SAMBALPUR l wednesday l october 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Israel logs high voter turnout as Netanyahu faces tough fight Nearly 66 per cent voters cast their ballots by 6 pm (9.30 pm IST) in Israel’s crucial general elections on Tuesday, the highest since 1973 polls bibi falls back to tested playbook of 2015 Surveys predicted a tight race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. Locked in a tight race, Netanyahu made a desperate plea to right-wing voters to “wake up” and go vote for his Likud party to avoid formation of a ‘government of Arab parties’, in a repeat of his tested playbook of 2015 ■ Nov 4 several parties allege irregularities ■ 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 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 New face-off brewing on CEC mock impeachment No police permission but Oppn to go ahead with event on Friday P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi the confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the government escalated on Tuesday with the , Congress asserting that the Opposition would go ahead with its proposed mock “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 30, despite the Delhi Police denying permission for the event at two venues. The party alleged permission was first denied for government-owned Hotel Ashok, where the event was originally planned, and subsequently for Ramlila Maidan. The proposed event comes ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan against alleged ‘vote theft’ and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the alliance had sought to hold the event at Ramlila Maidan after permission was denied for Hotel Ashok. However, police Kerala Cong stopped preparations at apologises the ground despite the organisers having the requiThe Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee s i t e p e r m i s s i o n s, h e (KPCC) has tendered alleged. an unconditional “The INDIA bloc had apology to Chief booked Ramlila Maidan Justice of India from October 25 to NovemSurya Kant for a ber 3. So there is no reason disrespectful post on to deny us permission to its official X account. hold our event there on KPCC said it was October 30,” he said. posted without Asserting that the Oppoauthorisation sition would continue its and the person campaign for Kumar’s reresponsible moval, Venugopal said: “If for the post they stop us here, we will has been go to Amit Shah’s house, removed PM Modi’s house, and stage a massive dharna there.” Contesting the Congress’ claims that authorities were stalling its programme, police sources said the Congress had not submitted a separate request for permission to hold the ‘public impeachment’ on October 30. The party had sought permission only for the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan, they said. Speaking to the media, police sources said that the permission for Ashoka Hotel rested with the hotel as the premises were privately owned. They also clarified that it has not withdrawn permission for the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan, saying a no-objection certificate has been granted from the law-and-order perspective. We know everything, will examine all SIR allegations, says SC SUCHITRA K A LYA N M O HA 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 affidavit, the ECI rejected claims that Form 6, the statutory form used for voter registration, had been amended. It clarified that the decFresh plea on laration required under Bihar SIR the SIR is a separate document. The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought The ECI, however, adresponse of the mitted that the way the Election Commission declaration was displayed on a fresh plea on its online platform may by TMC’s Rajya have created the impresSabha MP Dola sion that For m 6 was Sen alleging that made. It said the declarachanges were made tion had been merged into to Form 6 during the the online Form 6 page so Special Intensive that applicants would need Revision (SIR) only one OTP and one eof electoral sign instead of two. rolls in Bihar The poll panel filed its without the 248-page response to a top court’s batch of petitions against approval the ECI’s decisions on SIR, filed on Monday evening. The petitioners, including opposition parties, alleged 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 CJI said the court is cognizant of the issues raised and would consider all aspects. “We know everything. We will examine.” Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for lead petitioner Rakesh Kumar Singh, urged SC to issue directions to preserve the ECI’s file notings and internal communications to ascertain whether decisions were taken unanimously . The bench asked the petitioners to file a comprehensive rejoinder within 10 days and listed the matter on November 17. Cyclone Arnab: Odisha evacuates 18,000 from 8 districts, 48K identified for shifting E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar With Cyclone Arnab set to make landfall along Andhra Pradesh coast early on Wednesday the Odisha government has , started the process of evacuating people from vulnerable areas in eight districts to cyclone shelters and other safer places. As many as 18,000 people have so far been evacuated with around 48,010 identified for shifting from the areas lying along the cyclone’s path. According to an official assessment, Nabarangpur has the highest number of vulnerable pockets with a population of 11,270, followed by Gajapati 11,000 and Malkangiri 9,850. Ganjam has identified 6,500 people for shifting, Koraput 5,000, Kalahandi 2,415, Nuapada 1,675 and Rayagada 300. A total of 466 shelters have been readied in these districts to accommodate them. Special relief commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said evacuation process is on in low-lying and landslide-prone pockets and will continue as People buy polythene sheets as heavy rain is forecast for capital | Shamim Qureshy per the developing situation. To strengthen preparedness on the ground, the state government has released `19 crore as special assistance to the districts likely to be affected. Ganjam has received `5 crore, while Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal have been allocated `2 crore each for relief and preparedness operations, he said. Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari reviewed the state’s preparedness at a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar. Pujari said the eight southern districts are likely to witness heavy rainfall and stormy conditions. Roundthe-clock control rooms have been activated at state and district levels to provide emergency assistance and monitor IMD bulletins continuously . A massive deployment of rescue forces has been made. In Ganjam, nine ODRAF teams, two NDRF teams and 24 Fire Service teams have been deployed while in Gajapati six ODRAF teams, one NDRF team and eight Fire Service teams have been stationed. While Rayagada has three ODRAF, one NDRF and 11 Fire Service teams, in Koraput three ODRAF teams, one NDRF team and 14 Fire Service teams have been deployed. In Malkangiri, three ODRAF, one NDRF and nine Fire Service teams have also been deployed. Similarly, ODRAF, NDRF and Fire Services teams have also been stationed in Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Kalahandi districts, he said. The minister said district administrations have been directed to ensure that all cyclone shelters are fully-equipped and ready for use, with advance stocking of dry food, drinking water, medicines and lighting. Anganwadi centres will remain closed as a precautionary measure. The Health department has been asked to ensure readiness of medical relief centres, mobile health teams, emergency medicines, power backup and emergency obstetric services to safeguard pregnant women and newborns, he added. Nodal officers have been assigned responsibility for floodprone areas. A WhatsApp group has been formed to facilitate real-time coordination among officials and field-level functionaries, he said. east coast gears up for ‘arnab’ Andhra Pradesh stepped up preparations as “very severe” cyclonic storm Arnab hurtled towards the east coast and was expected to make landfall early Wednesday near the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam Maximum wind speeds of 125-135 kmph are likely, IMD said Gusty winds & rough sea conditions witnessed in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday | G Satyanarayana Majhi asks Naveen not to politicise Kotia dispute, Pakistan invited to first civilisational seeks ‘constructive, legally tenable’ suggestions dialogue of SCO from Nov 20 in Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday charged Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik with politicising the l o n g - s t a n d i n g i n t e r- s t at e boundary dispute over the Kotia group of villages in Koraput district rather than advancing constructive and legally tenable solutions. Replying to Naveen’s October 19 letter accusing the state government of failing to protect Odisha’s territorial integrity after Andhra Pradesh announced plans to hold panchayat elections in the Kotia group of villages, Majhi asserted that the villages have been an inte- gral part of Odisha since its formation as a separate state in 1936. “The state government remains firmly committed to safeguarding the territorial integrity and legitimate interests of Odisha. The government had consistently upheld the state’s territorial claims through legal and constitutional means,” the chief minister said. He said priority has been ac- corded to Kotia and adjoining areas to ensure inclusive growth, improve public service delivery and enhance the wellbeing of local residents. “A committee headed by the Revenue and Disaster Management minister and comprising senior officials has been constituted to oversee the integrated development of the Kotia gram panchayat areas. The minister and other ministers and senior officials have also been visiting the region to review development needs and coordinate action,” he added. Calling for restraint and responsibility in dealing with the sensitive inter-state dispute, Majhi said all concerned must respect the judicial process. “The contents of your letter appear to approach this sensitive issue from a political standpoint rather than advance constructive and legally tenable solutions for its resolution,” he told Naveen. The chief minister said his government will continue to defend Odisha’s territorial integrity before appropriate legal and constitutional forums while ensuring the socio-economic advancement of Kotia’s residents. The chief minister also invited the BJD president to submit constructive suggestions for resolving the long-pending dispute, assuring him that the government would consider them. 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 Prime Minister Narendra 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 United Arab Emirates, 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. If Khichi attends, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani minister to India since the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa in 2023 which was attended by Bilawal Bhutto. Despite strained bilateral relations, India has continued to participate in SCO engagements involving Pakistan. In September 2026, India sent SCO National Coordinator Alok Dimri to Islamabad for a meeting ahead of Pakistan’s presidency of the grouping. SC notice to govt as digital publishers argue data law will force newsrooms to close down SUCHITRA K A LYA N M O HA N TY @New Delhi 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 Divan, 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 Act endangers sources of journalists, says petition The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA)’s petition contends that the law trampled on investigative work of journalists and endangered journalists’ sources. Earlier drafts of the law carved out an exemption for journalists. However, as the final legislation has not exempted media outlets, the law infringes on press freedom, the publishers said. The DPDP Act aims to protect digital data of users, raising compliance requirements for platforms like Meta and Google 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 pro- visions 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 a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. “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,” the CJI said, clarifying that there had to be balance to ensure people’s rights are not abused. “If there’s something inaccurate, we must face consequences... We are regulated by Press Council etc,” Divan submitted. DNPA has separately 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 Union law and electronics and information technology ministries and listed the matter for November 17.