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India news: Election body opens door for voter reinclusion
India news: Election body opens door for voter reinclusion
Midhat Fatimah AP, AFP, Reuters and local mediaPublished 11/04/2026Published November 4, 2026last updated 11/04/2026last updated November 4, 2026The Indian poll body said no action will be taken against deleted voters for using Form 6 for re-enrolment in voter rolls. Follow DW for more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5P2bQPrefer DW on GoogleWhat you need to know
- The Congress Party has called out Election Commission's moved as "another deceptive word game to cover up a flawed process
- As many as 312 houses have been affected by Cyclone Murasu in Andhra Pradesh
Here is a roundup of the biggest headlines from across India on Wednesday, November 4.
Skip next section Indian Americans in US midterm: who won and who lost? 11/04/2026November 4, 2026Indian Americans in US midterm: who won and who lost?
A total of 57 Indian American candidates contested the US midterm elections on Tuesday.
At stake in the elections were all 435 seats of the House and 37 seats in the 100-member Senate. Elections were also held for the post of Governor in 36 states.
Democrats Suhas Subramanyam, Aruna Miller, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Amish Shah and Pia Dandiya have won, according to NBC News projections.
Subramanyam and Jayapal were able to retain their position in the House. By winning in the elections, Dandiya and Shah are set to make their debut as Congresspersons.
Meanwhile, Republican candidates Vivek Ramaswamy, Saritha Komatireddy, Ritesh Tandon, Nirav Sheth and Mahesh Ganorkar lost the race.
US midterms: Sweeping Democrat wins deliver rebuke to Trump
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Edited by:Kieran Burkehttps://p.dw.com/p/5P3SfSkip next section Indian government approves $1.73 billion to boost energy storage11/04/2026November 4, 2026Indian government approves $1.73 billion to boost energy storage
The Indian government has approved a budget of 14,500 crore ($1.73 billion) to support the development of 92 GWh of new grid-scale energy storage capacity across India.
The scheme will be implemented from 2026-27 to 2030-31 and is aimed at supporting the expansion of energy storage systems across the country, according to a report published by Indian newspaper The Economic Times.
At a Cabinet briefing held on Wednesday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "I would like to highlight a major decision concerning our clean energy mission. India has set new standards through its performance in this sector and has earned recognition across the world."
"Today, the Cabinet approved a 92 GWh grid-scale energy storage scheme. Of this, 30 GWh will be allocated to battery storage and 60 GWh to pumped hydro storage. Proper attention will be given to ensuring that the scheme is distributed across the country," he said.
India's rooftop solar boom: How Lucknow leads the way
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Edited by:Kieran Burkehttps://p.dw.com/p/5P3AkSkip next section Two dead as Cyclone Murasu wreaks havoc in Andhra Pradesh11/04/2026November 4, 2026Two dead as Cyclone Murasu wreaks havoc in Andhra Pradesh
At least two people died afterCyclone Murasu made landfall near Ongole in India’s Andhra Pradesh state on November 3.
There was no further information relating to how the two people died.
More than 12,000 people remain in cyclone shelters, Prakhar Jain, the managing director of Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), told Indian news agency Press Trust of India.
Over 52,000 hectares of standing crop have been destroyed and over 300 dwellings have been damaged so far. The cyclone — which is the second to hit the state within a week — uprooted thousands of trees and damaged a total of 2,750 electricity poles.
The cyclone also disrupted commutes in the region and led to the cancellation of over 35 trains and a number of flights.
The storm weakened into a cyclonic storm as it moved over the southern coast of Andhra Pradesh, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Edited by:Kieran Burkehttps://p.dw.com/p/5P2rDSkip next section Two-year extension to be announced for 'Agniveers' — report11/04/2026November 4, 2026Two-year extension to be announced for 'Agniveers' — report
The Chief of Defence Staff, General NS Raja Subramani, will soon announce a two-year service extension for the soldiers recruited on short-term contract known as "Agniveers," a report by Indian newspaper Hindustan Times said, citing senior government officials.
The decision to continue service will rest entirely with the individual, the officials said.
The decision comes just weeks before 75% of the first batch of Agniveers is set to exit the Indian military in December 2026, ending their four-year-long tenure.
Over 18,300 Agniveers were to exit the armed forces by December 31 after completing their four-year term.
The soldiers were recruited in the Indian military under the "Agnipath" scheme — a new recruitment plan introduced in 2022 which cuts the tenure of service and offers them fewer service benefits.
Under Agnipath, soldiers are recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retain only 25% of them in regular service for another 15 years.
In 2022, the Agnipath scheme faced strong opposition from the youth aspiring to join the military service as it marked a major shift from the military’s decades-old recruitment system offering more service benefits and longer tenure.
Edited by:Kieran Burkehttps://p.dw.com/p/5P2ymSkip next section Election Commission says deleted voters can re-enroll using Form 611/04/2026November 4, 2026Election Commission says deleted voters can re-enroll using Form 6
The Election Commission of India on Tuesday said that voters whose names were deleted during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can use Form 6 for inclusion in electoral rolls.
The poll body also assured that no action would be taken against people using Form 6 for re-inclusion in rolls.
The Election Commission's clarification comes as Form 6 requires applicants to declare that they are seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time.
The required declaration in Form 6 had become a bone of contention after a section argued that making deleted voters submit this for re-inclusion was like forcing them to give a false declaration.
Protesters accuse India's government of rigging voter rolls
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The SIR, which has resulted in the deletion of millions of voters across India, has spurred a massive controversy with the opposition alleging vote theft by the ruling Narendra Modi-led government.
The Congress Party was quick to call the latest EC communication "another deceptive word game to cover up a flawed process asking voters to make a false declaration."
No amount of damage control can fix this "flawed process," and SIR needs to be stopped, Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh said, adding, "each damage control attempt shows how badly designed the SIR process is."
Edited by:Sean Sinicohttps://p.dw.com/p/5P2bcSkip next section Welcome to our coverage11/04/2026November 4, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Hello! This is Midhat from DW's New Delhi Bureau, bringing you the biggest headlines from India.
The Election Commission of India has made way for the reinclusion of voters deleted during the mass voter roll revision exercise through Form 6.
After weeks of protests by the youth and the opposition in the capital over election irregularities, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is holding rallies in multiple states in India against what the party describes as attempts to create political instability and disrupt democratic processes.
Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, Cyclone Murasu has killed two people while leaving a trail of destruction.
Edited by:Sean Sinicohttps://p.dw.com/p/5P2bRShow more posts