THURSDAY 05 KOHLI IN CRUISE CONTROL AS INDIA TAKE 1-0 LEAD AGAINST BLACK CAPS NOVEMBER, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard FESTIVE RUSH DELHI REELS UNDER HEAVY TRAFFIC KAMBOJ PUTS BEHIND DEBUT BLUES While Virat Kohli stole the show with a sublime fifty, Anshul Kamboj, with just two wickets, broke the match for India during the middleovers. Arshdep Singh (4/70) and Gurnoor Brar (3/44) led the charts, but Kamboj, after a forgettable debut vs West Indies, stole the show with a mesmerising spell of 2/22 in 10 overs as NZ were all out for 185 From crowded stretches of Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh to busy intersections in central Delhi, commuters reported prolonged traffic jams A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 3 Iran exempts Indian vessels from Hormuz transit curbs J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IRAN has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on transit through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, with the move aimed at facilitating medicine imports from India, a senior Iranian lawmaker has said. Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said ships from the four countries were allowed to pass freely through the waterway and were not being intercepted by the United States. “We have currently exempted India, China, Iraq and Qatar from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from these countries pass freely and , the Americans do not intercept them either,” Hayat-Moghaddam told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) in an interview on Tuesday . Explaining the rationale behind the exemptions, HayatMoghaddam said Iran was facilitating the passage of Indian vessels to enable the procurement of essential medicines from Indian companies. The exemption for Chinese ships, meanwhile, was intended to secure Beijing’s political support, he indicated. There was no immediate reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs or Iran’s Foreign Minister. But Tehran seems to be using selective exemptions from transit restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz to advance its diplomatic and economic interests amid tensions over the strategic shipping route and fresh threats from Donald Trump. @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday assured Delhi voters there was “no need to panic”, as it agreed to hear on November 19 a petition challenging the Election Commission’s directive asking those deleted from the draft electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to submit Form 6 for re-enrolment. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri, questioned the Election Commission’s November 3 clarification, arguing that it contradicted the apex court’s October 28 observations. “No need to be panic, we are hearing the matter, as it is before us,” Chief Justice Surya  NEW DELHI  PAGES 12  J8.00 IT WAS KOHLI’S 80TH HALF-CENTURY IN THE ODI FORMAT | P11 Early Diwali for Agniveers as def hire path opens MID-TERM ELECTIONS Senate 54 House of Representatives 7 Democrats 50 Not up for election 7 44 Republicans 234 28 218 to win 28 139 Republicans Democrats TRUMP LOSES US GRIP J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi Democrats wrest control of Congress; Vance blames Iran war for Republican mid-term losses A G E N C I E S @ Washington IN a major political setback to US President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, the opposition Democratic Party swept the mid-term elections by winning a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and flipping key gubernatorial posts. Of the 470 Congressional seats for which elections were held on November 3, the Democrats won 288, according to the Associated Press race call. The Dems crossed the halfway mark of 218 in the 435-seat House with 234 seats, pushing the Republicans to 139, with 62 seats yet to be called. In the outgoing House, the Republicans had a slim margin of 220-215. In the 100-seat Senate—of which 35 went to polls—the Democrats now have a comfortable majority with 54 seats, while the Republicans have 44. Republicans had a 53-47 majority in the outgoing Senate. THE Union Cabinet on Wednesday rewrote a key provision of the Agnipath scheme, giving two more years in uniform for 75% of personnel not retained after the initial four-year stint, along with another shot at becoming regular soldiers. It comes weeks before the first batch of Agniveers, who joined in 2022, is due to leave the armed forces after completing their four-year stint. The new “second engagement period” effectively creates a six-year pathway to regular military service for those willing to stay on and able to meet the selection criteria. The original provision for 25% of each batch to be absorbed on merit at the four-year mark remains untouched. Announcing the decision, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General N S Raja Subramani said the scheme was “not set in stone” and would be reviewed periodically, adding that more tweaks could follow. Defence Minister Rajnath First Muslim Senator has India connection Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, take the stage after he declares victory; and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman (R) dances with supporters at an election night event Wednesday | AP With an upper hand in Congress, the Democrats have effectively ended the Republicans’ hold on Washington and opened the window to challenge Trump’s agenda over the remaining two years of his presidential term. The results are believed to indicate voters’ frustration with Trump’s policies, including the war on Iran, which contributed to rising living costs. Trump conceded defeat but ducked responsibility In an on. line post, he claimed the election outcome would have been different had he been running. “I wasn’t on the ballot, and there was nothing that could be done about that. If I was, we would have won” he boasted. He also threatened to use his presidential veto power to strike down legislation passed by Congress. “I think they’re Progressive Democrat Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed (42), America’s first Muslim Senator, has an India connection. His wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, a psychiatrist, has her roots in Karnataka’s Bhatkal. Abdul El-Sayed, of Egyptian descent, won against Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan | P7 gonna want to work with me. Otherwise I’d just veto everything,” he said. Trump later posted an image of a red cap bearing the word ‘VETO’ on social media. Meanwhile, US Vice President J D Vance sought to distance himself from the defeat, blaming the Iran war for Republican losses. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote in a post on X. P9 CHINA Poll bar on people TELLS SE ASIAN NATION with over two kids TO BE CAUTIOUS irrelevant, says SC China said Foreign Minister Wang Yi has warned his Philippines counterpart in a phone call about alleged interference in their nations’ relationship and urged the Philippines to be caution in South China Sea dispute. Delhi voters don’t need to panic on SIR deletions: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y Virat Kohli turned back clock, rising to the occasion in a rain-affected encounter to help the visitors beat New Zealand Kant told the petitioners. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana directed the petitioners to file an appropriate application to place the November 3 clarification on record. The CJI also indicated that the commission could be asked to consider extending the application deadline, if necessary . Bhushan argued that voters whose names were on the electoral roll before the SIR but were subsequently deleted should be allowed to restore them through Form 8 or an enumeration form, rather than submit Form 6, which is meant for first-time registration. Form 8 is used for correcting names, addresses and other details, as well as transferring entries in the electoral roll. N I T I N R A W AT @ New Delhi CAPITAL CRISIS Smoke billows from a paddy field as a farmer burns crop stubble post-harvest on the outskirts of Amritsar in Punjab on Wednesday. This practice adversely affects Delhi’s air quality | PTI | P3 EXPRESS READ Cabinet okays funds for critical mineral processing The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved major policy initiatives for strengthening India’s strategic mineral supply chains, accelerating renewable energy integration and improving access to speedy justice for women and children. It allocated `2,814 crore as capital expenditure support scheme for critical mineral processing. The Cabniet also okayed `14,500 crore for a Viability Gap Funding scheme to develop 92 GWh of grid-scale energy storage capacity. P7 Delhi AQI at 377, IIT records highest reading at 458 The national capital saw a sharp deterioration in air quality on Wednesday. The average AQI climbed to 377, its worst reading in nearly 10 months, as pollution levels edged closer to the ‘severe’ category. Twenty-two monitoring stations recorded ‘severe’ air quality and neighbouring NCR cities also witnessing high pollution levels. The AQI reading is likely to rise in the next few days. P3 MHA warns banks, fintechs of AI-powered cyberattacks The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has sounded an alert over a growing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks targeting banks, NBFCs and fintech firms. It said attackers are exploiting unpatched software and servers and asked financial institutions to urgently implement measures prescribed in critical-severity CERT-In advisories. P7 NDMC to redevelop iconic Super Bazar building, plans Khan Market reset too Market Community Centre, including Lok Nayak Bhawan, Prithviraj Market, NDMC staff quarters, a municipal Barat Ghar and an existing multi-level parking. The plan envisages an integrated commercial and A D I T I R AY C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi THE New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has begun a redevelopment exercise covering four properties: commercial areas in Khan Market, Chanakyapuri and Gole Market, and the former Super Bazar building near Connaught Place. The projects will use public-private partnerships. The largest project covers nearly 15 acres around Khan retail complex with built-up space of one lakh square feet. In Chanakyapuri, properties around Akbar Bhawan and Yashwant Place are proposed for redevelopment with about 95,000 square feet of multi-level A modern market complex in the heart of CP A bird’s eye view of Connaught Place on a busy day | FILE PHOTO | PTI Singh dubbed it a ‘Second Tour of Duty’. To sweeten the deal, the second tour comes with higher pay and a bigger Seva Nidhi package. Agniveers, however, remain outside the pension and gratuity net. Those enrolled as regulars after six years will rank below the 25% of personnel absorbed at the four-year mark, the CDS said. The push came from the ar med forces themselves. They had increasingly questioned the logic of showing the door to soldiers just when they had become operationally useful. Dark spots’ no. falls, defective street lights cause concern S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi IN a landmark decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the poll disqualification of a former sarpanch for having more than two children, noting that laws prescribing such penalties have lost all relevance in modern India. The court also referred the SC’s 2003 precedent-setting judgment on such laws to a larger bench. Mangala Bhimrao, former sarpanch at the Kakoda Gram Panchayat, was disqualified under Section 14(1)(j-1) of the Maharashtra Village Panchayat Act, 1959, following the birth of her third child. The state law has imposed this restriction on candidates since September 2000. However, the bench of justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe said the rationale for restricting democratic participation based on family size has crumbled due to demographic changes. In 2003, the SC had upheld the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act of 1994, validating the disqualification of local poll candidates with more than two children, in the Javed vs State of Haryana case. With the latest order finding it infructuous and sending the 2003 verdict for review to a larger bench, the court has opened the door to an overhaul of poll eligibility rules across local bodies. Pronouncing the verdict, Justice Narasimha said, “The foundation of such laws, that is the fear of overpopulation, has crumbled due to demographic changes... We have explained how, from 2003 after Javed vs State of Haryana upheld such laws, India’s total fertility rate has fallen from 3 to 1.9. A total rate of 2.1, known as the replacement rate, would allow one generation to completely replace itself... the total fertility rate (TFR) falling below the replacement rate would soon result in a demographic transition to an older population, with a declining share of the working population.” Army personnel patrol along the Line of Control (LoC) in Akhnoor | PTI The municipal body will ask an advisor to assess the Super Bazar project, examine the building’s structural condition and commercial potential, including whether it can be redeveloped without demolition. The proposal is to turn it into a modern market complex and lease or license it to a successful bidder. space. Retail outlets are planned on the ground floor of the buildings and offices above. At Shaheed Bhagat Singh Place near Gole Market, the NDMC proposes a wider plan for the historic precinct, including a museum and several art galleries. The Super Bazar building near Shankar Market is the fourth property. Established in 1966 as a cooperative department store, it became popular for groceries, clothes, household goods and everyday items under one roof. Financial troubles and declining business affected operations, and it closed in 2002. The building remains a Connaught Place landmark. For Super Bazar, an advisor will examine the building’s structural condition and commercial value, including if it can be redeveloped without demolition. THE number of identified dark spots across Delhi has fallen by nearly a third in just 45 days, but more than 5,200 defective street lights continue to raise concerns over safety and illumination in the city . Official data from the police department shows that Delhi had 269 identified dark spots on September 20. The number dropped to 179 by November 3, a decline of 90 locations, or 33.46 per cent. However, 5,234 street lights or poles were still reported to be non-functional across the city as of November 3. Delhi is divided into 15 Safety of p o l i c e d i s - women t r i c t s, w i t h Outer account- Poor lighting in i n g fo r t h e public spaces, h i g h e s t residential n u m b e r o f areas and on dark spots at roads affects 53. Central fol- visibility and lowed with 35, safety. Govt South with 19 authorities took a n d Ro h i n i extra care to fix the issue after with 14. West report- Sep 21 Astha e d 1 1 d a rk Kunj rape. spots, Northeast 10, North nine, Southwest eight and Southeast seven. New Delhi and Shahdara, meanwhile, reported none. A comparison of the September 20 and November 3 figures showed that five police districts recorded an increase in dark spots, while the remaining 10 registered a decline. The large number of defective street lights, however, remains a concern. Dwarka reported the highest number of non-functional street lights or poles at 1,065, followed by Southeast with 869 and South with 727. Outer accounted for 369 defective lights, West 343 and Shahdara 323. New Delhi reported 92, while Northwest had the lowest number at 73.