hyderabad l friday l may 15, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE City EDITION ECI rolls out SIR phase 3 in 16 states, 3 Union territories ECI on Thursday rolled out phase 3 of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 16 states and three Union Territories beginning May 30 roll revision in 4 opposition-ruled states The states and UTs are Delhi, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Punjab, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Telangana are opposition-ruled states | P7 ■ 3 SIR in telangana to begin on june 25 ■ Over 3.94 lakh booth level officers (BLOs) will go house-to-house of 36.73 crore electors during the latest poll roll revision exercise. They will be assisted by 3.42 lakh booth level agents, ECI said The SIR of electoral rolls in Telangana is set to begin on June 25. The final electoral rolls will be published on October 1 | P2 states/uts of himachal, j&k and ladakh will see roll revision later 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 BRICS: India raps unilateral sanctions J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan arrives to a rapturous welcome at the Congress headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday | BP Deepu Satheesan has the last laugh in tight Kerala race At the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, India on Thursday mounted a sharp critique of the growing use of unilateral sanctions and coercive economic measures, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar warning that such actions were disproportionately hurting developing countries and weakening global stability . In his national statement, Jaishankar criticised the “increasing” use of “unilateral coercive measures and sanctions inconsistent with international law and the UN Charter”. “Such measures Two-state solution Jaishankar reiterated India’s support for a “two-state solution” to the Israel-Palestine conflict and broadened his remarks to issues ranging from terrorism and climate change to technology and global governance reform disproportionately affect developing countries. These unjustifiable measures cannot substitute dialogue, nor can pressure replace diplomacy,” he said. While Jaishankar did not directly name the US, the remarks come amid expanding sanctions targeting firms and Foreign minister S Jaishankar with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi | PTI countries trading with Iran and Russia. Such sanctions have increasingly affected access to international banking and payment systems because of the central role of the American financial network in the global economy India has con. sistently opposed unilateral sanctions including in BRICS HC to continue hearing bail plea of Bandi’s son today Priyanka’s support changed the game at the last moment; oath taking on Monday T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad P r ee t h a N a i r , A n i l S & KS S r ee j i t h @ New Delhi/T’Puram Finally the roulette stopped at V D Satheesan. , Ending days of suspense, the Congress picked Satheesan, who led the UDF to a landslide victory in the assembly election, as the 13th chief minister of Kerala. The full Cabinet, led by the Paravoor MLA, would take oath at the Central Stadium in the state capital on Monday May 18. , The decision, pending for 10 days, followed an intense three-cornered battle involving senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and Satheesan. Crucial backing from Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, along with Congress veterans AK Antony and VM Sudheeran, ultimately tipped the scales in Satheesan’s favour. The announcement, initially expected at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, took a dramatic turn on Thursday morning after Venugopal was summoned to Rahul Gandhi’s residence in Delhi for a meeting attended by Priyanka as well. Soon after, the AICC convened a press meet where general secretary Deepa Das Munshi formally announced Satheesan as the new CM. While Venugopal, a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi, enjoyed the backing of a majority of Congress MLAs and MPs, Satheesan had the strong support of UDF allies, particularly the influential Muslim League. Party insiders said the high command grew increasingly wary of the IUML’s uncompromising stand, fearing possible fallout in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Venugopal welcomed the decision, saying he would abide by the high command’s verdict. An upset Chennithala, however, expressed displeasure and stayed away from the CLP meeting. Though he conveyed his reluctance to join Satheesan’s Cabinet, Chennithala handed over a letter of support for him to KPCC chief Sunny Joseph. Satheesan received a rousing welcome on arriving in the state capital. He later called on Antony and Sudheeran, both of whom had strongly backed his candidature before the party high command. At the CLP meeting, Sunny Joseph proposed Satheesan’s name, which was seconded by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. Soon after the CLP formally elected him leader, Satheesan, accompanied by Das Munshi and Sunny met Governor Ra, jendra Arlekar at Lok Bhavan to stake his claim to form the government. The governor then handed over the appointment letter naming him CM-designate. We will all work hard with dedication to improve the living standards of the people, create a new Kerala and usher in a new era V D Satheesan, Kerala CM-designate Focus shifts to ministerial positions The KC camp will seek strong representation in the ministry, with Sunny Joseph, A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunath and M Liju emerging as likely entrants. K Muraleedharan is also almost certain to secure a key portfolio. Bindu Krishna and T Siddique are also among front-runners. Chennithala loyalists T J Vinod and Anwar Sadath are likely to find berths. On behalf of the government and the people of Telangana, I extend my best wishes to VD Satheesan and the people of Kerala for a tenure marked by progress, prosperity and the further deepening of Kerala’s proud democratic traditions A Revanth Reddy, Telangana chief minister man survives 50-ft fall Combo videograbs of a man, Nanhe Miyan, flung nearly 50 ft into the air along with a tin roof during a powerful storm in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. He suffered limb fractures but managed to survive. At least 111 people were killed and 72 others injured after storm and heavy rain pounded several districts of UP, uprooting trees and damaging houses| p8 | PTI TGBIE introduces internal exams, practicals for Inter 1st year Meg h n a N at h @ Hyderabad Khairnar from Nashik, Dinesh Binwal, his brother Mangilal, Mangilal’s son Vikas, and HarTHE probe into the NEET pa- yana resident Yash Yadav. All per leak has now expanded be- five were taken to Delhi for yond the current examiinterrogation. n at i o n cycl e. F re s h The CBI has learned revelations confirmed that three daughters that three members of from the family of Dithe family of key accused nesh and Mangilal — and BJP worker Dinesh Palak, Sonia and Binwal had secured med- Dinesh Binwal Prakriti — had qualiical admissions last year fied NEET last year. too. Rajasthan police said the They are now under probe. 2025 NEET examination is unThe probe further revealed der scrutiny too. that Vikas and Yash Yadav On Thursday, the CBI se- studied together at a coaching cured transit remand for the institute in Sikar. During Difive main accused: Shubham wali last year, Yash allegedly revised pattern The Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TGBIE) has announced major changes for the 2026–27 academic year, including introduction of internal assessment, activity-based learning, revised textbooks and practical examinations for first-year science students for the first time. The Board on Thursday said junior colleges admissions commenced on Tuesday following the release of the , admission notification a day earlier. Under the revised pattern, science subjects including Physics, Chemistry Botany and Zoology will now have , practical examinations divided between first- and second-years, carrying 15 marks each year. Theory examinations will continue for 60 marks. Until the last academic year, Intermediate first-year students did not have practical examinations. For Mathematics, the Board has introduced Activity-Based Learning (ABL) internal assessment carrying 15 marks in both first and second years, while theory examinations will be conducted for 60 marks. In Humanities streams such as Commerce, Economics, Political Sci-  Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology practicals to carry 15 marks each year  Mathematics to include 15-mark Activity-Based Learning (ABL) internal assessment  Humanities and language subjects to have 20 marks internal assessment and 80 marks theory ence, History Geography and Public , Administration, students will now have 20 marks allotted for internal assessment and 80 marks for theory examinations. The same pattern will apply to languages and modern languages, including Telugu, Hindi, English and Urdu. A senior TGBIE official told TNIE that introduction of practical examinations would help students gain familiarity with laboratory work before entering second year. Revised textbooks for first-years had been prepared by subject experts in line with NCERT standards and would be introduced from the 2026-27 academic year, the official added.  continued on P5 n  heist mastermind operated from bihar jail | p2 PMJ n KTR told to appear before ACB court on July 31 | p4 BJP man ‘cracked’ NEET last yr too rajesh asnani & sudhir s u r ya w a n s h i @Jaipur/Mumbai platforms. Jaishankar raised concerns over instability in West Asia and disruptions to key maritime trade routes. “The conflict in West Asia merits particular attention. Continuing tensions, risks to maritime traffic, and disruptions to energy infrastructure highlight the fragility of the situation,” he said. “Safe and unimpeded maritime flows through international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea, remain vital for global economic well-being,” he added, flagging concerns over shipping disruptions, energy security and regional tensions.  P7 told Vikas and Mangilal that he could arrange the NEET question paper before the exam. Investigators found that multiple copies of the paper were printed at a press in Nashik, after which they were circulated across several states. In Maharashtra, CBI arrested two more: Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar and Manisha Waghmare from Pune. Manisha received money from 21 bank accounts ahead of the May 3 exam. In UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, a 21-year-old NEET aspirant hanged himself over the cancellation of the exam. Bi-weekly govt staff WfH in austere Delhi A n u p Ve r m a @ New Delhi THE Delhi government on Thursday rolled out a 90-day public campaign in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for energy conservation and self-reliance. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced sweeping measures including a two-day weekly work-from-home for government departments (barring essential services), 20% cut in official petrol quotas, and ‘Metro Monday’ to promote public transport, staggered of fice timings, one voluntary ‘No Vehicle Day’ every week, and a sixmonth ban on new government vehicles. Other steps include 20% reduction in domestic travel, 50% online meetings and no foreign official visits for a year. Justice T Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court on Thursday deferred hearing on the anticipatory bail petition filed by Bandi Sai Bhageerath, son of Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in connection with a POCSO case. The plea seeking interim protection from arrest will now be heard on Friday . Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel S Niranjan Reddy said Bhageerath was not seeking quashing of the case and was ready to cooperate with the investigation, attend inquiry proceedings and produce evidence. He said the plea was limited to interim protection from arrest. Senior counsel argued that the case hinged on whether the alleged victim was a minor or an adult. He contended that the victim’s father had stated in 2021 that she was 15 years old. Niranjan Reddy submitted that two different birth certificates existed. During the hearing, Justice Madhavi questioned whether there was material to establish that the victim was not a minor and sought clarification from police regarding alteration of Sections in the FIR. Referring to conflicting birth records showing 2008 and 2010, the judge questioned which certificate was genuine.  continued on P4 Manipur tense as at least 38 held ‘hostage’ E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v ice @ Guwahati AT least 38 people were taken ‘hostage’ by different groups in Manipur on Thursday after Wednesday’s killings of three Kuki church leaders in Kangpokpi district. “More than 38 people were detained by different groups. The persons are from both communities (Kuki and Naga),” Manipur’s home minister Govindas Konthoujam said, while stating that the state government was holding talks with civil society organisations and political leaders to ensure the safe release of those in custody . Naga organisation ‘United Naga Council’ issued an ultimatum demanding the release of all “hostages.” It was addressed to CM Y Khemchand Singh and said 18 Naga civilians, including women and a baby were held by Kuki groups , at Leilon Vaiphei village, while two Naga priests were detained at Supermeina village. W I TH TH I S I S S UE CITY’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 36 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID)