The Vanniyar vote can tip the balance in 70 to 75 assembly constituencies of the 234 in the state, mainly in the Ranipet, Vellore, Thiruppathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts.
'This is a major rupture in Tamil Nadu's political order.' 'For the Dravidian parties, the message is clear: The old DMK-AIADMK binary is no longer guaranteed a future.'
Voting has commenced for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with over 3.60 crore electors eligible to vote in 152 constituencies in Bengal and 5.73 crore voters in Tamil Nadu. Security measures are heightened to ensure free and fair polling.
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.
Cyclone Ditwah is moving towards the Tamil Nadu coast, bringing the threat of heavy rainfall. The state government is reviewing preparedness measures, and a red alert has been issued for southern and delta districts.
What transpired during that drive was one of the most compelling investment pitches made by an Indian state in decades.
'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?'
Exit polls suggest significant shifts in Indian state assembly elections, forecasting BJP gains in West Bengal and Assam, a DMK comeback in Tamil Nadu, and a tight race in Kerala.
Recent assembly elections across several states in India saw exceptionally high voter participation, with women voters outnumbering men in turnout percentages, according to Election Commission data.
In Tiruppur (North), where the TVK victory margin of 69,992 votes was higher than the 61,760 votes polled by the major Dravidian parties combined -- DMK got 351 votes and AIADMK 61,409 votes.
One of the standout stories of the TVK victory was that of 30-year-old R Sabarinathan, the son of Vijay's driver from Virugambakkam.
The BJP has released its list of candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with the notable absence of K Annamalai, sparking speculation and discussion within the state's political circles.
In Tamil Nadu, the political landscape is shifting as the TVK party's attempt to form a government faces challenges from its potential allies. Both the DMK and AIADMK are experiencing internal divisions regarding extending support to the TVK, leading to uncertainty and speculation about potential realignments.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Thursday said that it will move the Supreme Court against the delimitation bill, if it is passed in the Parliament.
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.
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.
Widespread rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools in Chennai and many other districts.
Two sons return to their dead father's village to keep alive memories, and are the only ones living in the crumbling hamlet, discovers A Ganesh Nadar.
Unlike films that end with the underdog becoming winner and being sworn in at a public ceremony, Vijay's trial by fire is only about to begin, predicts Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
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.
A district collector leads Dalits into a temple in Tamil Nadu, which is then sealed. A Ganesh Nadar finds out why.
Revenue intelligence and customs officers are set to intensify surveillance and increase vigilance on international borders to combat potential gold smuggling following a significant increase in customs duty on gold.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor criticised the proposal to increase the Lok Sabha's strength to 850, while BJP leaders defended delimitation as a democratic necessity at the Stanford India Conference 2026.
"A member of the LTTE is monitored from the moment he lands on Indian soil and is unaware that he is being tracked by the police. We allow him to wander for a while before catching him red-handed with the material as well as his contacts."
'If you read the TVK manifesto, it is doles and much more doles. But the state has been habituated to this.' 'In no way is he distinct or different from the DMK regime.'
IMD said on Tuesday that the cyclone has a wind speed of 100-110 kmph and gusting to 120 kmph. The coastal areas of Tamil Nadu are expected to receive heavy rain between November 23-26.
'They will have to adjust themselves to the new reality. Because if they don't understand this changed political perception, their future will be difficult.'
A key accused in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party Tamil Nadu chief K Armstrong was shot dead in Chennai on Sunday after he attempted to assault police personnel and flee from custody, police said.
A policeman in Erode, Tamil Nadu, has been transferred to the Armed Reserve after a video surfaced showing him verbally abusing and allegedly slapping a migrant worker at a roadside eatery. The incident, captured on CCTV, sparked outrage and prompted swift action from authorities.
Unless controlled and contained, given the untested belief that the north Indian labour support and follow the Hindutva kind of political ideology, there is a potential in terms of ideological clashes with their Dravidian brethren in the local neighbourhoods, and it all escalating into violence, especially during election time, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Stalin's personal intervention in the Adheenam row may have contained the avoidable political damage and social tensions at least for now, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Northern states in India are experiencing severe heatwave conditions, with temperatures reaching up to 46.6 degrees Celsius. The heatwave has impacted daily life, leading to a decline in tourism and increased power demand. Authorities have issued advisories and implemented measures to mitigate the effects of the extreme heat.
'The reason why they rushed through the bill was they wanted to avoid using the 2026 Census because the 2026 Census by their own decision will be a caste census.' 'The BJP knows that a significant share of the OBCs who will get captured in the census, for the first time after the 1931 Census, are against the BJP. Only a segment of the OBCs are in their favour.' 'So they wanted to avoid the OBC reservation among women, which is a demand of a lot of Opposition parties.'
The cyber crime division have booked the BJP state unit chief under sections of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups among others.
In Chennai, rains are expected to start early Thursday morning and intensify gradually. Government schools in the city have been shut down for the next two days
Vietnam-based electric vehicle maker VinFast, a rival of Tesla in the global market, has set foot in India and began work on building its Rs 16,000 crore EV manufacturing facility at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. The company has already sought a reduction in import duties on its cars for about two years until customers get familiar with the brand and its unit in the state. The global major kicked off the construction of the first phase of its integrated EV hub, which may see Rs 4,000 crore of investment initially and will create more than 10,000 jobs.
'If Kerala votes back the LDF, if Tamil Nadu brings the DMK and if Bengal votes for the Trinamool, we will project a formidable opposition to the BJP.'
At Prestige Polygon Towers in Chennai's Teynampet, hectic preparations are on for a mega global investors' meet under the aegis of Guidance Tamil Nadu (the state investment promotion agency) scheduled for January 2024. Asked about the key focus areas of the meet, the agency's managing director and chief executive officer, V Vishnu, said the state was betting big on electric mobility. This is no surprise, given that the state has signed electric vehicle (EV)-related memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several companies in the recent past that may bring in investments worth around Rs 33,000 crore with the potential to create over 43,000 job opportunities.
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar journeys through villages and towns, districts and cities for a reality check.
Special teams have been formed under the orders of the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, C Sylendra Babu to arrest them, they said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances