Man waits 5 hours, catches runaway wife at polling booth

Man waits 5 hours, catches runaway wife at polling booth 

24.04.2026

Jalpaiguri : A tense domestic drama unfolded at booth no. 25/238 in Phansidewa’s Tarabari, under the MatigaraNaxalbari assembly segment in Siliguri subdivision, on Thursday — when a man staked out a polling station for hours to intercept his wife, who had eloped with another man two years ago, reports Pinak Priya Bhattacharya . 

He had reasoned, correctly, that she would have to show up to vote. And so he waited. Early in the morning, eyewitnesses at Tarabari Primary School noticed a man standing outside, speaking to no one, giving nothing away. It was a humid, overcast day and the sweat was visible on him, but he didn’t move. Hours passed. He stayed. 

At 2pm, a woman arrived at the booth with her voter’s slip and EPIC card. The man moved instantly — lunging at her, trying to snatch her voter’s card, pulling her hair and wrapping his arms around her from behind. The two struggled until CAPF personnel rushed in, freed the woman and restrained the man, who kept shouting and cursing. 

It emerged that the woman was his wife. She had eloped with her partner two years ago. He had calculated that the SIR process — which had prompted widespread anxiety about voter deletions — would compel her to appear at her booth. Once restrained, the man demanded that CAPF not allow his wife to vote until his name was removed from her EPIC card as her husband. 

The security personnel declined. After twenty minutes, they ensured she cast her vote and then escorted her out of the area. The man left the polling station in a fury, throwing curses at the security personnel and the officials. The officials, for their part, could not keep straight faces. “I have been doing election duty for 26 years and this is a first-of-itskind experience for me,” said one polling official.

Biriyani stands, malls make a killing even as rest of Chennai city deserted

Biriyani stands, malls make a killing even as rest of Chennai city deserted

 Vivek.Narayanan@timesofindia.com 24.04.2026

Chennai : Empty roads, brisk biriyani sales, crowded juice stalls where youngsters boasted their inked fingers, cab drivers fleecing passengers — this was Chennai on April 23, when the city went to vote. 

As voting commenced, the characteristic hustle and bustle that defines the city disappeared. Public transport moved with lighter loads, cinema theatres opened only in the evening, shop shutters remained half-closed, traffic on arterial roads, including NSC Bose Road, Anna Salai, T Nagar was sparse as people made their way to nearby polling stations. 

“It’s always like this on election days,” said Rajesh, a vegetable vendor in Mylapore, with fewer customers than on regular mornings. “People are either at the booths or staying indoors. Business doesn’t pick up until evening.”

 Biriyani stands and street vendors, on the other hand, saw an unexpected surge. “The sale today was much higher than that of normal weekdays,” said Ezhilarasi, who runs a biriyani stall in R K Nagar. “People come after voting. Some orders were pre-booked." “We’ve never seen such brisk afternoon sales on an election day before,” said a restaurant manager on NSC Bose Road. “Families seem to be celebrating their civic duty with a meal out.” 

As the evening descended and polling booths began shutting down, the city’s commercial landscape transformed dramatically. Shopping malls across Chennai witnessed an unexpected surge in footfall. “We had delayed opening of malls to help the staff cast their vote. But most of them were open by noon,” said Aslam Packeer Mohamed, managing director, Marina Mall. Meanwhile, Tirupur Subramaniam from the Tamil Nadu Theatres Association said that film shows were allowed to commence only after 6pm, when polling ended.

Choked highways, bus service disruptions give voters a tough time on day of polling

 Choked highways, bus service disruptions give voters a tough time on day of polling

GST Road was one of the worst affected stretches as vehicles moved at a snail’s pace on Thursday morning, leaving motorists going to the outskirts for voting anguished. A senior Transport Department official said disruptions were largely reported at the Kilambakkam bus terminus near Chennai

Clogged stretch: Vehicles lined up on GST Road near Perungalathur on Thursday.Saptarshi Bhattacharya

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI/Erode/  Madurai/Coimbatore

24.04.2026

Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road witnessed heavy traffic congestion between Perungulathur and the Kilambakkam bus terminus in the morning of Thursday, when the Assembly elections was held across the State.

Cars and buses inched forward at a snail’s pace, taking almost an hour to cross the stretch, which is barely three to four kilometres long. It left several motorists anguished, as some were heading to the outskirts to cast their votes.

Vetrivel Rajan, an advocate from Tambaram, said he was stuck on the stretch for nearly two hours on his way to vote in Oorapakkam. “I was not sure when I would reach or when I could cast my vote. I did not expect this kind of traffic when I started from my residence,” he said. However, the jam began clearing after 10 a.m. A section of people said that owing to closure of schools, families that had cast their vote early were looking to get away for a short break, contributing to the influx of vehicles.

Sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway also witnessed heavy traffic on Wednesday night. They said the traffic was heavier than what was witnessed during Deepavali last year. Traffic congestion was also reported at a few places, including near the Chengalpattu Collectorate and town, due to the movement of local vehicles, which were ferrying voters, and election vehicles. Since vehicles were frequently criss-crossing on the highway, the flow of traffic slowed down considerably.

Travel across Tamil Nadu also saw disruptions on polling day, with many commuters facing delays and difficulty in accessing bus services as they tried to reach their home towns to cast their votes. A senior Transport Department official said disruptions were largely reported at the Kilambakkam bus terminus near Chennai. Heavy traffic congestion on GST Road on the intervening night between Wednesday and Thursday, caused due to a surge in private vehicles heading to the southern districts, delayed the entry of incoming buses between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., affecting schedules.

Passengers protest

At the new bus stand at Solar in Erode district, passengers bound for southern districts, such as Madurai and Dindigul, protested, demanding that more buses be operated immediately. Many said they had arrived from Chennai and other cities early on Thursday morning but were unable to proceed further due to the lack of services. Tension prevailed for some time as commuters raised slogans and argued with the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) staff.

Passengers also pointed to operational constraints at the new facility, where only TNSTC buses were being run, while private omni buses continued to function from the Corporation’s Central Bus Stand following an interim court order. This, they said, added to the congestion and delays.

In Coimbatore, hundreds of passengers waited for several hours at the Singanallur bus stand on Wednesday night for buses to the southern districts. A section of commuters staged a brief road blockade in front of the bus stand, protesting the shortage of services. Kiran Kumar, a student, said he reached the bus stand at 6 a.m. but managed to board a Dindigul-bound bus only around 7 a.m., after struggling through heavy crowds. Passengers who reached the Mattuthavani bus stand in Madurai said delays in getting direct buses from cities such as Chennai forced them to rely on connecting services. However, overcrowding at transit points such as Salem and Kallakurichi left many stuck midway.

‘Services streamlined’

The senior Transport Department official said services were later streamlined and additional buses were operated. As of Thursday morning, about 6,738 buses had been run across the State, with around 4.4 lakh passengers boarding from Kilambakkam alone. From April 21 to 23, a total of 10,663 buses, including 5,574 special services, were operated from Kilambakkam, Koyambedu, and Madhavaram bus termini.

Officials said more services would be operated through the day and urged passengers to avoid last-minute travel. However, commuters said the arrangements fell short of demand during the peak rush, leading to overcrowding and delays at several bus stands.

NEWS TODAY 23.04.2026

‘50% income rule for professionals’

‘50% income rule for professionals’ 

Professionals are required to declare 50% of gross receipts as income. If the declared profit is lower than the prescribed rates, the taxpayer must get the accounts audited. If profit is higher, tax must be paid accordingly. Tax experts said the move reflects the I-T department’s sharper focus on taxpayers allegedly misusing the presumptive tax mechanism by declaring lower-than-actual profits to reduce tax liability. 

Tax expert Mukesh Patel said, “The I-T department is now more watchful and alert and aims to catch any tax avoidance through mischievous use of the provisions of this scheme.” Patel said this is the first time I-T dept has directly sought investment-related details up to March 31, 2026, in the presumptive tax return. 

“The investment declaration is expected to enable tax authorities to compare declared income with investment patterns and identify cases where spending or asset creation appears disproportionate to reported earnings.” Experts said misreporting of income attracts a penalty equal to 200% of the tax payable, while the applicable tax, surcharge and cess together amount to 39%. “Accordingly, once such undisclosed income is detected, the combined tax and penalty burden works out to 117% of the misreported income,” Patel said.

New ITR-4 requires presumptive taxpayers to disclose investments

Ahmedabad : In a significant compliance change aimed at tightening scrutiny over possible tax evasion, small businesses and professionals opting for the presumptive tax scheme will now have to disclose their investment details in the income tax return this year, reports Parag Dave. 

The new disclosure requirement has been introduced in ITR-4 (Sugam), recently released by the Central Board for Direct Taxes for taxpayers filing under the presumptive taxation scheme. The form applies to businesses with turnover of up to Rs 2 crore and professionals with gross receipts  of up to Rs 75 lakh. Those covered include doctors, chartered accountants, lawyers, architects and consultants. 

The presumptive taxation scheme allows small taxpayers to declare income at a fixed percentage of turnover, reducing compliance by removing the need for mandatory bookkeeping and audits for eligible taxpayers. Businesses must declare a minimum profit of 6% of turnover where receipts are through electronic modes and 8% where receipts are in cash.

Why are 4000 rotis made every day at Mukesh Ambani’s house?

Why are 4000 rotis made every day at Mukesh Ambani’s house? Check daily menu at Antilia Mukesh Ambani’s home prepares around 4,000 rotis every day. Why are so many rotis made daily? Do you know how much the Ambani family’s chef earns and what the daily menu at Antilia looks like?

 Published: April 21, 2026 3:30 PM IST 

By Kritika Vaid

Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani eat home cooked meals (AI representational image)

The family of Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, is known not only for its business sense but also for its grand parties and the special dishes prepared at home. All members of the Ambani family are passionate food lovers and follow a vegetarian diet. As a result, nutritious, flavourful, and delicious meals are prepared daily, with great attention given to every dish. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the daily menu at Mukesh Ambani’s home, the monthly salary of the chef, and why as many as 4,000 rotis are made every day.

What are the favourite foods of the Ambani family? Everyone in the Ambani family prefers simple food. The entire family, including Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, follows a strict vegetarian diet. As a result, sattvik and nutritious meals are prepared at home. After waking up in the morning, Mukesh Ambani typically has papaya juice and idli-sambar for breakfast. 

Similarly, Nita Ambani prefers fruits and dry fruits along with juice. Lunch usually includes dal, rice, vegetables, roti, soup, and salad, with the dal prepared in a Gujarati style. For dinner, the Ambani family opts for light and nutritious food, such as nachni or millet roti, Gujarati-style vegetables, and salad.

4,000 rotis are made daily at Antilia At Antilia, Nita Ambani pays close attention to fitness and healthy eating. To maintain a balanced lifestyle, the Ambani family indulges in junk food only once a month, as per the reports. 

They also enjoy dishes like sevpuri at home once a week, which Mukesh Ambani particularly loves. Surprisingly, around 4,000 rotis are prepared daily at the Ambani house. 

These are made for nearly 600 staff members, including cleaners, security guards, drivers, cooks, technicians, and personal assistants. Everyone is provided with nutritious meals.

Mukesh Ambani’s home is equipped with a chapati-making machine that can produce hundreds of rotis within minutes. However, to maintain quality and taste, a skilled chef is also employed, who reportedly earns in lakhs.

NEWS TODAY 24.04.2026