initial list of 175 seats to the SP he said. The ,” demand reflects the Congress’s renewed confidence following the recent Rahul-led protests and the party’s relatively improved performance in some segments in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when the party raised its tally from one MP to six. Dhaka junks request Hasina stirs the pot, seeks fresh B’desh passport J aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi In an apparent bid to corner the Bangladesh government amid its continued insistence on her extradition, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has sought a fresh passport and national identity card (NID) from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi. Hasina, 79, has been living in India since her government was ousted in a student-led uprising in August 2024. Her legal representatives at London-based Matrix Chambers have approached the Bangladeshi mission seeking fresh documents. “Our request is made on the basis of her Bangladeshi nationality in accordance with any obligations arising under the laws of Bangladesh as well as any applicable obligations arising under international human ‘Political stunt’ rights instruments,” her lawyers Sheikh Hasina’s wrote to Preeti Rahman, acting request for a passport High Commissioner at the Bangla- was a “political desh mission. posturing” and she has The request, confirmed by Hasi- no genuine intention of na’s Awami League party, was swift- returning to the ly rejected by Dhaka. Bangladesh country, Dhaka’s Chief Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Prosecutor Md Aminul Humayun Kobir said: “Bangladesh Islam said does not issue passports to terrorists. We have asked for them (terrorists) to be handed over,” Kobir told journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “She is a fugitive criminal. We have an active extradition treaty with India. We want her handed over,” he said. The Awami League said a fresh passport and national identity card are crucial towards fulfilling Hasina’s stated intention of returning to Bangladesh in December. E x p r e s s Re a d Diwali crackers leave AP cities gasping for breath Visakhapatnam: Air quality deteriorated across AP after Diwali, with Visakhapatnam recording a poor AQI of 264 and Rajamahendravaram 220 on Nov 9. Several other cities, including Nellore, Tirupati, Srikakulam and Vijayawada, reported moderate air quality | P3 NDA secured 58.9% votes in local polls: Naidu Vijayawada: CMr and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has described the ruling NDA coalition’s performance in the AP local body elections as a landslide victory. He said the TDP-JSP-BJP coalition secured 58.90 per cent of the votes against 33.56 per cent polled by the YSRCP | P4 In d r a nee l d a s @ Chennai Splendid spectacle The sky sparkled with fireworks during Diwali celebrations in Vijayawada on Sunday night | Prasant Madugula Finally, amid allegations of interference and manipulation, the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs) election was over with current Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha losing. The result would have been shocking but after the last date of withdrawals, there were enough hints that pointed at change. This means that she will no longer be the president, at least, as of now. On Saturday, as reported by this daily four male candidates , were elected unopposed – Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt and Vijender Singh along with Cyber hires wreak havoc on political clients in Keralam CONGRESS leaders in Keralam were bewildered last month when its state unit’s official X account criticised Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Red-faced party bosses immediately ordered removal of the inflammatory comment. The KPCC leadership tendered an unconditional apology before the Supreme Court, which initiated contempt proceedings against the party, and sacked the social media in-charge. S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The 31st CII Partnership Summit, themed ‘Navigating New World Order,’ will be held in Visakhapatnam on November 12 and 13. The two-day investment summit is set to provide a new direction to industrial development in Andhra Pradesh in the context of the changing global economic landscape. Beyond attracting investments, the summit will facilitate extensive deliberations on a wide range of subjects, from trade to quantum technology, with a focus on translating the outcomes into actionable initiatives. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, other Union Ministers and representatives of leading international industrial and business corporations will participate in the summit. Government and industry representatives from nearly 58 countries have already registered to participate in the twoday summit. Chief Minister Naidu stated that the summit is being organised with the objective of connecting Andhra Pradesh’s industries with global markets. Discussions and agreements at the summit will aim to position Andhra Pradesh as a key destination for global investments, international trade and technology partnerships. The deliberations will focus on trade, technology, mutual trust and visionary ideas, keeping in view the changing global economic order. The summit has been organised annually since 1995 as a major platform for India’s economic partnerships with other countries. The CII is organising the event in association with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Union Ministry of Commerce and P4 Industry  . IOA chief Usha loses internal polls Troll Army M P PRASHA N TH @ Kozhikode CII Summit aims to link AP industries globally: Naidu It was just one of several incidents where overzealous cyber troopers of Keralam have become an embarrassment for their organisations. These cyber warriors are the selfless members who fiercely defend their parties and shut down their rivals through online channels. Most political parties have such cyber armies. And the nature of online warfare is such that it places the parties at risk of occasional reckless interventions. Senior CPM leaders, includ- ILLUSTRATION : Sourav roy ing former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M V Govindan, were forced to step in to rein in party sym- pathisers who targeted actor Mammootty . On October 28, leaders of the party’s youth fronts called on the actor and released the photos. However, this triggered pro-CPM cyber handles opposed to the actor for ‘insulting’ the party’s Wayanad district secretary K Rafeeq during a function. The cyber attacks subsided only after the CPM leader himself clarified that the issue with Mammootty had been resolved. On Sunday the actor was tar, geted again after he visited BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan in connection with the marriage of the latter’s daughter. CPM leader T M Thomas Isaac expressed the party’s disagreement over the repeated attacks on Mammootty . Not just political parties, religious organisations also face the ‘threat’ of digital soldiers. Jamaat-e-Islami’s Kerala amir P Mujeeb Rehman was recently forced to urge cadres to maintain decorum in social-media interventions. former TT champion Kamlesh Mehta. However, in the female category, despite hectic parley, Usha finished fifth behind Saina Nehwal who polled 43 against Usha’s 40. Anju Bobby George managed to secure the highest number of 53 followed by Rani Rampal, Dola Banerjee and Nehwal. There were concerns about Saina and it is understood that a lot of negotiations were on to secure her victory . With the way things panned out since Saturday, there were enough indications of her not making it. Yet, as an IOA president, her team was expecting to finish in the top four. With this, the focus would be on Gagan, who shifted his base from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad recently Gagan is considered to be a . front-runner in the IOA election to be held on December 5. Usha is technically out but can be proposed by NSFs. Since she is not a member, it needs to be seen how. Green, CRZ clearances for `1.03L cr BPCL refinery E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nellore Andhra Pradesh is set to witness a major industrial development with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granting environmental and Coastal Re gulation Zone (CRZ) clearances to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) proposed greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex near Ramayapatnam Port. The ambitious project, involving an estimated investment of `1,03,408 crore, will have a refining capacity of 9 MMTPA and is expected to emerge as one of the major industrial investments in the State. The Ministry issued the environmental and CRZ clearance order, following an examination of the proposal and recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee under the IndustriP4 al Projects-2 category  .