TUESDAY LULA’S VICTORY IN BRAZIL BUCKS A REGIONAL SHIFT TO THE RIGHT 27 OCTOBER, 2026 Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was re-elected against all expectations on Sunday, beating his rival Flavio Bolsonaro epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard 14-YEAR LONG AUTHORITARIAN REIGN OF SERBIA’S VUCIC ENDED ON SUNDAY WAR MEET IRAN HOSTS MECCA PACT MEMBERS A CLEAR VICTORY OF DEMOCRACY: EU CHIEF Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran on Monday in an attempt to stop West Asia war from resuming A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Lula’s dramatic comeback meant Brazil had not followed Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, all backed by US President Donald Trump, in swinging to the right. Official data showed he won 51.8 per cent of the votes against Flavio Bolsonaro’s 48.2 per cent, with Lula bagging 4.4 million more votes. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed it as a “victory of democracy” | P9 PAGES 12 All SIR decisions Digital publishers challenge privacy law in SC unanimous, says EC affidavit in SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Poll commission reiterates Form 6 was not amended, declaration is separate document Response to Goa case S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi DAYS ahead of the INDIA bloc’s rally against alleged poll irregularities, the Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that all its orders on the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were unanimous decisions of the full commission. Earlier in the day, the court sought a reply from the Election Commission on hearing a petition challenging the SIR exercise in Maharashtra, which called it hurried and opaque. The court agreed to examine the plea. In a related development, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tweeted to Delhi traders, who have been opposing the party’s November 1 rally, saying that the rallies and protest will end in 30 seconds if the government removed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. In its counter affidavit, the Election Commission said the plea against the CEC based on a single news report is not maintainable. It also told the bench that Form 6 had not been amended, adding unmapped voters need not attend hearings. The court is expected to hear the batch of pleas on Tuesday . The election panel asserted that all three SIR orders—issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026—were taken unanimously “The notes, . queries or suggestions recorded by the CEC or Election Commissioners while a file is under process do not constitute decisions of the Commission,” it said. The EC said files move from one Election Commissioner to the other and then to the CEC. In urgent cases, electronic approvals are obtained and later recorded on physical files, it said. The EC said a July 28 work allocation order was issued by an additional secretary on deputation and both poll commissioners wrote to the Cabinet Secretary about it the next day On their . joint direction on July 30, the order was not implemented. On the charge that Form 6 was altered without statutory approval, the EC claimed it was not amended as the declaration required under SIR was a separate document. P3 & P4 ECI said that of the 97 voters described by media as “left out” in Goa, 88 had already been enrolled, six were abroad, and three had Portuguese passports TWENTY-one digital news publishers—including NDTV and Network18— have knocked the doors of the Supreme Court to challenge the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act), arguing that the law would cripple investigative journalism and expose sources. The petitioner, Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), has challenged sever- al provisions of the Act, citing their potential impact on journalism. The New Indian Express is a member of DNPA. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant will hear the matter on Tuesday, the cause list on the Supreme Court website showed. According to Reuters, the 698-page plea was filed on October 6. The DPDP Act, also known as the privacy law, was enacted in 2023 while the rules to implement it (DPDP Rules, 2025) Notes, queries or suggestions recorded by the CEC or Election Commissioners while file is under process do not constitute ECI’s decisions EC’s affidavit On Bengal appeals In West Bengal, appeals against inclusion of voters were filed by officers under the CEO based on earlier SC orders and weren’t brought to ECI’s notice, it claimed @ Chennai India on Monday cleared procurement of a range of military platforms and weapon systems including light multi-role helicopters, long-range Kamikaze drones and radars | P7 Students reject univ’s call to end protest, exam to be held online AN agreement signed at 4 am on Monday failed to break the deadlock at Jamia Millia Islamia, as students rejected the administration’s terms. By the end of the day the univer, sity deciding to conduct the second mid-term semester examinations online. Online classes have been extended till November 8. By morning, celebrations over the assurance that the students’ union constitution would be formed after 15 days had given way to uncertainty . Students on hunger strike rejected all three points in the administration’s October 26 order, arguing that it offered no firm commitment on their key demands. They insisted the agitation would continue until the administration addressed their demands. The order outlined plans to hold elections 15 days after approval of the constitution, revoke suspension and showcause notices, and set up a committee to investigate se- Jamia Millia Islamia protest are being led by women students | SAYANTAN GHOSH curity personnel’s actions during the protest. Tensions escalated across the campus, with large numbers of women students coming to the forefront. Some climbed iron gates 10-12 feet high, resisting police attempts to pull them down. Students repeatedly banged the gates amid sloganeering and marched in large processions, refusing to disperse. Protesters ran between gates, dodging police and attempting to force them open. The Ibn-e-Sina gate broke PROMINENT DMK leader and former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by the Greater Chennai Police on Monday, hours after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition in the alleged `100 crore scam in issuing recognition and other statutory clearances for private schools in the state. Calling the arrest an attempt to divert public attention from the deteriorating law and order situation and administrative ‘Cooperating with police’ Anbil Mahesh said that he had offered cooperation to the police. “I appeared for an inquiry on September 18 that went on for nearly eight hours. On Monday, as soon as the anticipatory bail was rejected, the police arrested me in a hurry,” he said. failures, DMK president M K Stalin accused the TVK government of political vendetta. The police secured Anbil Mahesh as he was leaving his advocate’s office in Aminjikarai. He was taken to the Chennai Police Commissioner’s of fice in Vepery for an inquiry that lasted nearly three hours. Tension prevailed outside the commissioner’s office as Anbil Mahesh’s supporters and a few lawyers argued with the police, demanding entry for the lawyers to meet him, and threatened to stage a road blockade. “All the points presented by the government against my anticipatory bail plea were stories. I’m sure they cannot prove it,” the former minister told reporters as the police escorted him to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for a medical checkup before sending him for remand. HOME GUARD RECRUITMENT Barefoot runner in saree hits high jump hurdle M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi KAVITA Devi, the 27-year-old mother of two who made headlines after a video of her running barefoot in a saree during a practice run went viral, failed to clear the high jump in the actual home guard recruitment test in Ramgarh on Sunday, dashing her hopes of securing the job. A daily-wage labourer from Soso village in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, Kavita completed the 1,600-metre run in were notified in November last year. The Act seeks to protect the digital personal data of users, raising compliance requirements for IT behemoths such as Meta and Google. The publishers argue the law will affect press freedom I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE CLEARS DEFENCE BUY WORTH `2.12 LAKH CR According to a Reuters report, media companies received assurances in an August meeting with the government that the law would protect press freedom; but not having a written carve-out for journalists like in the European Union, Singapore and the UK is alarming, the DNPA said in its petition JAMIA DEADLOCK Ex-school edu minister and DMK leader held in `100 cr bribery case CENTRE DNPA seeks safeguards for journalists 8.57 minutes, within the prescribed limit of 10 minutes. However, she could not clear the required height in the high jump despite three attempts, and was declared unsuccessful. She could not proceed to the next stage of recruitment. For Kavita, the result was a crushing blow. Since her husband’s death a few years ago, she has been supporting her two young children and elderly in-laws through daily-wage work. She had hoped that a Social media fame Kavita Devi’s story first drew attention during a free trial run organised by Ankit Running Academy at SidhuKanhu Ground in Ramgarh a few days before the recruitment test. Kavita ran barefoot in a saree. home guard job would provide financial security . “I was quite confident that I would get through the test and secure the job, but the opposite happened. There was one chance to mend my children’s future, but I lost it. God knows whether I will ever get a second chance,” she said. Kavita, who has completed her intermediate education, began preparing for the physical test after home guard recruitment was announced in Ramgarh. Despite having no money for running shoes or a tracksuit, she persisted with her preparation. Her story first drew attention during a trial run in Ramgarh before the recruitment test. during the confrontation, while protesters pulled out a grill at Gate No. 7. Security personnel filmed demonstrators as drones hovered over campus gates. The administration welding a gate after reports of students entering the campus through different gates over the weekend added to the tension. More than 30 students were reportedly detained. The university administration did not publicly respond to the students’ renewed rejection of its order. P4 Microsoft is offering voluntary exit packages to over a quarter of its workforce in four countries, including India, to cut cost and fund AI spend WHO IS ELIGIBLE because media outlets are not explicitly exempt from the law. They point out that the legislation, which seeks to protect individuals’ digital personal information, does not provide specific exemptions for journalistic activities. A big concern for publishers is the need to obtain consent from those whose data will be part of a story. According to the petitioners, social media outlets can seek consent from users when they sign up, but requiring a journalist to notify the subject of an investigation and seek consent “would allow that subject to destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses”. The law also lets people withdraw consent and demand that their data be erased. This could force publishers to withdraw news reports. Govt green light to pure ethanol flex-fuel cars PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Road Transport & Highways on Monday notified amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, allowing flex-fuel vehicles that can run on up to E100 — nearly 100% ethanol. According to the ministry officials, fuel beyond E20 (20% ethanol-blended petrol) and up to E100 is intended only for vehicles designed and certified to use and will not be applicable for other vehicles. Vehicles that use E20 or normal fuel can’t use E85 or E100 fuel. The ministry also changed certain vehicle classification thresholds, fuel specifications, and technical references used in emission-related tables and testing provisions. Additionally, it raised the vehicle weight limit to 3,500 kg from the previous threshold of 3,000 kg for light petrol and diesel vehicles affected by these changes. E100 usually contains around 93-95% ethanol, 5-7% petrol, and additives. “A vehicle’s compatibility with E10 or E20 alone does not establish suitability for E85. This notification does not require owners of existing vehicles to switch to E85 or modify their vehicles either at Microsoft offers 60K employees ‘VRS’ option Staff on select teams in the US, Canada, India and Britain at V-P level and below are eligible. In all, around 27% of Microsoft’s workforce can take the new buyout offer NOT THE FIRST TIME QUARTERLY RESULTS THIS WEEK The company is expected to report quarterly earnings later this week Amy Coleman, executive V-P & chief people officer In June, Maruti Suzuki India launched Wagon R Flex Fuel capable of running on ethanolpetrol blends from E20 to E100. Others, including Toyota Motor, Tata Motors, and Hyundai Motor, are also developing flex-fuel vehicles for the Indian market present or in the future. Motorists should check the fuel compatibility sticker on their vehicle and follow the manufacturer’s guidance in the owner’s manual while opting for the fuel choice at the fuel station,” said ministry officials. In Brazil, vehicles are optimised to run on any blend from E20–E25 up to E100. Nearly all new light vehicles and several bikes there have flex-fuel engines. Other countries with flex-fuel vehicles are the US, Canada and some in Europe. Five dead in Guwahati hotel shootout in posh city area P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati It’s the second voluntary buyout offer that Microsoft has announced this year. In April, the company offered around 7% of its US workforce the same option The Voluntary Exit Offer is an important part of how we’re evolving our approach to change: flexibility and ways for employees to shape their next chapter Maruti first off the block HEADCOUNT Microsoft had 223,000 employees globally in June 2026, down from 228,000 in 2025, according to regulatory filings EXPRESS READ Yamuna cruise ready for November launch Delhi residents could enjoy a cruise ride on the Yamuna from the first week of November, with the launch of a trial run of the Namo Yamuna River Safari on a six-km stretch. It will offer a family picnic destination with a food park, children’s zone and musical fountain to visitors. P3 Boy kisses girlfriend, paraded naked with dad Three persons, including an 18-year-old youth, his father and a friend, were stripped at gunpoint and paraded naked on a public road in Kolkata’s Sarsuna area on Sunday evening after the youth allegedly kissed a 13-year-old girl, triggering outrage in the locality. The police have arrested the girl’s parents and her maternal uncle. P8 FIVE persons were killed in a firing incident in a posh Guwahati area on Monday evening. Four of them died on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Another injured person is under treatment at the hospital. The accused, Ghanakanta Gogoi, has been arrested. Partha Sarathi Mahanta, Guwahati CP just said, “He alone , was involved in the incident. His interrogation is on. The licensed pistol that he used in the crime has been seized.” According to a preliminary police investigation, the incident was a result of a property dispute relating to the hotel’s lease agreement and related issues. The accused had taken the hotel on lease from its owner last year. Forensic investigation is underway . According to the police, the firing took place at around 9 pm at hotel Bilas Inn on GS Road in the city’s Bora Service area. The site is located just two kilometres away from the state police headquarters. One of the deceased persons was identified as Narayan Das, 48. Of the 6 who sustained gunshot wounds, 4 are from the owner’s family. The police sources are not yet speculating on the motive.