Opposition Parties to March to Election Commission Tomorrow Over SIR

------ Opposition Parties to March to Election Commission Tomorrow Over SIR Nineteen opposition parties will hold a protest in Delhi tomorrow against the Special Intensive Revision or SIR of electoral rolls. Opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc will take out a ‘Save Democracy March’ from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters. They will walk around three kilometres to reach the Election Commission office. The opposition parties have been raising concerns over the SIR process and demanding action on their issues. The protest is aimed at putting pressure on the Election Commission. The opposition parties had also held a similar protest around a year ago. ------ CJP Claims Leaders May Be Arrested Ahead of October 10 Protest CJP leaders have claimed that the government may arrest some of their leaders ahead of their planned protest against the Special Intensive Revision or SIR. CJP spokesperson Sourav Das claimed that the government is preparing to arrest Abhijeet Dipke Ashutosh Ratna and other party leaders before the October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Abhijeet Dipke said the leaders would not be scared and would continue their protest against the SIR process. The CJP has announced the Jantar Mantar demonstration for October 10. The group is demanding action over issues linked to the voter-list revision. The claims about possible arrests have been made by CJP leaders. There is no confirmation of any arrest plan from the government so far. The protest is expected to focus on the SIR process and its impact on voters. ------ Bypoll Battle: Nandigram Tamil Nadu Among Six Seats By-elections will be held on October 6 in six seats across West Bengal Tamil Nadu Puducherry and Assam. The results will be announced on October 9. In West Bengal voting will take place in Nandigram and Rejinagar. Nandigram is important for the BJP while Rejinagar has a multi-cornered contest involving several parties. Tamil Nadu will vote in Dharapuram and Madurantakam. These polls are being watched closely as a test for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and his government. Puducherry will vote in Thattanchavady while Assam will hold a Lok Sabha bypoll in Nagaon. The bypoll results will not decide the future of any government but they will give an indication of the political mood after the recent elections. ------ SC to Hear Pleas Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Today The Supreme Court will hear two petitions against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar today over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision or SIR. The petitions allege that around 14 decisions linked to the SIR were taken without the consent of the other two Election Commissioners. The petitioners have sought cancellation of these decisions a case against the CEC and an SIT probe into the removal of voters’ names during the SIR process. They have also asked that Gyanesh Kumar be kept away from official work until the final decision in the case. The hearing will take place before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana. The petitions claim that 13 crore names were removed during the SIR process across 30 states and Union Territories. ------- Massive Fire Breaks Out in Maharashtra’s Latur A massive fire broke out at an electrical shop in Maharashtra’s Latur city on Sunday night. The fire started around 10:30 PM in the Gandhi Market area. Soon after the incident was reported a fire brigade team reached the spot and started efforts to control the flames. The fire caused panic in the busy market area. Firefighters worked to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby shops and buildings. No injuries have been reported so far. The exact cause of the fire is not yet known. Further details are awaited. ------ Imran Khan Supporters March Towards Islamabad 2000 Arrested Thousands of supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan have started a long march towards Islamabad. The protesters began their journey from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa around 275 kilometres from the capital. The march is demanding Imran Khan’s release. Tension rose about three kilometres from Lakki Marwat when supporters clashed with security forces. Stones were thrown from both sides and police used batons to control the crowd. The clash continued for nearly an hour before the march resumed. Around 2000 people have reportedly been arrested. Key roads and areas near Parliament have also been sealed. Meanwhile PTI lawmaker Shahzad Shahbaz and Army Chief Asim Munir held a meeting amid rising tensions. Details of the meeting are not yet known. ------ US Pulls B-1 Bombers From UK Airbase After Security Scare The United States has withdrawn all its B-1 bomber aircraft from the Fairford Airbase in Britain. Around 12 B-1 bombers were deployed there. The Pentagon confirmed the move on Sunday. Security at the airbase had recently been tightened after five people were arrested over a suspected terror plot. However all five suspects were later released on bail. US President Donald Trump had expressed his anger over the release of the accused on bail. The withdrawal comes amid increased security concerns at the British airbase. ------- Sensex Rises 400 Points Nifty Gains 100 The Indian stock market is trading higher today October 5. The Sensex has gained more than 400 points and is trading around 72400. The Nifty has also risen by more than 100 points and is trading near 22550. Buying is strong in banking metal and FMCG stocks. Investors are showing interest in these sectors. The market has started the day on a positive note. Both major indices are showing gains in morning trade. Market experts are closely watching the movement of banking and metal stocks as trading continues today. ---- India Wins Hockey Gold After 44 Years No Handshake in Cricket India won 21 gold medals and a total of 85 medals at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya Japan. In cricket Indian players continued not shaking hands with Pakistani players. However the Indian and Pakistani hockey teams hugged each other after their match. In athletics Vithya Ramraj broke a 42-year-old record of PT Usha. The Indian women’s hockey team also created history. Goalkeeper Savita Punia made an important save from a penalty stroke in the final. Her save helped India win the women’s hockey gold medal after 44 years. ------ Floods Hit UP and Bihar MP May Get Rain From Oct 7 Floods have affected several parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar while Madhya Pradesh may receive rain from October 7. In Uttar Pradesh 10 rivers are flowing above the danger mark in 11 districts. In Lucknow water from the Gomti River has entered around 40000 homes. Nearly 10000 people have moved to safer places. Boats are being used in flooded streets. In Bihar floods have affected around 466 villages across six districts. Nearly eight lakh people are affected while over 92000 have been shifted to safer places. So far 27 people have died in flood-related incidents. In Madhya Pradesh the weather has turned warmer during the day and colder at night. Rain is expected in 14 cities between October 7 and 9. Meanwhile Rajasthan recorded 41 degrees Celsius in Pilani on Sunday. -