FRIDAY ECI ROLLS OUT SIR PHASE 3 IN 16 STATES, 3 UNION TERRITORIES 15 ECI on Thursday rolled out Phase 3 of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 16 states and three Union Territories beginning May 30 MAY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in ROLL REVISION IN FOUR OPPOSITION-RULED STATES facebook.com/TheMorningStandard States, UTs are Mizoram, Odisha, Delhi, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Telangana, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Tripura, Maharashtra,Jharkhand, Nagaland, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Punjab, J’khand, Karnataka and T’gana are ruled by opposition | P7 X.com/TheMornStandard US TIES XI PUSHES NEW FRAMEWORK Chinese President and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed to build a “constructive, strategically stable relationship” as they met in Beijing. PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Over 3.94 lakh booth level officers (BLOs) will go house-to-house of 36.73 crore electors during the latest poll roll revision exercise. They will be assisted by 3.42 lakh booth level agents —ECI PAGES 12 BRICS: India raps unilateral sanctions Manipur tense as at least 38 J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan arrives to a rapturous welcome at the Congress headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday | BP DEEPU AT the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, India on Thursday mounted a sharp critique of the growing use of unilateral sanctions and coercive economic measures, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar warning that such actions were disproportionately hurting developing countries and weakening global stability . In his national statement, Jaishankar criticised the “increasing” use of “unilateral coercive measures and sanctions inconsistent with international law and the UN Charter”. “Such measures disproportionately affect developing countries. These Two-state solution Jaishankar reiterated India’s support for a “two-state solution” to the IsraelPalestine conflict and broadened his remarks to issues ranging from terrorism and climate change to technology and global governance reform Foreign minister S Jaishankar with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi | PTI Satheesan has the last laugh in tight Kerala race 2-day work from home as unjustifiable measures cannot substitute dialogue, nor can pressure replace diplomacy he ,” said. While Jaishankar did not directly name the US, the remarks come amid expanding sanctions targeting firms and countries trading with Iran and Russia. Such sanctions have increasingly affected access to international banking and payment systems because of the central role of the American financial network in the global economy . India has consistently opposed Priyanka’s support changed the game at the last moment; oath taking on Monday part of austerity measures PREETHA NAIR, ANIL S & K S SREEJITH A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi @ New Delhi/T’Puram FINALLY, the roulette stopped at V D Satheesan. Ending days of suspense, the Congress picked Satheesan, who led the UDF to a landslide victory in the assembly election, as the 13th chief minister of Kerala. The full cabinet, led by the Paravoor MLA, would take oath at the Central Stadium in the state capital on Monday May 18. , The decision, pending for 10 days, followed an intense three-cornered battle involving senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and Satheesan. Crucial backing from Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, along with Congress veterans A K Antony and V M Sudheeran, ultimately tipped the scales in Satheesan’s favour. The announcement, initially expected at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, took a dramatic turn on Thursday morning after Venugopal was summoned to Rahul Gandhi’s residence in Delhi for a meeting attended by Priyanka as well. Soon after, the AICC convened a press meet where general secretary Deepa Das Munshi formally announced Satheesan as the new CM. While Venugopal, a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi, enjoyed the backing of a majority of Congress MLAs and MPs, Satheesan had the strong support of UDF allies, particularly the influential Muslim League. Party insiders said the high command grew increasingly wary of the IUML’s uncompromising stand, fearing possible fallout in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Venugopal welcomed the decision, saying he would abide by the high command’s verdict. An upset Chennithala, however, expressed displeasure and stayed away from the CLP meeting. Though he conveyed his reluctance to join Satheesan’s cabinet, Chennithala handed over a letter of support for him to KPCC chief Sunny Joseph. Satheesan received a rousing welcome on arriving in the state capital. He later called on Antony and Sudheeran, both of whom had strongly backed his candidature before the party high command. At the CLP meeting, Sunny Joseph proposed Satheesan’s name, which was seconded by Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. Soon after the CLP formally elected him leader, Satheesan, accompanied by Das Munshi and Sunny met , Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Lok Bhavan to stake his claim to form the government. The governor then handed over the appointment letter naming him CM-designate. P5 We will all work hard with dedication to improve the living standards of the people, create a new Kerala and usher in a new era V D Satheesan, Kerala CM-designate Focus shifts to ministerial positions The KC camp is will seek strong representation in the ministry, with Sunny Joseph, A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunath and M Liju emerging as likely entrants. K Muraleedharan is also almost certain to secure a key portfolio. Bindu Krishna and T Siddique are also among front-runners. Chennithala loyalists T J Vinod and Anwar Sadath are likely to find berths. From Kottayam, either T Radhakrishnan or Chandy Oommen could be in CHIEF Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched a 90-day public participation campaign “Mera Bharat, Mera Yogdan,” introducing measures focused on fuel conservation, greater use of public transport, support for Made-in-India products and responsible lifestyle practices. Government departments will adopt a two-day work fromhome system each week, except for essential public services. Private companies and institutions have also been encouraged to follow the arrangement wherever feasible. The government has reduced official petrol allowances by up to 20%. Every Monday will now be “Metro Monday,” with ministers, senior officers and government employees expected to use the Metro and other forms of public transport. To reduce traffic congestion, staggered office timings have also been introduced. Delhi government offices will operate from 10.30 am to 7 pm, while MCD offices will function from 8.30 am to 5 pm. AC and power check All govt office air conditioners must now be set to 24-26 o C, with sensors and master switches installed to prevent unnecessary electricity use, the govt said. Convoy cut for Gupta CM Rekha Gupta has decided to scale down her official convoy to four vehicles and prioritise electric vehicles (EVs) and public transport. Bid to mollify Ramesh Chennithala AICC leaders are trying to placate Chennithala and have urged him to join the ministry. Sources said he would take a final call after reviewing the portfolio being offered to him NOT SUPERMAN Combo videograbs of a man, Nanhe Miyan, flung nearly 50 ft into the air along with a tin roof during a powerful storm in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. He suffered limb fractures but managed to survive. At least 111 people were killed and 72 others injured after the storm and heavy rain pounded several districts of UP, uprooting trees and damaging houses | PTI | P8 BJP man ‘cracked’ NEET last yr too Khairnar from Nashik, Dinesh Binwal, his brother Mangilal, Mangilal’s son Vikas, and HarTHE probe into the NEET pa- yana resident Yash Yadav. All per leak has now expanded be- five were taken to Delhi for yond the current examiinterrogation. n at i o n cycl e. F re s h The CBI has learned revelations confirmed that three daughters that three members of from the family of Dithe family of key accused nesh and Mangilal — and BJP worker Dinesh Palak, Sonia and Binwal had secured med- Dinesh Binwal Prakriti — had qualiical admissions last year fied NEET last year. too. Rajasthan police said the They are now under probe. 2025 NEET examination is unThe probe further revealed der scrutiny too. that Vikas and Yash Yadav On Thursday, the CBI se- studied together at a coaching cured transit remand for the institute in Sikar. During Difive main accused: Shubham wali last year, Yash allegedly RAJESH ASNANI & SUDHIR S U R YA W A N S H I @Jaipur/Mumbai To improve last-mile connectivity, the government has prepared a route plan for 58 feeder buses serving employees living in 29 government colonies. The CM urged citizens to voluntarily observe one “No Vehicle Day” every week. The government will stop purchasing new petrol, diesel, CNG or hybrid vehicles for the next six months. Employees who spend at least one-fourth of their transport allowance on public transport will receive an additional 10% allowance. Logistics and freight companies will be encouraged to shift to rail transport to reduce diesel consumption. The government has also decided to reduce domestic travel expenditure across departments by up to 20%, while half of official meetings will now be conducted online. Universities, colleges, and courts have been advised to adopt online systems wherever possible. Ministers and officers will not undertake official foreign visits for one year, and residents have been urged to voluntarily limit non-essential foreign travel. P3 told Vikas and Mangilal that he could arrange the NEET question paper before the exam. Investigators found that multiple copies of the paper were printed at a press in Nashik, after which they were circulated across several states. In Maharashtra, CBI arrested two more: Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar and Manisha Waghmare from Pune. Manisha received money from 21 bank accounts ahead of the May 3 exam. In UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, a 21year-old NEET aspirant hanged himself over the cancellation of the exam. P4, P7 Woman gang-raped in bus, driver & aide held N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi A 30-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by two persons inside a bus in northwest Delhi’s Rani Bagh area on Monday The . driver and the conductor are the accused and have been arrested, DCP (Outer) Vikram Singh said on Thursday . The woman lives in a slum in Pitampura. She was returning home after work at a factory in Mangolpuri. It was alleged that she was pulled inside the bus by a man when she asked for the time. The bus was then driven towards Nangloi and she was assaulted. Based on her statement, a case was lodged under sections 64(1) (rape), 70(1) (gang-rape) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on May 12. P3 unilateral sanctions including in BRICS platforms. Jaishankar raised concerns over instability in West Asia and disruptions to key maritime trade routes. “The conflict in West Asia merits particular attention. Continuing tensions, risks to maritime traffic, and disruptions to energy infrastructure highlight the fragility of the situation,” he said. “Safe and unimpeded maritime flows through international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea, remain vital for global economic well-being,” he added, flagging concerns over shipping disruptions, energy security and regional tensions. P9 EXCISE POLICY CASE Contempt proceedings against Kejriwal begin U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Thursday initiated contempt of court proceedings against AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Durgesh Pathak for their comments on Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in the excise policy case. Justice Sharma said, “It was a coordinated campaign. While the issue inside the court was dealt with, a parallel narrative outside was being constructed through a digital campaign and insinuation directed at this court.” Initiating the contempt proceedings, Justice Sharma said, “When the institution is put on trial, it becomes the duty of the judge to ensure that the court is not governed by such allegations.” “Videos were circulated, which were edited. They chose to intimidate me. While narratives were being manufactured against this court. Even the judge’s family members were dragged into this narrative to ensure calculated humiliation… My silence shouldn’t be taken as my weakness. My children were targeted,” the judge said. The judge said she was sending the excise case to the HC Chief Justice for listing it before another judge. held ‘hostage’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Guwahati AT least 38 people were taken ‘hostage’ by different groups in Manipur on Thursday after Wednesday’s killings of three Kuki church leaders in Kangpokpi district. “More than 38 people were detained by different groups. The persons are from both communities (Kuki and Naga),” Manipur’s home minister Govindas Konthoujam said, while stating that the state gover nment was holding talks with civil society organisations and political leaders to ensure the safe release of those in custody . Naga organisation ‘United Naga Council’ issued an ultimatum demanding the release of all the “hostages.” It was addressed to CM Y Khemchand Singh and said 18 Naga civilians, including women and a two-year-old baby, were held hostage by Kuki groups at Leilon Vaiphei village, while two Naga priests were detained at Supermeina village. Normal life was affected on Thursday during a “total shutdown” called by the Kuki Inpi Manipur, protesting the killings. EXPRESS READ NIA files chargesheet in Red Fort blast case Six months after a car explosion killed at least 11 people near Red Fort, the NIA on Thursday said that it has filed a 7,500-page chargesheet against 10 accused and exposed a “jihadi conspiracy” being hatched by Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent. The blast was alleged carried out by a ‘white-collar’ terror module. P4