Election Commission Restores Original Form 6 Format, Drops Extra Declaration For Non-SIR States

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.

Indian equity markets opened flat amid heightened volatility, with the Nifty fluctuating near 22,700 levels. Broader market indices and select sectors such as PSU banks, IT, and oil and gas registered modest gains, while metal and pharma stocks witnessed profit-taking. Meanwhile, the internal rift within the Tata Group intensified after trustee Venu Srinivasan reportedly approached the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner seeking an immediate probe into alleged governance lapses at Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust. At the same time, Noel Tata voiced opposition against listing Tata Sons, citing potential constraints on supporting group companies during financial difficulties. Analysts advised caution, noting that elevated US bond yields and crude oil prices continue to drive foreign capital outflows from emerging markets. Additionally, global headlines featured former US President Donald Trump meeting with technology leaders, where he proposed terming artificial intelligence as super intelligence alongside discussing self-regulation frameworks.