National News
Seven-phase polls in five states from Feb 10-Mar 7, counting on Mar 10
Spanned over seven phases, the elections to five states Assemblies — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gao, Punjab and Manipur — would be held from February 10 to March 7, and the counting of votes will take place on March 10, the Election Commission of India announced on Saturday.
Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on February 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 and 7; Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand would vote on February 14; while Manipur will vote in two phases on February 27 and March 3, said Chief Election Commissioner Sudhir Chandra .
The elections would be held following full Covid protocols.
Up to January 15, no physical rallies roadshows, padyatras, or vehicle rallies will be allowed keeping in view the pandemic situation. All parties have been advised to conduct campaigns in virtual mode.
Invoking Aarticle 171 (1), Chandra said that the Assembly tenure has to end in five years and, therefore, elections are necessary.
As per the Covid protocols for conducting elections, all elections officials will be double vaccinated, will be given a booster dose and will also be treated as frontline workers. Booths would be fully sanitised and there will be adequate gloves, sanitizers etc for the polling staff.
More than 15 crore people in the five poll-bound states have received the first dose of the vaccine, while nine crore people have received both the shots.
Polling time has been increased by one hour in all the states.
The final electoral rolls were published on January 5. There are a total of 18.34 crore voters, including service voters. Of these, 8.55 crore are women. The EC has made an effort to increase the number of voters and as a result, all states have seen an increase, with the maximum voter increase in Uttar Pradesh.
There are a total of 24.5 lakh first time electors and 30.47 lakh senior citizens. The EC has capped the number of voters per booth to 1,250, resulting in an increase in the number of polling stations to 30,334 as the average number of voters per polling booth has decreased.
At least one booth in each Assembly constituency will be managed exclusively by women, Chandra said.
“It will now be mandatory to publish criminal records of candidates minimum three times in local newspapers and television channels. Even the parties are expected to do so with their candidates,” he said.
Earlier, Chandra said that the Commission has set out three goals for these elections: Covid-free elections, hassle-free voting experience and maximum participation by voters.
The preparations have been going on for at least six months with EC teams visiting poll-bound states.
Crime
Woman tourist harassment case: Two Kerala cops suspended, two taxi drivers arrested (Lead)

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3: In a swift action following the viral video of a woman tourist being harassed by local taxi drivers in Munnar, the Kerala Police, on Monday, have suspended two officials and taken two taxi drivers — identified as Vinayakan and Vijayakumar — into custody.
The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media, prompting the state government to promise corrective steps to ensure tourist safety in the hill station.
The video, originally posted by Janvi, a Mumbai-based assistant professor, showed a group of taxi drivers confronting and intimidating her and her friends for booking an online cab instead of a local taxi near the KSRTC bus stand in Munnar on October 30.
The drivers, reportedly opposed to app-based taxi services, allegedly warned the tourists that they would not be allowed to travel unless they hired local taxis.
Janvi alleged that when she approached the police for help, officers failed to act, echoing the stance of the taxi union.
“We were forced to take another vehicle and eventually cut short our trip out of fear,” she said in the video, which has since been deleted but had already gone viral.
Following the public outcry, the Munnar police registered a suo motu case under Sections 126(2), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation.
The FIR did not initially name any accused, but police have since identified three taxi drivers, two of whom are in custody, with the third expected to be taken into custody soon.
State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas called the incident “unfortunate” and said it “should never have happened,” adding that steps will be taken to strengthen police vigilance and prevent the harassment of tourists in the future.
The incident has reignited debate over the monopoly of local taxi unions in tourist destinations and the challenges faced by app-based cab services in Kerala.
Entertainment
Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ hops on December 25 release after ‘Alpha’ moves to April

Mumbai, Nov 3: Bollywood is a place where timing is of essence. Be it the box-office clashes or their aversion, timing plays a huge role in how things play out on the ticket windows.
The Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’, which was earlier scheduled to close the entertainment year on December 31, 2025, now has a new release date. The film is set to arrive in cinemas on December 25, 2025.
Over the past few years, Kartik Aaryan has emerged as one of the most bankable stars in the country, consistently delivering hits across genres. Whether it’s a mass entertainer, a romantic drama, the actor’s name alone now commands strong box office openings. His relatability, charm, and growing stardom have positioned him as the face of the new-age commercial cinema, someone who bridges the gap between youth appeal and family audiences.
However, the true star power also lies in being smart with the release of the films. The change in the release date of the film comes shortly after Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Alpha’ vacated December 25, and shifted to April 17, 2026. Kartik, and the makers made a quick decision to consolidate the closing week of 2025 at the box-office.
With Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, Kartik seems to have found his festive rhythm from lighting up Diwali with laughter and emotion in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 to now taking over Christmas with love and melody. Well, the excitement is sky rocketing amongst the audience and business.
The film also marks the reunion of Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, who are all set to recreate their sizzling on-screen chemistry after years. They were earlier seen together in ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’.
Produced by Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures, the rom-com is directed by Sameer Vidwans, with whom Kartik delivered the much-loved romantic drama ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’.
Business
Indian stock markets end higher after two days of losses

Mumbai, Nov 3: Indian equity markets ended a volatile session on a positive note on Monday, snapping a two-day losing streak.
Gains in real estate and state-owned bank stocks helped lift the indices despite early weakness.
After opening lower, the Sensex recovered to touch an intra-day high of 84,127 before closing 39.78 points, or 0.05 per cent, higher at 83,978.49.
The Nifty also gained 41.25 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 25,763.35.
“The Nifty oscillated between 25,700 and 25,800 through the day, showing resilience after briefly dipping below the October 24 low of 25,718,” analysts said.
“The zone between 25,660–25,700 once again acted as a strong demand pocket, helping the index recover intraday losses and maintain a constructive tone ahead of key global data releases,” they added.
Among the Sensex stocks, Maruti Suzuki fell over 3 per cent and was among the top losers along with Titan Company, BEL, TCS, ITC, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Steel and tech Mahindra.
On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, and HCL Tech were the major gainers.
In the broader markets, the Nifty MidCap index rose 0.77 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.72 per cent, showing strength beyond the frontline stocks.
Among sectoral indices, PSU bank shares led the rally, with the Nifty PSU Bank index climbing 1.92 per cent.
Bank of Baroda surged 5 per cent, while Canara Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, and Indian Bank also gained.
The Nifty Metal and Realty indices also added up to 2 per cent each.
Meanwhile, the FMCG, Private Bank, and IT indices slipped up to 0.4 per cent, capping the market’s overall gains.
Analysts said that despite mixed global cues and cautious investor sentiment, buying in select sectors helped the markets end the day in the green.
“The domestic market ended on a marginal positive note as profit booking was visible at the higher levels due to the absence of fresh domestic triggers,” market watchers said.
“While the broader market outperformed since the quarterly earnings are steering investors’ preference to take a short- to medium-term view,” they mentioned.
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