Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Plea On Functioning Of Election Commission Next Week

Neeru Dhanda has secured a historic gold medal for India in the women's individual trap shooting event at the 2026 Asian Games, marking the nation's first individual gold medal at the tournament. In her debut Asian Games, Dhanda set an Asian Games record score by missing only two shots out of thirty to finish with twenty-eight hits. Her victory delivered India's fifth gold medal of the games and made her the first Indian woman to win an individual medal in trap shooting at the Asian Games, joining Randhir Singh as only the second Indian trap shooter to achieve individual gold.

The India bloc has scheduled a major opposition meeting to discuss a unified stance regarding the Chief Election Commissioner. Shiv Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray is set to participate virtually alongside party colleagues due to scheduled engagements in Mumbai, including an upcoming campaign against the Election Commission. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party and Biju Janata Dal have chosen not to attend the meeting. Participation from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference remains uncertain, while Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is yet to take a final call on attending the deliberations.

A Congress Working Committee meeting was convened in Delhi to deliberate on strategy regarding the Chief Election Commissioner and allegations surrounding the Election Commission of India. Top party leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and DK Shivakumar gathered to discuss accusations of voter list tampering and deleted names, following Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bela estate. The discussions focus on questions over poll panel autonomy, reported internal dissent within the Election Commission over decisions and data sharing, and upcoming assembly elections. While the Election Commission maintained that its decisions were unanimous, noted that hearings are held online without requiring personal appearances before Electoral Registration Officers, and extended claim deadlines in Maharashtra and Delhi, the opposition plans to address the issue further through an INDIA bloc meeting and potential protests. The Bharatiya Janata Party countered the claims, characterising the allegations as selective outrage following electoral losses.

Fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu have staged protests in Pattinampakkam against the state government's proposed plan to build a new secretariat in the area at an estimated cost of twelve hundred crore rupees. Protesters, including fisherwomen and local community members, held an ahimsa demonstration and raised black flags, demanding the revocation of the government order. They expressed concern that the project would destroy their livelihoods and impact the region where thousands of fishermen have lived for generations. Earlier, Minister Udhayanidhi clarified that the government order was issued without final rules fixing the construction at that specific location.