HYDERABAD l thursday l april 30, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION draft policy on higher ethanol, biofuel blends to cut oil imports e100, E85 petrol coming soon in fuel bunks The draft changes to Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 aim to promote wider use of E85 (85% ethanol blended petrol) and E100 (pure ethanol) fuels as well as B100 biodiesel and hydrogen-CNG combinations. This amendment opens the regulatory door for flex-fuel vehicles and pure biofuel vehicles across all vehicle categories, including two-wheelers and passenger cars | P10 The government has proposed amendments to motor vehicle rules to widen the scope for higher ethanol blends and alternative fuels weight limit for LCVs raised to 3,500 kg ■ ■ It also raises the vehicle weight limit from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg for Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV), meaning more vans and small trucks will now fall under the same emission testing rules The government said the draft would be taken up after 30-day public consultation period, during which stakeholders can submit objections e20 is the current standard petrol sold across fuel outlets in India 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 High energy cost transfer inevitable to users: Govt Fewer cases of violence and voter intimidation in West Bengal amid record polling, about 93% votes cast in the second and final phase; exit polls predict BJP+ retaining power in Assam, Pondy; wait begins for May 4 counting Overall turnout close to 93% in West Bengal exit poll DIPA K MO N D A L @ New Delhi it is “inevitable” for countries to pass on higher energy costs to households and industries, according to the Union finance ministry . “Some countries have begun to allow prices to be passed on to end-users – households and businesses. Some are yet to do so. But it is inevitable,” the finance ministry said in its monthly economic review, released on Wednesday . It added that during times of supply disruption, demand has to moderate; otherwise, countries will have to pay a much higher price for energy supplies. Calling for macroeconomic stability, it said any attempts to restore near-term growth may cause significant harm to medium- to long-term growth prospects. The ministry also hinted at prolonged pain, saying restoring energy supplies would take time. “Many international agencies appear guilty of assuming a swift restoration of normalcy to energy supplies. The forecasts do not appear to account for the time required to restore production and resume shipping,” it said, adding that energy prices may stay at higher levels. India’s crude oil basket averaged $113 per barrel in March, and it is just under $115 per barrel for April. According to an ICRA report, marketing margins are estimated at negative `14/litre and `18/litre for petrol and diesel, respectively It further . noted that domestic LPG under recoveries are estimated at `80,000 crore for FY27. According to the ministry , the crisis must be treated as an opportunity to carry out more reforms, including prioritising energy security by creating strategic reserves. It said the domestic decriminalisation and deregulation agenda should proceed irrespective of external developments. Also, regulatory simplification that lowers the cost of imports and exports will be particularly valuable in these times. Trump rejects Iran offer on hormuz US President Donald Trump said he found the Hormuz blockade a little better option than war, while rejecting Iran’s proposal to open the strait but put off talks on the nuclear question | p9 DMK may hold TN, oppn surge seen in Kerala, bengal West Bengal Agency TMC+ BJP VoteVibe (152/294) 51-61 88-98 Matrize 125-140 146-161 PMARQ 118-138 146-161 JVC 131-152 138-159 Chanakya Strategies 130-140 150-160 Peoples Pulse 177-187 95-110 Poll Diary 99-127 142-171 Poll of Polls 131-151 137-157 P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi INC 2-4 6-10 0-2 0-0 1-3 0-0 1-3 OTH 0 6-10 0-0 0-2 6-10 0-2 5-9 2-6 Agency VoteVibe Axis My India Matrize PMARQ Peoples Pulse People’s Insight JVC Poll of Polls Tamil Nadu DMK+ ADMK+ 103-113 114-124 92-110 22-32 122-132 87-100 125-145 65-85 125-145 65-80 120-140 60-70 75-95 128-147 122-134 80-88 TVK 4-10 98-120 10-12 16-26 18-24 30-40 8-15 15-23 OTH 0 0 0-6 1-6 2-6 0-4 0-0 2-4 Agency VoteVibe Matrize PMARQ JVC Axis My India Peoples Pulse Poll of Polls Kerala LDF UDF 58-68 70-80 60-65 70-75 62-69 71-79 52-61 72-84 49-62 78-90 55-65 75-85 55-65 71-81 NDA 0-4 3-5 1-4 3-7 0-3 0-3 2-6 OTH 0 0 0-3 0 0 0 0 Agency VoteVibe Axis My India JVC Chanakya Strategies Matrize PMARQ Poll of Polls Agency Axis My India Peoples Pulse Poll of Polls Assam BJP+ INC+ 90-100 23-33 88-100 24-36 88-101 23-33 88-98 22-32 85-95 25-32 82-94 30-40 88-98 25-35 AUDF 0-6 2-2 03-05 1-3 Puducherry BJP+ INC+ 16-20 6-8 16-19 10-12 18 9 OTH 0 0-3 0-3 0-0 6-12 1-5 0-1 OTH 3-7 1-2 3 Current party positions West Bengal 294 TMC BJP ConG Ind 221 65 1 1 Oth Vacant 3 3 Vacant 7 Tamil Nadu DMK+ AIADMK+ 234 158 69 Assam NDA Cong-led alliance Ind 75 50 1 Kerala LDF UDF Vacant 94 42 4 126 140 Puducherry NDA 30 16 Cong+ 14 With polling ending for the high-stakes elections in four states and a Union Territory, several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a convincing victory for the BJP in Assam and an edge for the Assembly party over the ruling elections TMC in West Bengal, while projecting a second innings for the DMK in Tamil Nadu and a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. Pollsters also forecast the AINRC-led NDA government continuing in power in Puducherry However, exit poll outcomes . could be misleading. In the most keenly watched contest in West Bengal, at least five exit polls predicted a BJP win with 146-175 seats, while two pollsters — People’s Pulse and Janmat polls — gave a stunning win for Mamata Banerjeeled TMC. Matrize said BJP is likely to get 146-161 seats, the TMC was projected to get 125140 seats. In Tamil Nadu, several exit polls forecast a big win for the DMK with the People’s Pulse giving 125-145 to the DMK-led alliance, 65-80 to AIADMK-BJP and 18-24 to actor Vijay’s TVK, which is making its poll debut. However, two exit polls caught everyone by surprise as they predicted a hung House. Axis My India forecast 92-110 for the ruling DMK-led alliance, 22-23 for AIADMK+ and 98-120 for TVK. Another pollster Kamakhya Analytics forecast 78-95 seats for DMK+, 68-84 for AIADMK+ and 67-81 for the TVK. In Kerala, where Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF was looking for a third term, most pollsters predicted a comeback of the Congress-led UDF. According to Axis My India, the UDF would get 78-90 seats, while LDF may get 49-62 and NDA 0-3. Kerala has a total of 140 seats with the majority mark at 71. In Assam, Axis My India predicted a sweep for the BJP fore, casting 88-100 seats for BJP+ and 24-36 for Congress+. People’s Pulse predicted that the NDA would get 68-72 seats in Assam while Congress+ would secure 22-26 seats. As for Puducherry, Axis My India predicted 16-20 for NDA and 6-8 for DMK-Congress. DEO fined for English reply to Telugu query A ses h a c h a r y u l u @ Nalgonda The State Information Commission has imposed a fine on the District Educational Officer (DEO), Nalgonda, for replying in English to a student’s query on the implementation of Telugu in the district education department and for seeking a fee for information that should have been provided free of cost. The case arose after eightyear-old Kannekanti Karthik, a student of MVR School living near Saibaba temple in Shivajinagar, Nalgonda, filed an application under Section 4(1)(B) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act on July 15 last year. Karthik told TNIE that he had sought information on 17 points, including the implementation of the Telugu language in the Nalgonda district education department, the appointment process of all staff members working in the DEO office, their specific responsibilities and their salary details. However, on July 26, the authorities reportedly sent an irrelevant reply in English instead of fur nishing the requested information. Karthik said that after he appealed against receiving a response in English, the office sent a reply in Telugu stating that he would have to pay a fee to obtain the information. He said the authorities did not specify the amount to be paid or the grounds for seeking the fee, though the information ought to have been provided free of cost under Section 4(1)(B) of the RTI Act.  continued on p4 State Information Commissioner Sri Deshala Bhupal congratulates 8-year-old Kannekanti Karthik for his RTI query and for following it up, in Nalgonda on Wednesday S UBH E N DU M A ITI @ Kolkata West Bengal on Wednesday recorded robust polling in the second and final phase of elections with poll participation touching 92.67%, according to the approximate polling trends updated on ECINet app at 12.30 am Thursday . In the first phase of polls held on April 23, the voter turnout was 93.19%. With the latest figures, the overall turnout is 92.93% — the highest in the state since Independence. The last time the state witnessed such a high turnout was in 2011, at 84.72%, when the Trinamool Congress stormed to power by ending 34 years of CPI(M) rule. High voter turnout was visible from the morning with the figure touching 80% as of 3 pm. It rose to 90% by 5 pm. West Bengal has 294 seats. In the first phase, polls were held in 152 constituencies. In the second phase, 142 seats including the high-profile Bhabanipur, outgoing chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s home turf in south Kolkata, went to poll. Compared with past elections riddled with poll violence leading to grievous injuries and deaths, no major bloodshed was reported in the 2026 Assembly elections. The polling was largely peaceful though Voters show their ink-marked fingers after casting their votes in Kolkata on Wednesday | PTI sporadic incidents of violence, intimidation and tampering with EVMs were reported from some districts, prompting security forces to resort to baton charge. Mamata Banerjee alleged security personnel of central armed forces targeted her party workers. “Central forces unleashed terror at the behest of the BJP in the name of holding free and fair elections. They beat and dragged out TMC agents from polling booths in different districts,” she alleged. The BJP alleged that in some polling stations in Falta, the option to vote for the party was blocked using a tape over EVM poll buttons. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said repolling was likely to be announced in booths where EVMs were found tampered with. Tummidihatti must be 150 m, Kishan can talk to Maha: CM E N S @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed officials to speed up the action plan for construction of a barrage at Tummidihatti on the River Godavari with a height of 150 metres, instead of 152 metres, based on expert recommendations. At a review meeting attended by Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Thummala Nageshwara Rao, officials made a presentation on the height options for the project and the quantum of water that could be utilised at various levels. Officials informed Revanth that the state government had spent nearly `11,000 crore on the Pranahita-Chevella project and that canal works had been completed in several stretches. They said 71.5 km of canal excavation had already been finished. Revanth asked Uttam to write to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy seeking his intervention with the Maharashtra government. Uttam was also asked to discuss the matter with Kishan on Thursday  continued on p4 .