12:00⇢Election Commission Strikes Back
⌨The newspapers report the Election Commission of India issuing a fierce four-point rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi's "match-fixing" allegations regarding Maharashtra's assembly elections, calling his claims "completely absurd" and "baseless" (Aaj Tak, ABP Live, India Today, Mathrubhumi, NDTV, The Hindu, Zee News). The ECI accused Gandhi of repeatedly ignoring facts and stated that defaming the poll panel after unfavorable verdicts undermines the rule of law. Gandhi has now extended his rigging accusations to predict similar manipulation in Bihar's upcoming elections. Meanwhile, Indian media extensively covers the Trump-Musk conflict escalation, with reports that Musk deleted his "Epstein files" tweet targeting Trump, possibly attempting to mend their deteriorating relationship (Dainik Bhaskar, Jansatta, Times of India). Separately, Andhra Pradesh government announced a shift to 10-hour working days (Dinamalar), while coverage continues on the Chenab Bridge's engineering achievement connecting Kashmir.