BJP Attacks Congress Over North-South Divide, Remarks on Hindu Deities

The Election Commission of India has restored the original Form 6 format for non-SIR states, removing the extra declaration annex, Annexure D, from online voter registration. Under this update, new eighteen-year-old voters will no longer be required to provide their parents' or grandparents' previous electoral details, such as constituency booth and serial numbers, ending mandatory family mapping in those regions. However, the additional declaration requirement will continue in states where the Special Summary Revision is currently underway. The decision follows political controversy and scrutiny from the opposition INDIA bloc regarding voter registration procedures and past irregularities.

Tensions between the Left parties and the ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu have come out into the open ahead of assembly by-elections. CPI(M) leader P. Shanmugam claimed that by-polls are not in favour of TVK and alleged that TVK candidates are being chased away by voters in Dharapuram and Madurantakam. The Left parties have decided to field their own candidates in both constituencies despite providing outside support to the government. Left leaders accused TVK of engineering the resignations of AIADMK legislators to contest on its ticket, describing it as horse trading.

Security has been heightened around Coimbatore Airport and key arterial routes leading to Dharapuram ahead of campaigning for the October 6 Assembly by-poll. Coimbatore City Police have enforced temporary traffic diversions and set up barricades to manage public movement along the transit corridor via Tirupur. The campaign is being held in support of TVK candidate Satyabama, whose resignation prompted the by-poll, with 22 candidates contesting the seat.

A major blooper occurred during the Tamil Nadu bypoll campaign in Dharapuram when former AIADMK minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar, who recently defected to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), accidentally urged voters to back the AIADMK's two leaves symbol. Campaigning alongside TVK candidate Sathya Baba, Vijayabhaskar forgot his new party affiliation and asked for votes on the 'Retailai' symbol rather than TVK's whistle symbol. The moment went viral on social media after attendees burst into laughter, prompting the leader to realise his mistake. The incident also drew jibes from the AIADMK, whose chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami had earlier accused TVK of horse-trading following the defection of several leaders.