OPINION, P10 WELL BEING FE LINES ACROSS THE AISLE, P CHIDAMBARAM Amid soaring temperatures, know the early symptoms of heat exhaustion, heatstroke and other related ailments, and the precautions that you can take to stay safe Page 9 OpenAI’s launch of pets in Codex brings more life to software Page 6 Churn and change in three states The new AI companion YOUR HEATWAVE SURVIVAL GUIDE VOL.NO.XVI SL.NO.67 SPOTLIGHT Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM PARA SPORTS GETA LEG-UP FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2026 F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , C H E N N A I , H Y D E R A B A D , K O C H I , K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , Fashion meets functionality ■ Valley of Flowers, Chamoli 600 species of alpine flowers; visit: July to mid-Aug visit: mid-March to mid-April SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE New Delhi, May 9 Style is no longer limited to fabrics, cuts or colours alone; it is now as much about clothing that provides protection or comfort beyond basic aesthetics THE INDIRA GANDHI Memorial Tulip Garden in Jammu & Kashmir drew 3.9 lakh visitors, including about 1,200 foreigners, during its monthlong opening this year. ■ Cherry Blossom Festival, Shillong, Meghalaya Pink & white wild Himalayan cherry blossoms; visit: mid-Nov Meghalaya’s cherry blossom festival has evolved into a major cultural event, attracting thousands, and accounting for about 8% of the state’s economy. In Uttarakhand, the Valley of FlowersNationalPark,hometo over500speciesofalpineflowers such as orchids, poppies, primulas,marigold,daisiesand anemones, officially opens Vijay finally gets victory; Adhikari sworn in as CM The blue blueprint ANI PARTHA PAUL ● 5 other ministers take oath in Bengal; TN new govt today FPIs remain top sellers in financial services, IT services, with net sales of $2.1 billion. Overall, FPIs sold shares worth $26 billion (`2.42 lakh crore) across 18 sectors during YTD2026, while they remained net buyers in only five sectors, with purchases amounting to $5.5 billion (`50,446 crore). Compiled by KishorKadam Construction -554 Oil, gas & consumable fuels -665 Realty -1,799 -1,914 -1,943 -1,965 -2,114 -9,782 -2,717 -938 Telecom Automobile and auto components Healthcare FMCG Consumer services Information technology Financial services FPIs top selling (Jan-Apr 2026) INDIA has carried out a flight test of an advanced Agni missile featuring multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle off the Odisha coast. ■ PAGE 18 Festival, Ladakh Soft pink, bright white apricot blossoms; visit: early- to mid-April each year on June 1.In 2025,it drew 15,934 visitors and generated `33.3 lakh in revenue. Other regions are building P U N E ● Has edge with new models, as Tata firmly no. 1 (in $ mn) Source: NSDL VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, May 9 AFTER NEARLY 24 hours of shifting numbers, resort movements, contentious letters and high-stakes meetings, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay on Saturdayevening met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to stake claim to form the next government in Tamil Nadu, after the VCK and IUML extended unconditional support to his party. The day began with uncertainty and ended with TVK appearing to have crossed the majority mark. But not before Vijay, who had earlier started from his Foreshore Estate residence to meet the Governor, returned midway after he was told that no appointment had been granted. THIS YEAR IS set be of a big upheaval in the electric car space.While Tata Motors continues to enjoy a massive lead, the battle for the second place has gotten interesting, with JSW MG Motor India gradually losing its position to Mahindra. According to data sourced from the Vahan retail sales portal, JSW MG was at the second position in January and February, but Mahindra overtook it in March and April,and with the latter’s sales rising thanks to new EV models, the lead is likely to only increase. In 2025, JSW MG (51,387 units) led Mahindra (33,513 units) byalmost 18,000 units, butwith the launch of theXEV 9S and XUV 3XO EV, the latter has reduced the lead. In the first four months of the year, the gap between the two was reduced to just about a thousand units—JSW MG sold 18,726 units and Mahindra has sold 17,795 units. Automotive analysts told FE that Mahindra’s ascent to the second spot in March and April is driven by a multiproduct offensive. While JSW MG remains heavilyreliant on theWindsor EV(as seen from its flat sales of 4,858 units in January to 5,006 units in April), Mahindra’s diversified portfolio across key SUV segments has allowed it to capture a wider audience,helping it to growby 42% just thisyear(from 3,817 units in Januaryto 5,412 units in April), and, therefore, it is well-positioned to leverage its superior production scale and brand loyalty to outpace JSW Continued on Page 2 TVK chief C Joseph Vijay meets Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday; (right) PM Narendra Modi with West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari at the oath-taking ceremony in Kolkata ‘Bengal’s new era has begun’ ATRI MITRA & RAVIK BHATTACHARYA Kolkata, May 9 FIVE DAYS AFTER the BJP scripted history with a landslidevictoryintheWestBengal Assembly elections, Suvendu Adhikari, who led the party’s ground offensive that ended 15 years of TMC rule, was sworninSaturdayasthestate’s first BJP chief minister. The oath-taking ceremony, the first by a chief minister at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground, was attended among othersbyPrimeMinisterNarendra Modi,Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and all BJP CMs, including Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Devendra Fadnavis.Five ministers—Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudiram Tudu —were also administered the oath of office by Governor RN Ravi. Pramanik belongs to the Rajbanshicommunity,Kirtania isaMatua,andTuduisfromthe Adivasi community. Continued on Page 2 Lt Gen Subramani US,Iran no closer named next CDS to ending the war PRESS TRUST OF INDIA New Delhi, May 9 LT GEN NS Raja Subramani (retd) has been named India’s next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) andhisprimarymandate willbetoimplement the ambitious militarytheaterisation plan and bolster triservices synergy. Continued on Page 2 ViceAdmiral Swaminathan tobeNavychief VICE ADMIRAL KRISHNA Swaminathan was on Saturday appointed India’s next Chief of the Naval Staff. He succeeds Admiral Dinesh KumarTripathi. Continued on Page 2 REUTERS Washington / Cairo, May 9 expected a response within hours. But a day later, there was no sign of movement from Tehran on the proposal, which would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme. USPresidentDonaldTrump is due to begin a long-awaited visit to China next week. There has been no sign of movement from Tehran on US' latest proposals A STATE OF relative calm prevailed around the Strait of HormuzonSaturday, afterdaysofsporadic flare-ups, as the United States waitedforIran’sresponsetoits latest proposals to end more than two months of fighting and begin peace talks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saidonFridaythatWashington Continued on Page 2 complementary niches. Ladakh hosts its Apricot Blossom Festival for a week each April involving local communities, while Kerala’s Malarikkal transforms nearly 3,000 acres of paddy fields into water lily landscapes between June and October. India is clearly waking up to floral power, an attraction other countries like Japan, Singapore, England, France and the Netherlands have long capitalised on. Continued on Page 2 M&M giving hot chase to JSWMG inelectriccarrace ARUN JANARDHANAN Chennai, May 9 A mature, actionable grammar for a water-secure, climate-resilient and developed India AdvancedAgni missileflight trialconducted ■ Apricot Blossom ■ Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood, Srinagar 50-60 varieties of chrysanthemum; visit: mid-Oct to Nov TAMIL NADU'S TVK GETS MAJORITY WITH 120 MLAs ■ WORDS WORTH, P4 THE Centre has notified the final rules under the four labour codes, bringing into force a unified framework for modernising labour regulations, ensuring minimum wages. ■ PAGE 18 D E L H I , BATTLE FOR NO. 2 Tata Motors Mahindra Jan 2026 ● Meghalaya cherry IN FULL BLOOM blossoms, J&K tulips ■ Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Srinagar inspire similar spots Around 75 varieties of tulips; ■ LEISURE, P7 Centrenotifies rulesforfour labourcodes N E W Indian tourism waking up to its floral power WHAT'S INSIDE FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTORS (FPIs) sold shares worth $9.8 billion (`91,685 crore) from the financial services sector during January–April 2026, as per NSDL data. FPIs were also major sellers in IT, where they offloaded shares worth $2.7 billion, and in consumer M U M B A I , Feb P U B L I S H E D READ TO LEAD Mar 20 Pages, `12 Apr BENGALURU How India is transforming into a global powerhouse of para sports Page 5 Source: Vahan JSW MG Motor (sales in units) 8,262 4,858 3,817 5,566 3,310 2,914 5,552 5,652 5,006 5,412 8,688 8,543 MG in 2026. Gaurav Vangaal, associate director, light vehicle forecasting, S&P Global Mobility, said thattheIndianmass-marketEV segment is entering a decisive phase. “Mahindra’s portfolio expansion demonstrates confidence in long-term category growth, creating multiple customer touchpoints.Conversely, MG’s focused strategy has proven effective—the Windsor EV’s success shows that niche dominancecanoutpacediversification. If MG’s next vehicle performs as strongly, they’re positioned to lead.This competition ultimately benefits consumers through choice and innovation. The outcome remains genuinely open, and that’s healthyforthe market.” Anotheranalyst added that while theWindsorEVhas been attracting a customer looking for an EV in the lucrative `1020 lakh space, Mahindra has been attracting entry-level customers with the 3XO EV. Continued on Page 2 The ‘Olympics of art’ becomes an arena of protest ● Venice Biennale opens amid global political tensions VAISHALI DAR New Delhi, May 9 THE 61ST EDITION of the Venice Biennale, referred to as the‘Olympics of the art world’, opened on Saturday amid heightened geopolitical tensions, making this year one of the most contested editions of the contemporary art exhibition in recent memory. The controversy intensified after its jury resigned on April 30 in protest over the participation of Israel and Russia, resulting in no Golden Lion awards being presented. Demonstrations also took place outside the national pavilions, with critics arguing that countries under investigation by the International Criminal Court for alleged human rights abuses should not participate. Condemning the developments, British artist Anish Kapoor described the controversy as “the politics of hate andwarandallthatthat’sbeen going on now for too long.” Instead of a jury,visitors to the biennale venues will vote for the best national pavilion, from 100 participants, and best participant in the main curated show,In MinorKeys,in Eurovision style. The vote will be anonymous, and by email, the Biennale said on Saturday. Winnerswill be announced on the closing day,November 22. India returns to the biennale after seven years. The India Pavilion, organised by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre and Serendipity Arts Foundation,brings an exhibition titled Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home, curated by art historian Amin Jaffer. The exhibition opened in the presence of Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, President of La Biennale di Venezia Pietrangelo Butta- fuoco,Secretaryin Ministryof Culture Vivek Aggarwal, and Ambassador of India to Italy Vani Rao. The India launch was also attended by chairperson of Reliance Foundation Nita M Ambani, her daughter Isha Ambani, and Serendipity Arts Foundation founder Sunil Kant Munjal. The India pavilion features artworks by artists Alwar Balasubramaniam,Ranjani Shettar, Sumakshi Singh, Skarma SonamTashi,andAsimWaqif, their works examining themes of memory, migration, materiality and belonging, while drawing from Indian cultural traditions. Continued on Page 2 The India Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. India returns to the event after seven years BENGALURU PIB CULTURE