'On the day of the results itself, Vijay personally requested Rahul Gandhi for support from the Congress.'
Actor Vijay is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), secured a majority in the Assembly with coalition support. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
Whether Vijay has the political spine to stitch together a stable government from this patchwork of conditions, demands, and midnight drama is the question Tamil Nadu is living through right now.
South India's manufacturing, construction, and services sectors are grappling with severe labour shortages, prompting employers to offer attractive incentives like free air tickets and salary increments to lure migrant workers back from their home states after recent assembly elections.
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
Actor Vijay's political party, TVK, has significantly impacted the Tamil Nadu political landscape in its debut election, challenging established political norms and achieving notable success.
The precedence given to 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jana Gana Mana' over the 'Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu' has triggered a controversy in Tamil Nadu, with political parties condemning the decision to relegate the Tamil invocation to third place at the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Joseph C Vijay.
West Bengal recorded its highest-ever voter turnout in the 2026 assembly polls since Independence, with a cumulative 92.47 per cent polling in two phases, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.
The DMK criticised its former allies, VCK and IUML, for joining the TVK government, leading to a heated exchange and prompting DMK chief M K Stalin to call for restraint.
TVK's chances of forming a government in Tamil Nadu are uncertain as it seeks support from Left parties and VCK after winning its maiden Assembly election. The Left parties are deliberating, while VCK will announce its decision on Saturday, adding suspense to the political situation.
CPI-M state secretary P Shanmugam said that the party will reconsider its support to the TVK government if it accommodates the rebel faction of the AIADMK in the Cabinet.
Top leaders of opposition parties including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav of Rashtriya Janata Dal and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, besides Left leaders and those from smaller parties, are likely to attend the meeting at the Constitution Club in the national capital.
DMK Youth Wing chief Udhayanidhi Stalin has launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing the former ally of 'stabbing the DMK in the back' and blaming them for the BJP's consecutive national victories. He exhorted party cadre to 'never trust the Congress again'.
The AINRC-led NDA has won the Puducherry Assembly elections and is set to form the government. Chief Minister N Rangasamy won both seats he contested.
'How does the person responsible for the leader's defeat stand before the leader, showing his face, without even a shred of shame, fear, apprehension, or embarrassment?'
The BJP has announced 11 candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, notably omitting Union ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu and George Kurian, whose terms end soon. This decision, alongside other recent appointments, has fuelled speculation about an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. The list includes new faces and senior party leaders from various states.
As results of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry are declared, here's how the big names fared.
The Election Commission has issued a stern notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'terrorist'. Kharge has been asked to explain his remarks within 24 hours.
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement a legislative ban on the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, aiming to create a smoke-free generation in India.
'The TVK might form a minority government.'
Vijay's TVK is poised to win its debut Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, drawing parallels to Arvind Kejriwal's AAP's rise in Delhi. Both parties capitalised on public disenchantment with established political structures, promising change and fighting corruption.
Exit polls predict a BJP victory in Assam and an edge in West Bengal, a DMK government in Tamil Nadu, and a Congress-led UDF comeback in Kerala.
The Chengalpattu Family Welfare court in Tamil Nadu has postponed the divorce proceedings of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay and his wife Sangeetha to June 15. The case, initiated by Sangeetha, involves allegations of infidelity against Vijay.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami met with new district secretaries to discuss the party's future strategy amid an ongoing internal rift. The meeting follows the removal of senior leaders and cross-voting during a recent confidence vote.
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.
The DMK has announced its candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, setting the stage for key battles with the AIADMK and other parties.
Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has criticised his party's decision to ally with the TVK in Tamil Nadu, calling it 'dreadful' and 'low political opportunism'. He fears it could facilitate the entry of the BJP into Tamil Nadu's Dravidian political landscape.
'If Congress had aligned with the TVK before the election, we would have won almost a two-thirds majority.'
AIADMK MLA Leemarose Martin claims that Edappadi K Palaniswami is in talks to support actor Vijay's TVK to form a stable government in Tamil Nadu. TVK, despite a strong debut, needs additional support to secure a majority.
Counting of votes begins in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal, with significant implications for regional and national parties.
The BJP is showing strong leads in West Bengal and Assam, while actor Vijay's party is making a significant debut in Tamil Nadu. The Congress is ahead in Kerala, offering some consolation amid the changing political landscape in the state elections.
Following the swearing-in of C Joseph Vijay as Tamil Nadu's chief minister, the new cabinet has pledged a 'white paper' audit of all state departments and a 'zero-interference' policy in administration, signalling a significant shift in governance.
By asking Vijay to produce letters of majority support before inviting him to form the government, the governor risks overstepping established Constitutional principles, notes Harishchandra.
Rahul Gandhi and Kanimozhi met to discuss seat-sharing for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, but no agreement was reached. The Congress seeks a larger share of seats, while the DMK is hesitant to concede more than last time.
Two people were killed and five others injured in an alleged gang attack in Nanguneri, Tamil Nadu. Police are investigating the incident, which has sparked local protests and political criticism.
'...the enormous responsibility and faith the youth has put on his shoulders, that he is going to solve their problems.'
The Election Commission is preparing to launch the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' lists, potentially covering 22 states and Union Territories with approximately 40 crore electors.
Through his commitment to democratic norms, debate, dissent and constitutionalism, Jawaharlal Nehru helped ensure that parliamentary democracy took deep root in independent India. Utkarsh Mishra evaluates Nehru's 17 years as India's first prime minister, examining his role in nation-building, democratic institution-building, economic planning, scientific advancement and foreign policy.
Indian stock markets are poised for volatility this week, driven primarily by the outcomes of five state assembly elections, ongoing high crude oil prices amid West Asia tensions, and the release of Q4 corporate earnings, according to market analysts.
The new Cabinet in Karnataka led by chief minister-designate D K Shivakumar is likely to be a small one with 10-14 ministers including some young faces, sources said on Tuesday. The top Congress leadership on Tuesday held day-long deliberations with outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar on giving final shape to the new cabinet in the state.
