Virat marks milestone with ton in Ranchi Virat Kohli, the No 3 batter made a statement, alongside Rohit Sharma who scored a fifty, with a remarkable hundred against South Africa. From straight drives to upper cuts to flicks to lofts down the ground, the 37-year-old was in his zone as he put behind the struggles of recent months to show why he is still the best in business. With 135 on board, he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 51 ODI centuries | P13 hubballi l Monday l December 01, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION 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 express read 5 killed, seven injured in Udupi road accident Udupi: Five persons were killed and seven others injured after a goods vehicle hit a road median and overturned on NH-66 in Udupi on Sunday. Three workers were in the cabin, and nine in the rear portion of the vehicle | P6 PM: Public perception of police needs to change Raipur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for urgent need to transform public perception of police by enhancing professionalism and sensitivity, and strengthening urban and tourist policing | P10 press Intake K’taka govt to procure maize at Rs 2,400 per quintal | P6 Cyclone Ditwah: Four dead as heavy rain batters TN | P7 Centre to bring bill to impose 70% cess on tobacco | P10 Poll panel extends SIR schedule by one week SIR may heat up Winter Session starting today P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AMID complaints of inadequate time for voter-list verification, the Election Commission of India on Sunday extended the entire schedule of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by one week across nine states and three Union Territories. In an official statement, the ECI announced that the submission of enumeration forms, originally scheduled to conclude on December 4, will now continue until December 11. The draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 16 instead of December 9, and the final voters’ list on February 14, 2026, against the earlier deadline of February 7. The SIR is being rolled out in Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. The Election Commission has come under scrutiny after reports of deaths and alleged suicides involving Booth Level P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Booth Level Officers assist a voter in filling out the enumeration form for the Special Intensive Revision, in Bikaner, Rajasthan | PTI Officers (BLOs) from multiple states, with Opposition parties linking the incidents to mounting work pressure during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls. According to reports, several BLOs, tasked with door-to-door verification, form collection and polling-station rationalisation, were working long hours to meet tight deadlines. The families and colleagues have alleged that the stress and workload may have contributed to the deaths, prompting widespread outrage and demands for accountability . The sharpest attack came from the Trinamool Congress, which accused the Election Commission of having “blood on their hands,” arguing that the SIR timeline was “unrealistic” and had placed an unprecedented burden on field-level officials. A 10-member TMC delegation on Friday met with the EC and alleged that around 40 SIR-related deaths had occurred in West Bengal so far, accusing the poll panel chief of having “blood on his hands”. However, the EC has dismissed the charges. THE stage is set for a stormy start to Parliament’s Winter Session on Monday, with the Opposition demanding a full discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, while the ruling party is pushing for a discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram. During the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of the Rajya Sabha on Sunday , the government declined to clarify whether any debate would take place on the broader topic of electoral reforms, despite repeated demands from the Opposition. Earlier, at an all-party meeting, Opposition parties put up a united front demanding discussions on SIR, labour codes and national security Parliamenta. ry Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had stated that the decision on a discussion on the SIR would be taken at the BAC meeting. At the BAC meeting chaired by Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chair man C P Radhakrishnan, opposition leaders agreed to cooperate to ensure smooth functioning of the House and urged the Rajya Sabha chairman to allow a discussion on the SIR exercise on Monday, the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament, said a source. “Opposition parties conveyed that they want Parliament to run smoothly They also sought . a short discussion on the urgent need for further electoral reforms at 2 pm on Monday If the . discussion is not held, the government must be held responsible for disrupting Parliament, they said,” the source said. The government has listed 13 legislative bills and one financial bill for passage. Veteran of 400 films, actor Umesh no more E x pre s s N e w s Ser v i c e @Bengaluru Veteran Kannada actor MS Umesh, known for his impeccable comic timing and contributions to theatre and cinema, passed away on Sunday at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology He was 80 and was suf. fering from cancer. Hundreds of fans and several prominent personalities from the Kannada film industry, as well as political leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar, paid their last respects to the actor at Ravindra Kalakshetra. His last rites were performed at the Banashankari crematorium by his brother on Sunday evening Umesh’s daughter Jayalakshmi said he was admitted to hospital after he collapsed in the bathroom and sustained a fracture in his leg.  P6