THE HEADLINES:
- Nearly 90 per cent voter turnout recorded in repolling at 15 booths of two assembly constituencies of West Bengal; Counting of votes on Monday for Assembly polls in West Bengal, Keralam, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry.
- Election Commission deploys additional Counting Observers and Police Observers in West Bengal.
- Government launches Cell Broadcast System to strengthen India’s emergency communication systems and enhance public safety infrastructure.
- Four security personnel killed in an IED blast near Kanker-Narayanpur district border in Chhattisgarh.
- Renowned lyricist Prasoon Joshi appointed as Chairman of Prasar Bharati.
- In Cricket, BCCI announces Indian squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
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In West Bengal, nearly 90 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the repolling held today across 15 booths in South 24 Parganas district. These include 11 booths in Magrahat Paschim constituency and four in Diamond Harbour seat.
Re-polling remained largely peaceful across the two assembly segments.
The repolling was ordered by the Election Commission on the basis of reports received from the concerned Returning Officers and the Observers.
Voting on these polling stations was held on the 29th of last month in the second phase of assembly elections.
Counting of votes for the Assembly elections held in West Bengal, Keralam, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry, will be held on Monday. Voting for all 126 seats in Assam, 140 in Keralam and 30 seats in Puducherry was held on the 9th of April. Polling for all 234-Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and for the first phase in West Bengal, covering 152 seats was held on the 23rd of April. Voting for the second phase in West Bengal took place on the 29th of last month for 142 constituencies.
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The Election Commission has deployed additional Counting Observers and Police Observers in West Bengal. A total of 165 Additional Counting Observers have been assigned to assist Counting Observers, while 77 Police Observers have been deployed to strengthen security and oversee law and order arrangements around counting centres.
The Commission said these measures are aimed at ensuring that the counting process is conducted in a secure, peaceful, intimidation-free and transparent manner. However, it clarified that Police Observers will not enter the counting halls under any circumstances on the day of vote counting.
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In Tamil Nadu, preparations are in full swing for the counting of votes for Assembly elections, to be held on Monday. More from our correspondent:
“The Election Commission held a training on the counting procedures for returning officers, micro observers, assistant returning officers, supervisors and assistants. Over ten lakh postal voters, including those on electoral duties and also those aged above 85 years of age have cast their votes. The State has created a historic record turnout of 85.10 per cent according to the Election Commission without any untoward incident. Karur, Assembly constituency, not only had a maximum of 79 contestants but also recorded a maximum of 89 per cent votes the highest in the state. The constituency has a total electorate of 8 lakh,52 thousand and 690 voters choosing the winner. On the whole, a total of five crore, 73 lakhs, 43 thousand 291 voters exercised their franchise in 75 thousand 64 polling stations in the State. JOY, AKASHVANI NEWS, CHENNAI.”
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The Supreme Court of India has declined to interfere with the Election Commission’s decision to appoint only central government employees as counting supervisors in West Bengal elections. A bench comprising Justice P. S. Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the Commission’s guidelines must be strictly followed. The ruling comes as a setback for the Trinamool Congress, which had challenged the move.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said the valour of the country’s armed forces is not confined to the battlefield, as they also provide assistance to people during calamities. Mr Singh was speaking at an event in New Delhi organised ahead of the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor. The Defence Minister said, the unmatched valour of soldiers has made Operation Sindoor a golden chapter in India’s military history. Mr Singh also commended the dedication and patriotism of the armed forces, noting that their ethos of ‘Nation First, Service Before Self’ continues to define India’s military traditions from ancient times to present-day operations.
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Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia today launched the Cell Broadcast System (CBS) to strengthen India’s emergency communication systems and enhance public safety infrastructure. A nationwide test of the system was successfully conducted today, during which emergency alert messages were broadcast to mobile phones. Speaking at the launch in New Delhi, the Minister called it a transformative step in India’s disaster management framework, reflecting the shift from a reactive to a proactive approach in safeguarding citizens.
Our Correspondent Reports, Pan-India trials of the CBS have been successfully completed, with training conducted across all States and Union Territories.
“The Cell Broadcast System, CBS offers precise geo-targeting capabilities, enabling alerts to be disseminated at the level of individual cell towers or clusters, while also allowing scalability to cover larger geographic areas. It overcomes the limitations of traditional SMS-based systems, ensuring that critical information can be disseminated quickly and efficiently to large populations within targeted areas. The system enables near real-time, multilingual alerts that provide critical time for protective action in disasters such as flash floods and gas leaks, reaching users within seconds without any queuing delays. These alerts are delivered as priority notifications, appearing as pop-up messages accompanied by distinct loud tones, with message text read aloud on supported mobile handsets. With Anand and Rishu, Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News Delhi.”
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In Chhattisgarh, four security personnel lost their lives in an IED blast near the Kanker-Narayanpur district border today. The incident occurred when these personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) were on an operation to defuse an improvised explosive device (IED). According to police, a DRG team had been deployed for de-mining, area domination and search operations under the Chhotebethiya police station limits.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, said that based on inputs from surrendered Maoists and other sources, a large number of IEDs have been recovered and neutralised in the Bastar division in recent months.
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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has appointed noted lyricist, writer and communication expert Prasoon Joshi as the Chairman of Prasar Bharati, India’s public service broadcaster.
Mr Joshi is a distinguished creative professional with wide-ranging contributions across literature, advertising, cinema, and public communication.
On his appointment, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, Mr Joshi is a rare creative spirit celebrated across the world in advertising, literature, art and cinema. The Minister expressed satisfaction that under his stewardship, Prasar Bharati will discover renewed energy, deeper purpose, and a fresh creative voice.
Earlier, Mr Joshi served as Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification in Mumbai.
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The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Summit concluded at Surat today, with the signing of a record 2,792 Memorandums of Understanding worth over three lakh 53 thousand crore rupees.
Addressing the valedictory session, Union Minister J.P. Nadda said India must turn global supply chain disruptions into opportunities and emerge as a self-reliant manufacturing hub. He stressed that building resilience and boosting manufacturing capacity are among the country’s top priorities. Mr. Nadda added that such regional summits play a key role in achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said, the agreements signed during the summit are expected to generate direct employment for over 2.82 lakh youth in the next three years. More from our correspondent:
“The Minister of State Harsh Sanghavi also highlighted a strategic plan of the government to develop non-polluting industries in tribal districts like Tapi, Dang, Valsad, and Bharuch, with a special focus on maximizing participation of women. He also informed that the meet also focussed on expanding Surat’s traditional textile base into a more comprehensive garment and apparel sector and economic empowerment of the local industries. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Surat.”
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The National Highway Authority of India has launched the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) based tolling system at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the National Highway-48 in Gujarat. The MLFF framework introduces barrier-less tolling with minimal human intervention, enabling vehicles to pass through toll locations without stopping and ensuring seamless traffic flow.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the appointment of Dr R Balasubramaniam and Dr Joram Aniya as full-time members of NITI Aayog. The Cabinet Secretariat informed about the appointment through a gazette notification.
Prime Minister has said that it is a matter of immense delight that on the occasion of Buddha Purnima yesterday, the ‘Sacred Exposition of the Holy Relics of the Tathagata’ was inaugurated in Leh. In a social media post, Mr Modi said, these revered relics are linked to the Piprahwa Stupa in Kapilavastu and were excavated in the closing years of the nineteenth century. He said, they embody the enduring teachings of Lord Buddha. The Prime Minister said, the exposition will continue till 14th of May and in the coming days, it will also travel to Zanskar. He said, it offers a valuable opportunity for people from across Ladakh to pay their respects. Mr Modi said, it will also boost spiritual and cultural tourism in Ladakh.
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Four-time Italian Paralympic gold-medallist and former Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi has died. He was 59. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed Zanardi as a great champion and an extraordinary man.
Born in Bologna, Zanardi competed in Formula 1 for five seasons and achieved a best finish of sixth at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix before a major crash in 2001 resulted in both his legs being amputated.
The racing legend recovered from his life-changing operation to become a Paralympic champion, first competing in the London Games in 2012 and claiming two gold medals in the para-cycling category before two more followed in Rio de Janeiro four years later.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India today announced the Indian women’s squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the side, with Smriti Mandhana named as vice-captain. The tournament will be hosted by England, beginning on 12th June, with the final scheduled at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 5th July.
India’s 15-member squad features a strong batting lineup, including Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, and Richa Ghosh. Yastika Bhatia and Radha Yadav have returned to the side, while uncapped pacer Nandni Sharma has earned a surprise call-up.
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In IPL Cricket, Mumbai Indians were 142 for six in 18 overs against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, when reports last came in. Earlier, Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Kerala, Mahe, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal tomorrow. Thunderstorms and hailstorms will prevail over Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. Delhi, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rayalaseema, Uttarakhand, Vidarbha and West Bengal will experience thunderstorms and lightning for the next two days.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Nearly 90 per cent voter turnout recorded in repolling at 15 booths of two assembly constituencies of West Bengal; Counting of votes on Monday for Assembly polls in West Bengal, Keralam, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry.
- Election Commission deploys additional Counting Observers and Police Observers in West Bengal.
- Government launches Cell Broadcast System to strengthen India’s emergency communication systems and enhance public safety infrastructure.
- Four security personnel killed in an IED blast near Kanker-Narayanpur district border in Chhattisgarh.
- Renowned lyricist Prasoon Joshi appointed as Chairman of Prasar Bharati.
- In Cricket, BCCI announces Indian squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
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