In a keenly watched outcome, counting of votes in the bye-elections to one constituency each in Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry will be taken up on Thursday.
One Rajya Sabha seat is a small price to pay for all the skills that Kamal Haasan brings to the table, points out Aditi Phadnis.
The supporters of former Chief Minister K Palaniswami are confident of the council recommending the choice of former lawmaker K S Thennarasu, already announced, as they are numerically strong.
The Supreme Court overturned a Madras High Court order restricting the Tamil Nadu government from using the names and photographs of current and former chief ministers in welfare schemes. The court also imposed a fine on the AIADMK leader who filed the initial plea.
Livid at Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy's 'unilateral' decision to form a single-party rule despite an alliance with her party, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday accused him of 'backstabbing' her party. As cracks developed in their alliance within a few days after All-India NR Congress leader Rangasamy assumed office as chief minister, Jayalalithaa charged him with "betraying" the AIADMK by his "unilateral" announcement.
NDA constituents AIADMK and BJP have started preliminary discussions for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Key leaders from both parties met to discuss strategies to defeat the DMK government and strengthen their alliance.
Watch the live telecast from the Parliament.
The massive 10 per cent swing reflected the public fury against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime, hit by the 2G spectrum scam, power cut, skyrocketing prices and deteriorating law and order.
In the AIADMK-led front, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam was forging ahead in 23, the Communist Party of India-Marxist in 10 and the CPI in five constituencies. All top leaders of the AIADMK including Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam and K A Sengotaiyan, DMDK founder Vijaykanth, DMK patriarch and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and his son M K Stalin were leading over their nearest rivals
A sum of Rs two crore was on Wednesday seized from the residence and other premises of a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate and his son at Karur, a senior electoral officer said.
Court summons for Congress President Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi have clearly made the party extremely jittery. But Subramanian Swamy, the man who dragged them to court, believes he has hit gold.
In a embarrassment to the government, Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha on Thursday forced deferment of a bill that aimed at allowing Border Security Force to operate at places other than border areas.
The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhaga on Monday charged Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi with having encroached on some land behind his Gopalpuram residence and said legal action would be taken in this regard and in similar cases detected by the government government.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's aspirations to be prime minister seem entirely logical with more multi-cornered contests, uncertainty in Andhra Pradesh and the winner-takes-all history of elections in Tamil Nadu. Praveen Chakravarty explains.
Embarrassed over All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members shouting slogans against a visiting Parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka, Speaker Meira Kumar on Monday expressed anguish about the incident and offered her "sincere apologies" for it. "She expressed anguish and offered sincere apologies over slogan shouting by some Members of Parliament in the House when the visiting delegation was witnessing the proceedings of the Lok Sabha," a Lok Sabha release said.
A Ganesh Nadar catches up with Jayalalithaa on her campaign trail in Tuticorin district.
Krishnakumar Padmanabhan finds out more about Azhagiri's meticulous planning, which preceeded his son's nuptials.
Jayalalithaa had accused Finance Minister P Chidambaram of having a vested interest in jeopardising India's security and sponsoring economic terrorism in India, who was turning a blind eye towards the inflow of terror funds through participatory notes. She also said that 'dirty' money was finding its way into the country through PNs while demanding invoking of provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act to find out the genuineness of these p-notes.
State Governor Surjit Singh Barnala administered oath of secrecy to Jayalalithaa at the Madras University's centenary auditorium in Chennai.
However, in the event of the Bharatiya Janata Party deciding to contest, his candidate would withdraw from the race, he said.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalithaa on Monday issued legal notices to three media organisations, including the DMK-backed Kalaignar TV, for carrying 'frivolous' reports linking her to Pune-based businessman Hasan Ali Khan, accused of stashing black money abroad.
An united opposition on Thursday forced the adjourned of Parliament, as the opposition raised slogans for a joint parliamentary committee probe in the controversial allocation of 2G spectrum. As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled, opposition members from Bharatiya Janata Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Shiv Sena and Samajwadi Party trooped into the well, waving photocopies of newspaper reports on alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum Congress mem
Senior Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram has joined the popular micro-blogging site Twitter and says he is on board for sharing serious views.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin announced that his party will file a case in the Supreme Court against the Waqf Bill passed in the Lok Sabha. The opposition AIADMK expressed solidarity with the DMK's stance, while the BJP members staged a walkout from the Assembly in protest. The CM argued that the amendment was passed at the behest of a few allies despite opposition from majority parties and that it is an attack on the Constitution and religious harmony. The DMK claims the bill threatens the autonomy of the Waqf Board and the Muslim minority population.
Karunanidhi said he was 'totally surprised' to see an announcement that EC had not prevented the state government from implementing the ongoing schemes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has designated party general secretary Ananth Kumar and senior leader S S Ahluwalia to assist P A Sangma in the Presidential election management.
P A Sangma, the Opposition candidate for the Presidential poll, on Thursday filed his nomination papers in the presence of leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party, some National Democratic Alliance allies, Biju Janata Dal, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, northeast states and tribal legislators in New Delhi.
Opposition backed Presidential candidate P A Sangma will file his nomination on Thursday, the day when United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee will submit his papers.
The Madras High Court will on Thursday decide the political fortunes of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram when it delivers its verdict on the plea filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader R S Raja Kannappan challenging the former's election from the Sivaganga constituency in the May 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Stepping up her campaign for former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma's candidature for Presidency, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa on Sunday contacted top leaders of several non-Congress parties including Bharatiya Janata Party veteran L K Advani, seeking their support to the tribal leader.
By almost unilaterally announcing her party's support for the candidature of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma for the President's post, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalithaa has queered the pitch and made it that much more difficult the search for a common opposition candidate.
With the Biju Janata Dal and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam indicating their preference for P A Sangma as presidential candidate, the Nationalist Congress Party leader on Thursday thanked them saying they have been responsive to the aspirations of tribals and appealed to other parties to support a candidate from the community.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa on Thursday joined hands with her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik in backing former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma for the President's post. However, the Nationalist Congress Party virtually disowned its party leader, Sangma, to enter the Presidential race.
The United Progressive Alliance government is planning to put off the elections for selecting the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha until the monsoon session, a source has said.
Sasikala Natarajan, estranged aide of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Saturday deposed before a special court in Bengaluru in the wealth case against them, absolving the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo of any responsibility in the handling of companies in which the two were partners.
He ruled out an electoral alliance with any party and said next year's Assembly poll will be a straight contest between his TVK and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
In a surprise move, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa on Monday expelled her close aide V K Sasikala and her husband M Natarajan, besides 10 others from the party's primary membership.
Continuing its boycott of Home Minister P Chidambaram, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday created ruckus in Rajya Sabha whenever the minister rose to answer queries put to him during the Question Hour
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will make her first appearance before the special court in Bengaluru on Thursday which is trying the disproportionate assets case against her.
The issues of recall of Gujarat governor and dismissal of Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh created turmoil in Parliament on Tuesday leading to adjournment of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha till noon.
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