The editorial Page: Can election Commission untie knots of its own making? That’s the question 8 WEDnEsDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026 JournAlism of CourAge AhmedAbAd, lAte citY, 16 pAGes ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com dA i lY F r o m : A h m e dA b A d , c h A n d i GA r h , d e l h i , j A i p u r , ko l k AtA , l u c k n o W , m u m b A i , n AG p u r , pAt n A , p u n e , vA d o dA r A union Cabinet hails 25 years of Modi at helm, flags ‘mandate, trust, his governance’ PARlIAMENT STREET SHUTS DOwN FOR MUCH OF THE DAY Opp hits the street against CEC, its leaders detained Time for him to resign, says Rahul; BJD joins protest, DMk stays away From Gujarat CM to successive terms as PM, resolution traces his journey Asad Rehman & Manoj CG Express News Service New Delhi, October 6 New Delhi, October 6 The UnIOn cabinet adopted a resolution Tuesday, hailing the “enduring trust that the public have reposed” in narendraModiandhisgovernance achievements over the last 25 years, first as chief Minister of Gujarat and later as Prime Minister of the country. Briefing reporters on the decisions of the Union cabinet at its meeting Tuesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the resolution covers Modi’sunbrokenpublicservice record, spanning the period »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 happening today lRBI wIll announce its mone- resolution highlights modi’s achievements, from his role in gujarat to operation sindoor. Ani the ideas page page 9 M VEnkAiAh nAiDu thejoUrneyfrom ‘chaltahai’to ‘BadalSaktahai’ inside page 15 harmanpreet StepS down, mandhana iS new india captain eScALATInG The bitter political fight over the Special Intensiverevision(SIr)ofelectoral rolls by the election commission, IndIA bloc MPs, led by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha rahul Gandhi, staged a protestTuesdayandattempted to march to the commission headquarters, demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Thestandoffwiththepolice throughmuchofthedayended in the evening with the detention of Gandhi and several leaders including congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Amongthosewhojoinedthe marchfromParliamenttowards nirvachan Sadan — it was the second such joint street protest since the rollout of the SIr — were SP’s Akhilesh yadav, TMc’sAbhishekBanerjee,ncP (SP)’sSupriyaSule,rJd’sManoj Kumar Jha and cPM’s John Brittas. Gandhi and congress MPs including Vadra, Leader of opposition rahul gandhi being detained by police in new delhi, Tuesday. GAjendrA YAdAv MPs wanted a meeting in Parliament Annexe... against protocol, says EC BJP:Stopdaily drama,learn fromPMtowin people’ssupport ‘Panel offered to send senior official to get memo but MPs declined’ New Delhi, October 6 Express News Service New Delhi, October 6 tary policy, with experts expecting a rate hike after three-and-a half years as inflation pressures rise due to the West Asia war. the Big pictUre Track This and more on www.indianexpress.com page 11 InDahod,youth &teengirl‘die bysuicide’on Instagramlive Ritu Sharma AT LeAST 57 people watched a young man and a teenage girl in Gujarat’s dahod district as theywentliveonasocialmedia platform from a forested area and allegedly took their own lives, turning a family dispute into a tragedy that unfolded in real time. Senior police officers said the incident occurred on October 4 on the outskirts of hirapur village in Singwad, where a The AhMedABAdMunicipal corporationhasissuedashowcausenoticetoadesignconsultant firm involved in a railway Overbridge (rOB) project at Makarba, which has caused traffic chaos within two weeks of its inauguration. The congestion prompted thecivicbodytowidentheconnecting road to implement immediate traffic solutions. Ahmedabad-based deLf consulting engineers (India) Pvt Ltd, which, according to its website, is an extension of deLf - South Africa, was the design consultant for the Makarba rOB, which chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated on September 24 under the 'Phatak-mukt Bharat' Abhiyaan—a campaign to free roads from level crossings. Thefour-lanebridge,meant to ease traffic snarls caused by Levelcrossing24ontheAhmedabad-Botad broad-gauge section, ended up landing at a junction on corporate road in southwest Ahmedabad and resulting in congestion on roads connecting the Sarkhej-Gan- sP’s akhilesh yadav and Tmc’s kalyan banerjee were among leaders at the protest. AbhinAv sAhA deScrIBInG The congress protest against the election commission of India as “drama”, the BJP Tuesday accused the principal Opposition party and leaders of non-ndA parties who had joined it of abusing the commission after failingtosecurethemandateof the people. Union Minister Kiren rijiju said rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Days after launch, Ahmedabad bridge meant to ease traffic snarls ends up causing them Aditi Raja Jatin Anand Vadodara, October 6 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 related report, p 10 Ahmedabad, October 6 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 gujarat the ‘moUnjaro BrideS’: a year later page 3 Seven killed aS SUv ramS parked trUck in Bhavnagar conduct technical study of traffic situation: amc to project's design consultant express dhinagar highway. “The AMc has instructed theproject's designconsultant, deLf consulting engineers (India) Pvt. Ltd., to conduct a technical study of the current traffic situation and submit a detailed report. The firm has been instructed to analyse the rootcausesofthecurrenttraffic congestionandtrafficflowpatterns, and to submit a detailed report outlining both immediate corrective measures and long-term solutions,” dinesh Gaurav, deputy Municipal commissioner, roads and Building department, said. Gaurav said the firm has been asked to explain the tech- SAyInG ThAT no party had sought an appointment until 4 pmTuesday,theelectioncommission(ec)saiditwaslaterinformed by police that the Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) wanted a meeting at Parliament house Annexe.Itsaidthisrequestwas »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 nical reasons for the situation and compare the traffic flow when the study was conducted with the situation now. Work on this bridge began in 2023. According to the showcause notice, "The bridge lands in proximity to the corporate road junction, leaving inadequate length for merging, weaving and dispersal of traffic.” Based on the said technical study and the clarifications provided by the design consultant, an appropriate technical evaluation will be conducted, and necessary further action will be taken to alleviate the traffic congestion, the official added. In response to the traffic issues, the Ahmedabad Municipal corporation (AMc) has implemented a 'capsule design' layouttostreamlinetrafficflow and reduce congestion. “Also, the AMc has undertakenthewideningoftheexisting road from corporate crossroads to SG highway to its full width. efforts are underway to ensure that traffic flow on this route improves significantly upon the completion of this work,” dinesh Gaurav added. l besT-seLLing noveLisT was member of ParLiamenT & dePuTy head of ThaTcher’s conservaTive ParTy Jeffrey Archer, whose real life rivalled his edge-of-seat thrillers, dies at 86 Alan Cowell in London. he was 86. his publisher, harpercolJeffreyArcher,abest-sell- lins, announced his death in a ing British author, politician, statement. his final novel, philanthropist, athlete and “Adam and eve,” about the inone-time jailbird, whose re- tertwineddestiniesofthehighsume seesawed between born and the humble, was achievementanddisgrace,and scheduled for publication who inspired abidTuesday. page 1 ing public fascinaArcher’s thrillers tion with headlineand sagas of the rich grabbing accounts, and powerful sold both fictional and hundredsofmillions personal, of ambition, self-pro- ofcopiesworldwide.InhisLonmotion,misbehaviorandscan- donapartmentoverlookingthe dal, died Monday at his home Thames, the walls were anchor Jeffrey archer at his London flat in 2011. reuters File adorned with paintings, includingworksbyclaudeMonet and Pablo Picasso. As a host there, he became known for annual parties at which celebrity guests were served top-end Krug champagneandlowlyshepherd’spie. In his days as a politician — both as a member of Parliament in the elected house of commons and as deputy head ofMargaret Thatcher’sconservative Party — he displayed a barelyveiledhungerforthetop »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad Atleast12Indian sailorsinjuredin attacksinBlack Sea,Hormuz; MEAcondemns Business as Usual By EP unnY Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, October 6 WITh IndIAn seafarers being injured in two separate attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of hormuz and the Black Sea,theMinistryofexternalAffairs (MeA) on Tuesday condemned the incidents and expressed “deep concern” over the “targeting of commercial shipping”. eleven Indian crew members were injured after a Panama-flagged vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the Strait of hormuz on Tuesday. In the other incident, »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2026 nobeL Prize physics FRANCIS HAlzEN awindowtoUniverSe throUgh‘ghoSt particleS’inice explained