At 70.78, rupee up 9 paise ahead of RBI policy review

Agencies

October 4, 2019

Mumbai, Oct 4: The Indian rupee appreciated by 9 paise to 70.78 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy decision.

Forex traders said, the domestic unit was trading higher as investors believe the RBI will go for yet another rate cut to boost slowing economic growth.

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is slated to announce its fourth bi-monthly policy decision for this fiscal later in the day.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 70.82, then gained further ground and touched a high of 70.78, registering a rise of 9 paise over its previous close.

The domestic unit, however, could not hold on to the gains and was trading at 70.83 against the dollar at 0953 hrs.

On Thursday, the rupee had settled for the day at 70.87 against the US dollar.

Traders said positive opening in domestic equities and weak dollar supported the local unit.

Meanwhile, domestic bourses opened on a positive note on Friday with benchmark indices Sensex trading 202.19 points higher at 38,309.06 and Nifty up 41.75 points at 11,355.75.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell marginally by 0.01 per cent to 98.85.

However, rising crude oil prices and unabated foreign fund outflows weighed on the local unit and restricted the upmove.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.36 per cent to trade at USD 57.92 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers in the capital market, pulling out Rs 810.72 crore on Thursday, according to provisional exchange data.

The 10-year government bond yield was at 6.61 per cent on Friday.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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