Udhayanidhi's ascension in the party is seen as a precursor to him being given key roles in the DMK in future which is now helmed by his 66-year old father Stalin.
Ahead of VK Sasikala's return to Tamil Nadu on February 8, there are some important questions facing her. One, does she carry electoral weight more now than her brainchild AMMK had in the 2019 LS polls? Two, can she retain or build upon the five per cent vote-share from that time? And finally, is there space for Sasikala to retrieve, first within the AIADMK and then across the state, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Bigil packs in enough entertainment in its three-hour running time, feels A Ganesh Nadar.
Maharashtra and Haryana voted in assembly elections on Monday. Several prominent personalities also exercised their franchise.
The Padma Vibhushan for this year has been awarded to a total of seven prominent personalities, while 16 have been given the Padma Bhushan, 118 have been given the Padma Shri on the 71st Republic Day this year, they said.
'The very idea that Kamal Haasan would retire from active acting for active politics is as ridiculous as to suggest that Lataji would give up singing to weave handloom dupattas for destitute girls in Muzaffarpur,' declares Subhash K Jha.
The new Lok Sabha will have 300 MPs who have been elected for the first time to the Lower House.
'Wisdom demands Modi moves to restore the critical institutions of the State and dial back on the cult building around his persona,' say Sonali Ranade and Shealja Sharma.
'We need more universal films like Dangal, Sultan or Padmavat that work across single screens and multiplexes.'
'Those involved in the government had invested in cineplexes in Tamil Nadu, so they wanted Vishwaroopam stopped to further their gains.' 'When there was a difference of opinion, they started punishing the film by banning it.' 'It is ugly, tyrannical politics which the nation did not understand.' 'They broke me for Rs 60 crores.' 'Because I am a star, I am living to tell the story.'
'When I meet Raj and DK next, I will force them to tell me!'
Non-BJP chief ministers are retaliating. If the Centre can use its agencies to threaten, intimidate and jail its rivals, so can they. The fightback will get more intense, observes Shekhar Gupta.
There is no denying that the Deepa identity has overnight caught the people's imagination across the state. But converting that into an imagery and from there as support and vote-base is a different matter altogether, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The dinner Jill Biden and her husband US President Joe Biden hosted for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, June 22, at the White House brought together, Indians and Americans from so many firmaments.
Contest on their own and get washed out, as happened in the 2016 assembly elections? Or contest in league with one of the Dravidian majors and get submerged under its election symbol? With elections looming, minor political parties in Tamil Nadu are caught in this dilemma, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Why India is not holding a plebiscite in Kashmir? What are they (government) afraid of?, he said in an event.
"The cause of action has not arisen within the jurisdiction of this court... We find no grounds to entertain the petition," it said.
Polling for 16 Rajya Sabha seats in four states will be held on Friday amid allegations of attempts at horse-trading by rival parties which have corralled their MLAs in hotels and scenic resorts, prompting the Election Commission to appoint special observers and order videography of the entire exercise.
'The Godse controversy may have helped Kamal Haasan reach out to a larger audience, both inside the state and outside, coming as it does when the main campaign for elections 19 is over and only those in the four assembly bypoll constituencies are drudging along,' says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Alleging lack of intra-party democracy in the Dravida Munetra Kazhagam, former union minister D Napoleon on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has set eyes on strengthening its presence in Tamil Nadu ahead of 2016 assembly elections.
The actor, who has been catapulted to the national spotlight for his work in helping stranded labourers, has refuted reports of his political motivations and says his work with the migrants is because of his love for them.
The Chief Minister Palaniswami camp, however, blamed the Sasikala family for the raids.
Theeran Adhikaram Ondru is a riveting film, says A Ganesh Nadar.
Rajinikanth and Kamalahaasan's new generation movies of the twenty-first century may make bigger money than their earlier films but leave behind a lesser impact. That would make the difference between their success and failure as politicians, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
There were unconfirmed reports that the AIADMK would even parade the MLAs before the President.
And in the midst of it all, Jayalalithaa keeps the guessing game going, on her returning as chief minister and on calling for early assembly polls, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The murder charges capped dramatic developments both in the court and outside where a woman head constable witness to the happenings told a Magisterial probe that the two traders were thrashed an entire night by the other police personnel at Sathankulam station where they were detained over alleged lockdown violations late last month.
Swaroop Kanchi, the Bangalore-based film-maker tries his hand at Hindi film, Yeh Dil Ramta Jogi.
From Chief Minister EK Palaniswami to Seeman to TTV Dhinakaran to elder brother M K Azhagiri, everyone's favourite target these days seems to the DMK chief Stalin, which is good news in an election year, but that doesn't mean he is going to sweep the polls, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
A look at the top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
All set to take over as the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Tamil Nadu sssembly, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam scion M K Stalin on Tuesday vowed to do justice to the post and take up people's issues in a constructive way in the legislature.
'Clearly, Washington has all but given up hope following US Acting Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells's stormy visit to Colombo last month where she read the riot act to Sri Lankan leaders to sign the pending status of forces agreement allowing American troops to use Sri Lanka as a hub for operations in the Indian Ocean,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Dhoni on Monday became the co-owner of Chennaiyin FC, one of the eight franchise of Indian Super League.
NGK -- Nandha Gopalan Kumaran is only meant for Suriya fans, feels A Ganesh Nadar.
Ace cinematographer and filmmaker Santosh Sivan is delighted by the government's decision to honour him with Padma Shri.
The great Indian election is over and now the wait for the results is shrinking with every passing moment. Though exit polls hint at a cakewalk for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his National Democratic Alliance, there are some battles which will be keenly observed on the result day.
Sheela Bhatt recounts the tension, suspense and disruptions during P Chidambaram's interim budget in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Ko 2 is too dreary to make an impact, feels S Saraswathi.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented five Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and forty-three Padma Shri awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Rajinikanth seems to have ended the recently-revived speculation about his imminent launch into direct politics, unlike in the past, when he had expressed specific or indirect support one or the other of the two 'Dravidian majors', says N Sathiya Moorthy.
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