MIM opposes idea of simultaneous polls
Hyderabad, June 30: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has opposed the proposal to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies, saying it is a solution in search of a problem.
MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi made the party's stand clear in a letter to the Law Commission of India, which is consulting political parties and other stakeholders before making its final recommendations on the issue of simultaneous elections.
The Hyderabad MP described the issue of simultaneous elections as a "solution in search of a problem". He said no attempts were made so far to analyse if there was a need for simultaneous elections. Instead, certain logistical difficulties - such as the expenditure in holding elections - are being projected as sufficient enough reasons to wholesale amend the basic structure of the Constitution.
"I would like to emphasise that constitutional principles of collective responsibility and legislative oversight of executive cannot be sacrificed at the altar of efficiency and stability. It is not possible privilege convenience over constitutional guarantees," he wrote.
The MP said it must be noted that parliamentary democracy and federalism are part of the basic structure of the Constitution. These features of the Constitution cannot be amended away by the legislature in any circumstances, let alone for the sake of saving public expenditure.
"Moreover, it is unclear that any significant public interest is served by conducting simultaneous elections," the MIM chief added.
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
