Rupee slumps to all-time low of 90.25 against US dollar in intra-day trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee plummeted to a new low of 90.25 against the greenback in the intra-day session on Wednesday, falling 29 paise from its previous close, amid FII outflows and sustained buying of dollars by banks.
A decline in the domestic equity markets and the absence of an India-US trade deal put further pressure on the local unit, according to forex traders.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 89.96 against the greenback and slipped to an all-time intra-day low of 90.25, down 29 paise from its previous close.
On Tuesday, the rupee settled 43 paise down at an all-time closing low of 89.96 against the US dollar, largely owing to continued short-covering from speculators and sustained importer demand for the American currency.
Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst, Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities, said, "The rupee slipped below the 90-mark for the first time, pressured by the absence of a confirmed India-US trade deal and repeated delays in timelines. Markets now want concrete numbers rather than broad assurances, leading to accelerated selling in the rupee over the past few weeks."
"Record-high metal and bullion prices have further worsened India's import bill, while steep US tariffs continue to strain export competitiveness," he said.
"The rupee has been weakening with the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wanting to help exporters and may have kept the dollar well bid in the past few days," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
Nationalised banks purchased dollars at higher levels consistently on Tuesday, he said.
The MPC meeting starts on Wednesday and the interest rate decision will be declared on December 5 ahead of the Fed interest rate outcome on December 10.
"A rate cut by the RBI could invite further selling of the rupee," Bhansali added.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.18 per cent lower at 99.17.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.03 per cent lower at USD 62.43 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex was down intra-day by 277.23 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 84,861.04 points. Nifty, too, was trading lower by 111.70 points, or 0.43 per cent to 25,920.50.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 3,642.30 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
