Small parties have the capacity to play both ends against the middle. Puducherry could be heading that way, points out Aditi Phadnis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the strong connection between India and Malaysia through their shared affection for the Tamil language, noting its vibrant presence in Malaysian education, media, and cultural life.
West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Thursday saw a massive voter participation during the ongoing assembly elections, with turnout reaching 89.93 per cent and 82.24 per cent respectively by 5 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
Tamil Nadu Minister S Keerthana was unable to take her oath of office as an MLA in the State Assembly because she did not present her Certificate of Election, a necessary document for the oath-taking process.
The high-intensity election campaign in Tamil Nadu concluded with accusations and counter-accusations between the DMK and AIADMK, while new entrant TVK made its presence felt. Key issues included state autonomy, corruption, law and order, and the delimitation bill.
Whether he comes to power or not, both his admirers and opponents agree on one thing -- Vijay may well turn out to be the 'X factor'.
Counting of votes begins in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal, with significant implications for regional and national parties.
If current trends persist, the Congress risks becoming increasingly regionally concentrated, dependent on a handful of states rather than functioning as a truly pan-India political force.
DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran sparked controversy by contrasting women's education in Tamil Nadu with the situation in North India, claiming that women in the North are encouraged to stay home and bear children.
The first part of the Budget Session of Parliament concluded on Friday with the Rajya Sabha witnessing a low as some All India Anna All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members broke mikes on the chairman's table.
In apparent signs of thaw after years of bickering stemming out of internal feud in the AIADMK in the past, party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami welcomed Dhinakaran back in to the National Democratic Alliance. The AMMK founder reciprocated with a "heartfelt thanks," yet admitting there was "sibling rivalry" with AIADMK, the party he was once associated with.
'If a floor test happens, one group of MLAs may abstain to allow the confidence vote to pass. So theoretically, he can run a minority government as long as the others won't join each other to vote him out.'
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo J Jayalalithaa may have snapped her friendship with Sasikalaa Natarajan and expelled her from the party because of the Rs 66 crore misappropriate assets case in which the two are accused. Vicky Nanjappa reports
'The TVK might form a minority government.'
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced a series of welfare measures, including free refrigerators for rice ration cardholders, if the party wins the 2026 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu.
The Jayalalithaa-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday retained the Sankarankoil (SC) asssembly constituency, with party nominee S Muthuselvi defeating Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate Jawahar Suryakumar by a massive margin of 68,744 votes. Muthuslevi polled 94,964 votes against Suryakumar's 26,220.
Accoding to data collected by the Association for Democratic Reforms, of the 1,618 candidates analysed from the total 1,625 candidates in the fray, 450 are crorepatis.
'EPS exposed all the traitors. The DMK has given them political asylum. They are political orphans.'
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's remark calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'terrorist' has triggered strong reactions from the BJP, who have demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The DMDK officially joined the DMK-led alliance ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, marking a significant political development in the state.
The ruling NDA alliance has secured a majority in the Rajya Sabha elections, winning key seats in Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana, while other candidates were elected unopposed across multiple states. The elections were marked by cross-voting allegations and political maneuvering.
Vaiko's party has four MPs providing outside support to the government.
In the Tamil Nadu election, to be held next month, the AIMIM will contest three of Tamil Nadu's 234 seats -- Vaniyambadi, Krishnagiri and Sankarapuram.
A keen contest is on the cards for the sixth seat in the biennial election.
MDMK General Secretary Vaiko meets Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and gets 10 seats more than what he wanted from DMK
Expelled All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and nine-time MLA, KA Sengottaiyan joined Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) along with his supporters on Thursday, a day after he resigned as the Gobichettipalayam MLA.
The decision comes amid an assessment of potential security threats and follows standard protocol based on inputs from central security agencies.
The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of J Jayalalitha.
Capitalising on the boycott by main opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Democratic Progressive Alliance on Friday expectedly swept the by-polls to five Tamil Nadu assembly seats, trouncing actor-politician Vijaykant's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam by impressive margins.
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.
Leaders showered praises on Karunanidhi, the grand old man of Tamil Nadu politics who entered the state assembly in 1957 and was elected to the House on all the eleven occasions he contested the polls.
The entire opposition evicted from Tamil Nadu Assembly following uproar on the issue of lawyers-police clash in Madras High Court.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday admitted that 'as of now, some assurances such as getting NEET scrapped', could not be fulfilled.
Actor-politician Vijayakant's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, launched in 2005 amid fanfare and claims of being an alternative to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, seems to have failed to make much of an impact at the grassroots level, with the party managing just two per cent of total votes polled in last week's civic polls. The ruling AIADMK romped home in all 10 corporations besides many other local bodies.
The stage is set for the second by-poll of the year in Tamil Nadu at Pudukottai on Tuesday where former friends All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam will fight each other, with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam choosing to skip the contest.
Top Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders, including party chief M Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin and daughter Kanimozhi, besides thousands of party workers today courted arrest across Tamil Nadu as part of a 'fill-the-jail' protest against the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government which has "foisted cases" against its cadres.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Jayalalithaa, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi, his son M K Stalin. and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam chief Vijayakanth spent far less than the limit set by the Election Commission for poll-related expenses during the April 13 assembly elections.
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