Morning Digest: Polls begin closing in U.S. midterm elections as early surveys predict change; ECI to take no action against voters seeking re-enrolment through Form 6; and more

Polling stations for U.S. midterm election begin closingPolls began closing Tuesday (November 3, 2026) in U.S. midterms, with Democrats poised to seize the House and potentially the Senate, threatening to shatter Donald Trump’s grip on Washington and curtail his power for the rest of his presidency. The election amounts to a nationwide judgment on Mr. Trump at a time when the mood is turning sharply against Republicans over soaring living costs and the war against Iran.No action against voters seeking re-enrolment through Form 6: ECIThe Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday (November 2, 2026) said no action would be taken against voters merely because they had been included in a previous electoral roll and then submitted Form 6 — meant for new voters — during the special intensive revision (SIR) process or afterwards, provided they were not already enrolled in another Parliamentary or Assembly constituency.Welfare payments will be based on voter IDs, not Aadhaar, says Panchayati Raj MinisterVoter identity cards, along with biometric authentication, will be the basis for identifying beneficiaries and processing payments for welfare schemes within the ambit of the Panchayati Raj Ministry, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lallan Singh, reiterated on Tuesday (November 3, 2026).Trump says U.S. cutting $3.8 billion annual security assistance to IsraelU.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) that Washington is ending a 10-year security assistance accord with Israel that allowed $3.8 billion in annual assistance to its ally until 2028. Mr. Trump said Israel was “fine” with him ending the assistance, which began in 2019 and was signed under his predecessor, Barack Obama, three years earlier.Air India eyes more widebodies, cost cuts under new CEOAir India is seeking to expand its widebody fleet while cutting costs and working toward profitability “as soon as possible,” CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said. “We want to increase our widebody order. Our network and strategy demand more widebodies,” Mr. Gebremariam said in his first public appearance since taking charge at the airline last month. He was speaking at the Aviation India Summit 2026.Jantar Mantar is a road, not a site, says Delhi Police chiefThe Delhi Police Commissioner submitted in the Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) that Jantar Mantar is not a “site” but a “public road”. He said no one can insist on a fundamental right to protest at a particular place and the State can shift venues of protest to other locations.India set to simplify visa formsThe government is all set to simplify visa application forms to bring them at par with global standards, a senior government official told The Hindu. Redundant fields in the bulky visa forms would be done away with and the changes were likely to be implemented from next year, the official said.Delhi SIR: Aadhaar alone not enough, BLOs asked to seek ‘citizenship proof’ from votersElectors who submitted only Aadhaar cards in response to notices issued for “no mapping” during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi are facing another round of scrutiny, with booth-level officers (BLOs) across constituencies in the national capital being asked to collect additional documents as proof of citizenship.Tiger Shroff firing case: 13th accused remanded in police custody till November 16A court on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) remanded Suneha Pandit, the 13th accused arrested in connection with the Tiger Shroff firing case, to police custody till November 16. During the hearing, the prosecution presented chats allegedly linked to cryptocurrency transactions and claimed that funds were being received from abroad.BJP leaders criticise Mamata-Congress bonhomieThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership continued to criticise and raise questions about the bonhomie between the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress and the Congress party for the second consecutive day on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) and accused the former Chief Minister of joining forces in Delhi to create anarchy in the country.BJP’s ‘Save democracy’ campaign begins in Karnataka’s KolarThe Bharatiya Janata Party’s “Save democracy and reject anarchy” campaign, which has been launched across the country to counter the Congress campaign against the Special Intensive Revision, kickstarted in Karnataka from Kolar on Tuesday.