Vaishali makes history, wins Candidates 2026 GM R Vaishali etched her name in the record books as she beat Kateryna Lagno and won the Women’s Candidates 2026. She became the Women’s World Championship Challenger and will face reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. She is also the second Indian woman after Koneru Humpy (2011) to feature in title match | Michal Walusza/FIDE tirupati l thursday l april 16, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur 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 Opposition parties to vote against delimitation bill Bills to be debated in LS today seek to expedite rollout of 33% quota P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Ahead of the three-day special session of Parliament, Opposition parties decided to vote against the proposed Constitution amendment bill on delimitation, Congress President Mallikar jun Kharg e said on Wednesday. Top Opposition leaders had met at Kharge’s residence here to discuss strategy on the women’s reservation law and the proposed delimitation amendment. Kharge stressed that the Opposition has always supported women’s reservation in Parliament, but was concerned about the manner in which the bill is being brought. “It is politically motivated. Just to gag and suppress Opposition parties, the government is doing this,” Kharge said after the meeting. “We are supporting women’s reservation. We are insisting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge addresses the press after a meeting of Opposition leaders on the special Parliament session, in Delhi on Wednesday | Shekhar yadav that the earlier amendment that was passed, be implemented. They (BJP-led government) are playing tricks with delimitation. Therefore, all parties have taken a decision unitedly to oppose this bill,” he added. Leaders from Kerala and Tamil Nadu said that the women’s reservation Act should be implemented within the existing framework of 543 seats. Later, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress will not allow the women’s reservation bill to be implemented on the basis of the 2011 Census as there is no data on backward communities in it. “What the government is proposing now has nothing to do with women’s quota. This amendment is an attempted power grab using delimitation and gerrymandering,” he said. Indian team to visit US for trade talks P u s h p i ta D e y @ New Delhi An Indian delegation will be in the US from April 20 to 22 to take forward the negotiations on the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Wednesday . This will be the first such inperson engagement between the two sides after the US Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs as illegal. The ruling had prompted both sides to recalibrate their positions ahead of the next round of talks. “The negotiating teams will be meeting in person after a gap of about 3-4 months. They have been engaging virtually We are . looking at finalising the legal agreement, which is a logical follow-up of the joint statement released on 7th February,” Agarwal said. The BTA was initially to be signed by mid-March. TDP revamps structure, elevates Lokesh as national working prez S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada In a significant organisational overhaul that signals a decisive shift in its future trajectory the , Telugu Desam Party has announced its Politburo, national, and State committees, marking a new phase in the TDP’s evolution with HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh at the centre of its organisational leadership. The appointment of Lokesh as the national working president underscores a major generational transition within the Telugu Desam Party, positioning him firmly at the helm of party affairs and indicating a clear roadmap for the TDP’s future leadership. Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao has been reappointed as the State TDP president, Asim Munir in Tehran to draw it back to talks table agencies Efforts to extend the ceasefire between the US and Iran saw progress on Wednesday, with both sides expected to retur n to the table soon, reports said. A Pakistani dele- day gation, led by Chief of the Army Staff 47 Field Marshal Asim Munir, reached Tehran. The visit is seen as an attempt to resuscitate the peace talks, which collapsed in Islamabad last week. A senior US official said there is continued engagement between the US and Iran to reach a deal to extend the week-old truce. completing a leadership alignment aimed at strengthening the party organisational structure ahead of future political challenges. In a landmark move reflecting its commitment to women’s empowerment, the TDP has appointed Nandyal Lok Sabha MP Byreddy Shabari as its firstever woman national general P4 secretary  . express read AP to launch digital Census 2027 on April 16 Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is set to launch the Digital Census 2027, with the first phase of house listing and housing census (HLO) beginning on April 16. State Census Director J Nivas announced that this edition will be held entirely in digital mode, with citizens given the option of self-enumeration through a secure portal. The census will be conducted in two phases | P5