HYDERABAD l wednesday l october 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION Israel logs high voter turnout as Netanyahu faces tough fight 74.3% voters cast their ballots by 8 pm (11.30 pm IST) in Israel’s general elections on Tuesday, up from 66.3% in 2022. Polling ends at 10 pm bibi falls back to tested playbook of 2015 several parties allege irregularities Surveys predicted a tight race between PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. The poll panel rejected Bibi’s plea to extend voting hours. Locked in a tight race, Netanyahu made a desperate plea to right-wing voters to “wake up” and vote for Likud party to avoid a ‘government of Arab parties’, in a repeat of his playbook of 2015 ■ ■ Several parties, including Eisenkot’s Yashar and Bennett’s B’Yachad, alleged irregularities, including missing or defaced ballot slips and suspected attempts to interfere with voting | P9 Arab citizens, who make up about 21 per cent of Israel’s population, could play a significant role in the post-election arithmetic Nov 4 is when the results will be announced 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 CEC mock impeachment BJP picks Hyd for rally, with eye on TG at Kharge’s house on Fri I r e d d y S r i n i v a s Re d d y @ Hyderabad Decision after police deny nod to hold it at two different locations P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi as the confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the government escalated on Tuesday over denial of venues for the mock ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Congress said the programme will be held at the official residence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday . The decision came after the Congress claimed the Delhi Police denied permission for the event at two venues. The party said permission was first denied for government-owned Hotel Ashok, where the event was originally planned, and subsequently for Ramlila Maidan. In a letter to INDIA bloc leaders, Kharge said, “I request you to kindly assemble on 30 October 2026 at 3.30 pm at 10 Rajaj Marg, in connection with the public impeachment of the CEC. Kindly make it convenient to attend.” The proposed event comes ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan Kerala Cong against alleged ‘vote theft’ apologises and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) The Kerala Pradesh of electoral rolls. Congress Committee (KPCC) has tendered Earlier, Congress genan unconditional eral secretary (organisaapology to Chief tion) K C Venugopal said Justice of India the bloc had sought to hold Surya Kant for a the event at Ramlila Maiddisrespectful post on an after permission was its official X account. denied for Hotel Ashok. KPCC said it was However, police stopped posted without preparations at the ground authorisation despite the organisers havand the person ing the requisite permisresponsible sions, he alleged. “INDIA for the post bloc had booked Ramlila has been Maidan from October 25 to removed November 3. So there is no reason to deny us permission to hold our event there on October 30.” Asserting that the Opposition would continue its campaign for Kumar’s removal, Venugopal said: “If they stop us here, we will go to Amit Shah’s house, PM Modi’s house, and stage a massive dharna there.” Police sources told the media that the Congress had not submitted a separate request for permission to hold the ‘public impeachment’ on Friday adding that the party had sought per, mission only for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan. They said the permission for Ashoka Hotel rests with the hotel as the premises are privately owned. Also, the permission for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan has not been withdrawn, sources added. We know everything, will examine all SIR allegations, says SC S U CHITRA K A LYA N M OHA N TY @ New Delhi THE Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that all its decisions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were unanimously approved by the full poll panel, rejecting allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ignored the opinions of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. In its joint affidavit filed by the CEC and the two ECs, the poll panel rejected allegations that Form 6 had been amended. It said the declaration reFresh plea on quired under SIR is a sepaBihar SIR rate document. Senior advocate Vikas The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought Singh, appearing for lead response of the petitioner Rakesh Kumar Election Commission Singh, urged SC to issue on a fresh plea directions to preserve by TMC’s Rajya ECI’s file notings to ascerSabha MP Dola tain whether decisions Sen alleging that were taken unanimously . changes were made The CJI said the court is to Form 6 during the cognizant of the issues Special Intensive raised and would consider Revision (SIR) all aspects. “We know eveof electoral r y t h i n g . We w i l l rolls in Bihar examine.” without the The petitioners, includtop court’s ing opposition parties, alapproval leged SIR was being carried out in a hurried manner, risking mass deletion of voters. They sought the court’s direction to put on hold the exercise and to frame guidelines. The bench asked the petitioners to file a rejoinder within 10 days and listed the matter on November 17. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders, and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for TMC MP Dola Sen, raised concerns regarding Form 6. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the ECI, refuted the allegations and maintained that the submissions were rhetoric. The ECI, however, admitted that the way the declaration was displayed on its online platform may have been confusing. The BJP’s decision to hold the November 2 “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy” rally in Hyderabad, rather than in another city in the country points to , the importance it attaches to consolidating its base in Telangana. With Union Home Minister Amit Shah expected to attend the rally at Tank Bund, the party is treating the event as more than a show of strength by its state unit. The choice of Telangana, where the Congress is in power, is particularly relevant as the BJP prepares to counter the INDIA bloc’s November 1 protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan City turns into an arena for Cong, BJP battle The BJP’s Hyderabad event is intended to counter the protests spearheaded by the Congress against the SIR process. The choice of venue, too, reflects the saffron party’s long-term political calculations against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The back-to-back rallies have added a political dimension to the SIR debate. While the INDIA bloc is challenging the exercise, the BJP seeks to defend it and counter the Opposition’s allegations. By bringing Shah to Hyderabad, the party is also signalling that its campaign in Telangana has the backing of the central leadership. The state unit is working towards a turnout of around one lakh people, with MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders instructed to mobilise cadres. Shah’s participation has raised the stakes for the organisers, for whom the rally will also serve as a test of the party’s organisational strength. The Congress has already held rallies and a ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ programme against the SIR process in Telangana. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, ministers, legislators and other party leaders also participated in the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. The BJP’s Hyderabad event is intended to provide a counterpoint to that mobilisation, with the state emerging as a venue for a debate being played out nationally . The rally also comes as Telangana in-charge Sunil Bansal works to strengthen the BJP’s organisation.  continued on P4 365 mandals declared drought-hit E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad The state government on Tuesday declared 365 mandals in 31 districts drought-affected for Kharif-2026 and directed district collectors to initiate relief measures. Of these, 111 mandals were classified as severely drought-affected and 254 as moderately drought-affected. Nalgonda and Sangareddy (28 mandals each), Suryapet (23), Vikarabad and Adilabad (20 each), Nizamabad and Rangareddy (18 each), Yadadri and Khammam (17 each) and Bhadradri-Kothagudem (16) were among the worst-affected districts. According to GO 3, issued by Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, the notification will remain valid for six months unless withdrawn earlier. District collectors, along with the directors of Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Husbandry and the Civil Supplies Corporation, have been directed to initiate relief measures, maintain registers of beneficiaries and expenditure, and submit regular progress reports to the Revenue (Disaster Management) department. Mandals not included in the Old paddy prices touch record `5,000 per quintal in Warangal Pak invited to first civilisational dialogue of SCO Unprecedented demand from private traders for finequality paddy has pushed prices to a record `5,000 per quintal U M a h e s h @ Warangal in the erstwhile Warangal district, up from `4,000 for oneyear-old produce. Traders are offering prices well above the prevailing market rate and are even willing to buy freshly harvested paddy with moisture content of up to 20%, despite the government procurement limit of 14%. The unusual demand comes amid a shortfall in paddy cultivation attributed to the El Nino effect. Traders are buying and storing the produce in anticipation of demand in the next season, driving up prices of the fine variety . The Minimum Support Price for paddy from the current season is at `2,400 per quintal, with a bonus of `500 from the Telangana government taking the total to `2,900. Private traders, however, are offering around `3,700 per quintal for finevariety paddy, including produce that would not meet the government’s moisture requirements. While government procurement centres accept paddy with moisture content of up to 14%, private traders are purchasing produce with moisture levels of up to 20%.  continued on p2 notification will continue to be monitored by the State Drought Monitoring Cell and may be added through a supplementary notification if conditions warrant, the GO said. Relief measures will include input subsidies through Direct Benefit Transfer, augmentation of drinking water supplies, fodder arrangements and cattle camps where required, and employment generation under VB-G RAM G. continued on p2 express read Cyclone Arnab to make landfall close to Yanam Visakhapatnam: Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab is expected to make landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by Wednesday forenoon, the IMD said, warning of wind speeds of 125 to 135 kmph | P5 DRDO scientist ends life over ‘work pressure’ Bengaluru: Sharad Katiyar (47), a senior scientist, attached to the DRDO, ended his life by jumping from the fourth floor of an apartment at Seegehalli on October 21. His family alleged that he was suffering from severe work-related stress and depression for over a month | P5 j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi INDIA will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) first Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi between November 20 and November 22, with Pakistan’s Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, among those invited to attend, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday . Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the forum, which will bring together representatives from more than 25 countries at Purana Quila, a 16th-century fort in the national capital. The Ministry of Culture will partner with the Ministry of External Affairs in organising the event. The initiative was proposed by Modi at the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin in 2025 and subsequently adopted by the grouping. Culture ministers from all 10 member states, including Russia, China, the UAE, Iran and Belarus, have been invited, along with representatives from observer and dialogue partner countries, sources said. Pakistan is yet to confirm who will attend the event from its side. Data law will force newsrooms to close, digital publishers tell SC You are experts, suggest how to ensure no misuse: CJI S U CHITRA K A LYA N M OHA N TY @New Delhi the sharma show Abhishek Sharma celebrates his 35-ball ton, the joint-second fastest T20I hundred by an Indian. He scored a 38-ball 113 (9X4, 11X6) as visitors chased down 199 in 13.2 overs against New Zealand. India secured the 5-match series 3-0 on Tuesday | bcci Newsrooms will shut down if journalists are forced to seek permission before reporting on a person, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday while challenging the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and DPDP Rules. The court, which refused to stay the Act, issued notice to the Centre on the plea that contends the law infringes on press freedom and right to information. Senior advocate Madhavi Di- During the hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the petitioners — digital news publishers — were in the best position to suggest safeguards to the government. “You are the domain experts. You are the best person to suggest to the Union and us how you will ensure there’s no misuse,” he said. Before issuing notice the Centre, the CJI clarified that there had to be balance in how to ensure that the rights of people are not abused. van, appearing for DNPA, informed the SC that this was the first comprehensive challenge of the law by ‘legacy’ media. The DNPA comprises 21 media outlets, including NDTV Net, work 18 and TNIE. “If I am left to the mercy of the data principal on whether he or she will give consent, the concept of news will be gone... News has to be new. What’s the point if I have to ask for permission and consent? Please stay the impugned provisions... how can we ask for your permission before reporting on you. We are regulated. The provisions will shut down the newsroom,” Divan contended. “We will never pass an exparte order without hearing the other side. You have to tell us how you will be regulating yourself,” said the bench of CJI Surya Kant, and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. “If there’s something inaccurate, we must face consequences... We are regulated by Press Council etc,” Divan submitted. The DNPA has also challenged the amendment, via the DPDP Act, of Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act by creating an exemption for “personal information”. The SC issued notice to the Law and Electronics and IT ministries and listed the matter for November 17. The petition contends that the law trampled on investigative work of journalists and endangered sources. Earlier drafts of the law carved out an exemption for journalism but the final legislation has not exempted media outlets.