V K Sasikala, a close aide of the late J Jayalalithaa, has announced the launch of a new political party in Tamil Nadu, potentially leading to a four-way contest in the upcoming state Assembly elections.
J Deepa, niece of late chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa, officially received the keys to the Poes Garden residence of her aunt on Friday, bringing to close a protracted legal battle to obtain the custody of the palatial building.
Deepa's brother Deepak was present in the house when she arrived.
On Wednesday Kamal Haasan, now president of the Makkal Needhi Maiyyam, went over to Rajinikanth's bungalow in Chennai's posh Poes Garden area to seek his friend's blessings ahead of taking oath as a Rajya Sabha member on July 25 in New Delhi.
Party sources said both leaders discussed the present political situation and shared issues of common perspective.
The twin announcements have virutally cleared the decks for the merger of the two factions.
'Thanks Superstar @rajinikanth sir for your warm wishes and inviting, spending time and sharing your wisdom with us.'
Pandian alleged that Jaya died under unnatural circumstances and demanded a probe on her hospitalisation.
The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a plea filed by the legal heir of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa seeking the return of properties confiscated in a corruption case against her. The court stated that the abatement of proceedings due to her death did not mean she was acquitted of the crime. The court upheld the confiscation of her properties, including her iconic residence, Veda Nilayam, land parcels, estates, bank deposits, and other assets, which will be transferred to the Tamil Nadu government.
In his first visit to Chennai since becoming prime minister, Narendra Modi was given a rapturous welcome and hosted for lunch by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Poes Garden is one of the most exclusive addresses in Chennai.
Here are some of the famous faces queued up to get ink mark on their fingers.
'The word 'ally' in a coalition is misleading because it suggests someone who is always for you and with you. This is incorrect.' 'They are always for themselves and sometimes with you,' explains Aakar Patel.
A search operation was launched in the office block and a room used by jailed and deposed All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader V K Sasikala
Judge HA Mohan presiding over the additional city civil & sessions court held that the kin, J Deepa and J Deepak, were not entitled to the properties that have been confiscated by the state.
The Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry that probed the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's death in 2016, in its concluding remarks said that V K Sasikala, the late Chief Minister's confidante, 'have to be found fault with and investigation is to be ordered'.
AIADMK leaders and supporters pay homage to J Jayalithaa on her 5th death anniversary.
The Madras high court on Wednesday set aside an order of the previous AIADMK regime to convert late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's residence, 'Veda Nilayam' in Chennai as a memorial.
AIADMK leaders want Chinamma to succeed Amma as party general secretary, but it is not a done deal yet.
The Chief Minister Palaniswami camp, however, blamed the Sasikala family for the raids.
Mary Kom was felicitated by superstar Rajinikanth
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has promulgated an ordinance to take temporary possession of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's residence to convert it into a memorial, the state government said on Friday.
Even though V K Sasikala's relatives may be calling the shots within the AIADMK and the Tamil Nadu government now, the 'Mannargudi clan' doesn't have a future in state politics, reports R Rajagopalan.
Jayalalithaa was the third chief minister in Tamil Nadu to die in office, after her mentor M G Ramachandran (1987) and before that his mentor C N Annadurai (1969). The state government should have evolved protocols for the medical care of the incumbent, and institutional memory should have guided the government and officials in the matter, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Jayalalithaa's demise is seen as a personal loss for the 59-year-old Sasikala who was probably one of the few occupants of the Chief Minister's Veda Nilayam residence at Poes Garden besides assistants and officials.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo J Jayalalithaa on Saturday walked out of a Bangalore prison following Supreme Court granting her bail in a graft case, arriving to a grand homecoming with scores of avid supporters turning up to welcome her despite heavy downpour.
For V K Sasikala, election as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislature party leader to pave her way to become the chief minister, marks continuance of the legacy of late Jayalalithaa who also held the two posts, allowing her to wield complete control over the party and the government.
Winding up his campaign for the Presidential election, National Democratic Alliance candidate P A Sangma on Wednesday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and thanked her for supporting his candidature for the top post.
As per the affidavit she filed on Friday along with the nominations for the bypoll, Jayalalithaa has total assets of Rs 117.13 crore, which include Rs 45.04 crore of movable assets and Rs 72.09 crore of immovable assets.
Sasikala, clad in a light green saree with a pink border, greeted supporters with folded hands. She rode to the party office in the car used by Jayalalithaa.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple at Guruvayur in Kerala on Monday. This is Modi's first trip to South India after the Bharatiya Janata Party swept the Gujarat assembly elections.
DMDK founder-president Vijayakant along with party presidium chairman Panruti Ramachandran and Youth wing secretary Sudheesh called on Jayalalithaa at her Poes Garden residence in Chennai on Friday night to cement the pact under which the party had been allotted 41 seats, a joint statement released to the media said.
The letters bear address of Jaya's Poes Garden residence.
Rajinikanth said he stood by his comments made on Periyar, maintaining that they were factual and refused to apologise as demanded by fringe Dravidian outfits. DMK chief advised him to exercise caution while expressing views on Periyar.
ndependent of the political fallout, which Stalin has sought to arrest through the withdrawal of the measures as fast as they were introduced, there are concerns about the way those decisions came to be taken, without adequate application of mind, not in official terms but in political and electoral contexts, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
A large number of AIADMK cadre, led by former Minister D Jayakumar, had gathered in the area and resisted the entry of Congressmen resulting in a scuffle between the two groups.
The December 1996 raid came following a complaint by BJP's Subramaniam Swamy naming late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Party said the Opposition demand is a part of a 'planned campaign' against Sasikala.
The EPS camp believes that the BJP was already arm-twisting the AIADMK into conceding more seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections 'than they deserve' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Cyanide Mallika is serving a life term for killing seven women by giving them cyanide capsule in temples. Her motive had been to decamp with gold jewelries that unsuspecting victims wore.