The Sensex and Nifty faced challenges as volatility increased, with the India VIX rising to 15, reflecting market uncertainty. At 9:40 AM, the Sensex was down 163 points at 80,056, while the Nifty fell 66 points to 24,405, amid pressure on auto and power stocks despite gains in financial and IT sectors. Factors such as the upcoming US Presidential elections, Middle East conflicts, weak Q2 earnings, and persistent selling by Foreign Institutional Investors have contributed to the market's struggles.