Ambani security scare case: NIA probes Sachin Vaze | All you need to know

Cyclone Arnab has caused widespread damage in coastal Andhra Pradesh, with the death toll rising to six. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu confirmed the casualties and announced an ex gratia compensation of five lakh rupees for the families of the deceased. Financial assistance of ten thousand rupees for partially damaged houses and twenty-five thousand rupees for destroyed shops has also been announced, along with relief for farmers facing extensive crop destruction. Strong gale winds flattened rice, banana, and coconut plantations across districts including Kakinada, Uppada, and Konaseema. The Andhra Pradesh government has reached out to the central government, requesting an assessment team to secure additional financial assistance.

The Madras High Court has ruled that non-Hindus cannot enter temples in Tamil Nadu without affirming reverence for the presiding deity and agreeing to follow temple customs and practices. The court highlighted the example set during a visit to the Madurai Meenakshi Temple, where the Chief Minister, a Christian by faith, signed the mandatory undertaking declaring reverence for Goddess Meenakshi. Pulling up other political figures over incidents of non-Hindus entering shrines, including an episode at a temple in Tiruvannamalai, the High Court observed that affirming reverence rather than undergoing conversion represents an inclusive approach to maintaining temple traditions.

A review of legislative council election results across several states reveals significant setbacks for the Congress party, which failed to win any seats in the highlighted contests. In Karnataka, the National Democratic Alliance secured all four seats, with three going to the Bharatiya Janata Party and one to the Janata Dal (Secular). In Uttar Pradesh, out of eleven seats, the BJP bagged six while the Samajwadi Party won five. Maharashtra saw the NDA win three of five seats, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi securing two. In Bihar, the NDA took four seats, the Rashtriya Janata Dal won one, Jan Suraaj secured one, and independents bagged two, showing regional parties holding ground while Congress remains absent.

A debate on television pitted Congress leader Raghu Doddi Reddy against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anand Gurumurthy over the Karnataka MLC poll results. Following the Bharatiya Janata Party and NDA victory in council elections conducted via paper ballots, the anchor questioned whether the outcome blunts the Congress party's ongoing allegations regarding Electronic Voting Machines. Raghu Doddi Reddy acknowledged the mandate, stating, 'We will stick to our demand that we will continue future elections will be held only by using the ballot papers.' He argued that the seats lost were traditional BJP strongholds and that a limited electorate cannot reflect the entire state. Anand Gurumurthy hit back, asserting that educated graduate and teacher constituencies rejected the Congress government's policies and fiscal management. He accused the opposition of attacking constitutional bodies like the Election Commission of India without presenting evidence, maintaining that the electorate has validated NDA development policies.