Congress leader and former Karnataka minister H K Patil has threatened to resign as MLA if Gadag taluk is not declared drought-hit by October 10.

Speaking to farmers on Sunday, Patil said he would respect their demand for his resignation if the drought declaration was not made within the deadline. He also said he would make efforts to get Gadag declared drought-hit before October 2, which is Gandhi Jayanti.

Patil said he was not helpless on the issue and would work to ensure the declaration was made at the earliest.

He further warned that he would resign if anyone tried to prevent Gadag taluk from receiving drought-hit status despite its eligibility.

More Karnataka taluks may be declared drought-hit

So far, 124 taluks in Karnataka have been declared drought-hit, while assessment is continuing in other parts of the state.

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who also holds the Revenue portfolio, said earlier on Sunday that more than 200 taluks across Karnataka are likely to be included in the drought-affected list.

According to Parameshwara, the government is assessing areas in phases based on prescribed criteria and ground-truthing. He said 101 taluks were declared drought-affected in the first phase, followed by another 24.

An additional 52 taluks are expected to be declared drought-affected in the next three to four days.

Patil has meanwhile set October 10 as the deadline for Gadag taluk, saying he would submit his resignation if the area is not declared drought-hit by then.

The Election Commission has clarified that receiving a notice during Delhi’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls does not mean that a voter’s name has been excluded or will automatically be deleted from the voter list.

The clarification came after notices issued to several prominent individuals, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj, former Delhi BJP president Virendra Kumar Sachdeva, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and senior BJP leader L K Advani, drew attention.

The poll body said the notices indicate discrepancies in voter documentation that require verification.

What the Election Commission said

An Election Commission official said the issuance of a notice does not mean an individual has been excluded from the electoral roll. According to the official, the notices are issued when there is a discrepancy in the documentation and voters are required to provide the necessary information or documents for verification.

The Delhi election body also issued a clarification stating that system-generated notices are being sent to certain categories of electors to correct their data in ECINET.

It said that no name can be deleted from the electoral rolls without giving the concerned person an opportunity to be heard and issuing a proper speaking and appealable order.

Why are Delhi voters receiving notices?

The poll body said notices have been issued to electors whose details could not be linked with the electoral roll from the last intensive revision, as well as those whose linking showed logical discrepancies.

The draft electoral rolls were published on August 31 based on information provided by voters through enumeration forms.

Of around 97 lakh voters included in the draft rolls, about 33.13 lakh were identified for notices over discrepancies in their enumeration forms. More than 31.63 lakh notices had been served so far, according to the poll body.

What happens after receiving a notice?

Voters who receive notices can submit their replies and the required documents to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer or Booth Level Officer.

The poll body said the list of documents prescribed by the Election Commission is indicative and not exhaustive. The EROs will take decisions on individual cases based on the available documents and the BLO’s report.

The disposal of notices is scheduled to be completed by October 29, 2026. The names of such electors are to be included in the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on November 4, 2026.

The Election Commission said the revision process is intended to ensure that eligible voters remain included in the electoral roll while ineligible names are not included.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken a swipe at Mamata Banerjee after the Election Commission allotted her faction a new party name and the Football Player electoral symbol ahead of the West Bengal bypolls.

The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol on Friday. The rival faction led by Arup Roy was allotted the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.

The Election Commission had earlier frozen the use of the All India Trinamool Congress name and the traditional Flowers and Grass symbol by the rival factions pending a final decision on their organisational dispute.

What Himanta Sarma said about Mamata’s new symbol

Speaking to reporters during his visit to West Bengal, Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new electoral symbol allotted to Mamata Banerjee’s faction would also soon lose its relevance.

“The football will get deflated,” Sarma said, adding that Mamata Banerjee would be “nowhere” after two days.

Sarma also claimed that Mamata Banerjee would not return to power in West Bengal. He said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari would carry out development work in the state while Mamata Banerjee would watch from the sidelines.

These were Sarma’s political remarks about Mamata Banerjee and her faction, rather than an independently established outcome.

Trinamool factions get separate names and symbols

The Election Commission’s decision came ahead of the October 6 bypolls to Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal.

Under the interim arrangement, neither faction can use the original All India Trinamool Congress name or the Flowers and Grass symbol for the upcoming bypolls. The poll body said the arrangement would remain in place pending a substantive determination over which group represents the recognised political party.

The Mamata-led faction will contest under the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress with the Football Player symbol, while the rival group will use Democratic Trinamool Congress with the Envelope symbol.

Sarma also targets Rahul Gandhi over Nandigram

Sarma also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the arrest of Congress’s Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan.

Pradhan was arrested by West Bengal Police on the basis of four pending non-bailable warrants linked to cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition agitation. Police said the cases included serious offences such as murder and attempt to murder.

Mamata Banerjee’s faction had withdrawn its own Nandigram candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, and announced support for Congress nominee Milan Pradhan.

Sarma defended the arrest and questioned the Congress decision to field a candidate facing criminal cases. His comments came after Rahul Gandhi and Congress described the arrest as political targeting and “murder of democracy”.

The developments come amid heightened political activity in West Bengal ahead of the October 6 bypolls and the continuing dispute over the Trinamool Congress’s name and electoral symbol.