India news: Tamil Nadu, West Bengal cast votes

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has refuted reports suggesting petrol and diesel prices may be hiked by 25 to 28 Indian rupees ($0.27-0.30, €0.23-0.25) a liter soon after assembly elections, saying there is no such proposal under consideration.

"There are some news reports suggesting a price hike of petrol and diesel. It is hereby clarified that there is no such proposal under consideration by the government," the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a post on X.

The clarification by the ministry came after a report by Kotak Institutional Equities hinted at a steep increase in petrol and diesel prices once the polling for assembly elections in states like West Bengal ends on April 29.

Iran reacted to US President Donald Trump's reshare of an anti-immigrant post that called China and India "hellholes."

Iran on Wednesday posted in India and China's defense saying, "China and India are the cradles of civilization." 

The Iranian Consulate in Hyderabad wrote on X, "In fact, the #hellhole is where its war-criminal president threatened to decimate the civilization in Iran."

Iran's post on X came after Trump posted on Truth Social a transcript from a conservative talk show hosted by Michael Savage, in which he referred to China and India as "some other hellhole on the planet."

Earlier this month, Trump wrote that a "whole civilization will die" in Iran if Tehran did not agree to a peace deal proposed by the United States. Hours later, he extended a ceasefire agreement with Iran.  

How did India respond to Trump's post?

India did not issue a detailed response to Trump's "hellhole" remark.

However, during a press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen some reports. That’s where I leave it."

The National Human Rights Commission has ordered a pan-India audit following complaints concerning the financial burden incurred because of private schools prescribing costly books from private publishers.

Responding to a complaint filed earlier this month, the NHRC on April 15 said the issue raises concerns of "financial burden" on parents and possible denial of equitable access to education.

The NHRC set a 30-day deadline for the audit of booklists at schools and issued a notice to the Union Education Ministry, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and all states and Union Territories (UT).

The commission has also asked for an explanation of the role of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in textbook prescription within 15 days. 

Iran on Wednesday seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, one of which was reportedly bound for India. 

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it fired on three outbound ships and seized two, calling it retaliation for the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Iranian state reported that the vessels were seized for "manipulating navigation systems and endangering safety in the Strait of Hormuz."

The seized ships were the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas and the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, both container ships. It was not clear under what terms the ships were trying to pass the strait.

According to the MarineTraffic website, Epaminondas was headed to Gujarat from Jebel Ali in Dubai.

The Indian government has notified the rules that will establish the formal architecture to regulate the online gaming industry. 

The rules, which will come into effect on May 1, clearly distinguish esports from online money gaming — a move which is expected to enable long-term investment in the sector.

India's online gaming market has seen exponential growth in the past few years,especially in the real-money gaming sector. However, until the new rules were announced, India lacked a unified national framework to address concerns of fraud and addiction.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as per the new rules, will be able to classify a game as an Online Money Game (OMG), Online Social Game (OSG) or as esports.

The rules also require platforms to enforce user safety features, such as age-gating, time limits, and grievance redressal systems, while establishing an appeals mechanism and prescribing penalties for non-compliance.

Polling stations in West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 41.11% by 11:00 a.m. local time. The elections are being held amid controversy over monthslong voter roll revision exercise that led to the mass deletion of voter records in West Bengal.

Voting has largely remained peaceful, however,  violence broke out in the Murshidabad district where workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress clashing with Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AUJP) supporters.

The elections are being conducted in two phases in the state, with the second phase slated for April 29. Voters will elect representatives of 152 constituencies in the ongoing phase 1.
 

TVK leader Vijay has called on the Election Commission to extend polling time by two hours and provide special bus services for the thousands of people traveling to their hometowns to cast their votes.

Public transport services, especially in Chennai, failed on Thursday as thousands of people traveling to their hometowns and villages to vote were left stranded.

Traffic snarls were reported across the city on Wednesday night. Many complained it took over five hours to travel 35 kilometers (23 miles).

Travelers held impromptu protests at the Kilambakkam Mofussil bus terminal over the lack of bus services. The State Transport Corporation said it had arranged about 2,000 special buses from Chennai to several places, but passengers complained that this was inadequate.

Polling began in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where 57.3 million voters will decide the electoral fate of 4,023 candidates contesting the high-stakes Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. 

As of 9:00 a.m. local time (0330 UTC/GMT), the state recorded a robust voter turnout of 17.69%, signaling a strong early momentum despite logistical challenges. 

More than 75,000 polling stations have been set up across the state for the election of 234 members of the state assembly.

This time, more than 1.46 million first-time voters are expected to participate in the polling process, which could break past voting records.

The main contenders in the high-stakes election include the ruling DMK, led by M.K. Stalin; the opposition AIADMK, led by Edappadi K. Palaniswami; actor-politician Vijay's newly formed TVK; and Senthamilan Seeman's NTK.
 

Good morning! This is Midhat from New Delhi bringing you all the deets from India today.

The temperatures have soared in the north, prompting the weather agency to issue heatwave warnings. Meanwhile, northeastern states are likely to receive light showers and thunderstorms.

People in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are voting today after witnessing a high-energy election campaign and a controversial voter roll revision in multiple states.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the country.