Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a rally in support of BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari for Datia assembly bypoll. (PTI Photo)
India News Today’s Live Updates, 30 July 2026: Get the latest breaking news on bypolls voting underway across Bankipur in Bihar, Datia in Madhya Pradesh and Manjalpur in Gujarat, with Prashant Kishor among 26 candidates in Bankipur making his first electoral contest, an exclusive Indian Express report revealing Goa Police’s 240-point questionnaire for protesters, and the CRPF chief urging troops to work fearlessly amid the row over pellet gun use at the CJP Parliament march, along with top headlines, politics, business, sports, entertainment and city updates from India and around the world.
Voting began at 7 am on Thursday for bypolls to three assembly seats — Bankipur in Bihar, Datia in Madhya Pradesh and Manjalpur in Gujarat — with results due on August 3. In Bankipur, the contest has drawn national attention: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor is making his electoral debut among 26 candidates, with the BJP fielding Neeraj Kumar Sinha against him. Around 3.80 lakh voters are eligible in Bankipur, where the BJP is projecting a “landslide,” while Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD has expressed confidence in a win. Voting is also underway in Datia, where 2.20 lakh voters will choose among 21 candidates, and in Manjalpur, where the contest is a straight two-candidate fight.
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Exclusive: Goa Police gave CJP protesters a 240-point questionnaire including ‘Did you shout Free Umar Khalid?’
An Indian Express exclusive has obtained Goa Police’s 240-point questionnaire administered to CJP protesters, which includes questions on whether they shouted slogans such as “Free Umar Khalid” — a surveillance document that has alarmed civil liberties groups and raised questions about the state’s approach to lawful protest.
CRPF chief tells troops to ‘work fearlessly’ amid pellet controversy
The CRPF director general has sent a “work fearlessly” message to his troops even as the row over pellet gun use at the CJP Parliament march on July 20 deepens. The RAF chief is separately learnt to have told personnel that the force gradient adopted that day was not in accordance with prescribed standards — a significant admission that has yet to be made public by the force.
CBI: NEET papers took two routes out of Maharashtra
The CBI chargesheet in the NEET paper leak case reveals that the question papers were smuggled out of Maharashtra through two separate routes, adding forensic detail to a case that will now be heard in a fast-track court — and that the government will want resolved before it overshadows the Monsoon Session any further.
Parliament: Supreme Court Judges Bill, MSME and Public Exams Amendment Bills on the agenda
The Monsoon Session continues with the Lok Sabha taking up the Supreme Court Judges (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill and the Rajya Sabha scheduled to consider the MSME Development Amendment Bill and the Public Examinations Amendment Bill. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has separately targeted Home Minister Amit Shah over police action against student protesters, setting up a combative session day.
India’s first Vande Bharat freight train hits 145 kmph in trial run
India’s first Vande Bharat freight train has completed a successful trial run, reaching 145 kmph — a milestone in the Railways’ push to bring high-speed technology to goods movement, not just passenger services.
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