All eyes are on Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor as counting gets underway for the Bankipur Assembly bypoll in Bihar, marking his electoral debut. Facing BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha in a 26-cornered contest, Kishor has turned Bankipur into the most closely watched of the three Assembly bypolls held on July 30. Around 3.8 lakh voters were eligible to cast their ballots. Throughout the campaign and on polling day, Kishor accused the BJP of misusing the administration and police to influence the election, alleging the ruling party had resorted to such tactics because it feared defeat. While the BJP has projected a comfortable victory, the RJD has also claimed it is confident of winning the seat. Counting is also underway for the Manjalpur bypoll in Gujarat and Datia in Madhya Pradesh.On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition. Big StoryWith nearly 3.96 lakh NDPS cases pending across India, the Union Home Ministry has directed all states and Union Territories to establish exclusive special courts to speed up narcotics trials. The move follows multiple review meetings over the past six months, during which officials found that 22 states are yet to set up dedicated NDPS courts. The Narcotics Control Bureau informed the ministry that only 65 exclusive NDPS courts are currently operational nationwide. States with high pendency—including Punjab (60,000 cases), Kerala (50,000), Odisha (17,000), Tamil Nadu (15,000), Karnataka (15,000), Madhya Pradesh (14,000), West Bengal (11,000) and Himachal Pradesh (11,000)—have been asked to establish more courts. The MHA has also sought compliance reports from states and is considering measures such as pre-trial conferences to expedite trials as part of its broader anti-drug strategy.⚡ Only in ExpressWith just days left before the August 8 deadline, more than 13,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are racing against time to complete Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but the massive door-to-door exercise is running into several roadblocks. From locked homes and migrant populations to uncooperative voters and missing documents, officials say repeated visits have become the norm. The task is even more demanding in high-rise apartments, gated societies and unauthorised colonies, where access and verification take longer. Alongside their regular government responsibilities, BLOs must also digitise the collected data within a tight timeline. The Election Commission has extended the house-to-house verification deadline to August 8 as it seeks to update Delhi’s electoral rolls by adding eligible voters and removing duplicate, shifted, deceased or otherwise ineligible names before publishing the draft roll. From the Front PageExam leak: The investigation into the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak has uncovered evidence that the racket was planning to target the Assistant Professor Eligibility Test next, officials said. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has recovered digital evidence indicating preparations to procure and leak the examination paper after the TET operation. Investigators say the network functioned as an organised syndicate that allegedly sourced confidential question papers, contacted candidates and facilitated leaks in exchange for money. Among those arrested is Bijendra Gupta, who is alleged to have played a key role in the conspiracy. The SIT believes the racket had expanded beyond Maharashtra and was looking to compromise multiple recruitment examinations. Investigators are now analysing seized mobile phones, chats and other electronic devices to identify additional suspects and determine whether other exams were targeted.Monsoon overflow: Even as parts of Mumbai grappled with the monsoon, the city watched nearly 10 days’ worth of drinking water flow into the Arabian Sea in just eight days. With relentless rainfall filling reservoirs to the brim, authorities were left with little choice but to open dam spillways to prevent overflow and protect the structures. Officials stressed that the releases were a routine safety measure and that Mumbai has enough water to comfortably meet its needs for the year. But the massive discharge has revived a familiar question: can the city do more to capture and store excess monsoon water instead of letting it drain into the sea? Experts say existing storage capacity and infrastructure leave little room for such conservation, highlighting the delicate balance between flood management and water security in India’s financial capital. Must ReadStory continues below this adWhat was meant to end her dreams has instead become the foundation of an extraordinary journey. Resham Fatma, a 29-year-old acid attack survivor from Ranchi, has become the first acid attack survivor from India to be awarded the prestigious UK government-funded Chevening Scholarship. Attacked with acid as a teenager, she refused to let the assault define her future, rebuilding her life through education and advocacy before founding the Ebrah Foundation to support fellow survivors with rehabilitation, education and legal aid. A recipient of the National Bravery Award (Bharat Award), Resham will now pursue a master’s degree in the United Kingdom. She says the scholarship is not just a personal achievement but a powerful message that acid attack survivors can lead, thrive and drive change, and hopes to use the opportunity to push for greater inclusion and policy reforms.⏳ And Finally…In an Idea Exchange with The Indian Express, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao spoke about the party’s roadmap for a political revival in Telangana, alleging that the BJP and Congress are working in tandem in the state. He argued that the proposed delimitation exercise would unfairly penalise southern states that have successfully controlled population growth, while also expressing concern over the widening disconnect between political parties and young voters. Before you go, tune in to today’s 3 Things podcast. We explore why India is seeking to renegotiate the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Next, we examine why farmers in Rajasthan are opposing the GI tags granted to Unjha Jeera and Unjha Fennel. Finally, we look at the proposed railway expansion through the Satpura-Melghat tiger landscape.That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Anupama