oppn parties Supreme Court Orders Open Ballot Voting, Live Telecast Of Floor Test In Maharashtra Tomorrow

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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Supreme Court Orders Open Ballot Voting, Live Telecast Of Floor Test In Maharashtra Tomorrow

By Sunil Garodia

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The Supreme Court has ordered a floor test in the Maharashtra assembly tomorrow by 5 pm to ascertain which alliance enjoys the majority in the house. It has also ordered voting through open ballot and live telecast of the proceedings. The court did not go into the question of the Governor's conduct neither did it accept the time given by him (the Governor had asked Fadnavis to prove his majority in seven days) for the floor test. The court had reserved its judgment yesterday after hearing both the sides where the NCP-Shiv Sena-Congress combine had raised questions about the Governor's conduct while Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, had said that the same was beyond the purview of judicial scrutiny as per Article 361 of the Constitution.

After the court hearing, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine staged a lot of drama in the hotel where they have kept their MLAs. The legislators were lined up and asked to take a solemn oath to support the alliance. After that, the three-party alliance challenged the BJP to prove its majority in the house. Judging by the show of strength, it seems that the alliance has the numbers and will embarrass the BJP-Ajit Pawar alliance.

But there seems to be another constitutional challenge in the offing. When Ajit Pawar had submitted the letter of support to the BJP, he was the leader of the NCP legislature party in the assembly. By that token, he had issued a whip to all MLAs to be present in the assembly and vote for the BJP-NCP alliance. Subsequently, however, he was removed by the NCP and Jayanta Patil was appointed the leader of the legislative party. The NCP has submitted a letter to this effect to the Registrar of the Maharashtra assembly. Patil has issued a whip to all MLAs to support the NCP-Shiv Sena-Congress alliance. Whose whip will stand?

It will be a cracker of a day in the Maharashtra assembly tomorrow and it has been made more transparent and interesting by the Supreme Court as there will be live telecast and voting by open ballot. It is clear that if Sharad Pawar is not behind Ajit Pawar's move, Fadnavis will have to resign. The BJP and Ajit Pawar do not have the numbers. It remains to be seen whether the BJP miscalculated or whether some underhand deal has been struck that will get it the numbers. Whatever be the result, it will be a huge day for the democratic process in India.

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