As leaders go, while Modi's visits to the state will be watched with curiosity, Rahul will need to be dislodged from the popular consciousness -- Tamil Nadu is one state where he's present, notes Aditi Phadnis.
Stalin is preparing the DMK to go the whole hog in making 'federalism', 'Tamil self-respect' and 'communal cohesiveness' the party's poll plank next year, and package the BJP and its possible allies, as 'divisive' and 'reactionary', predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
With Karnataka starting release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in compliance with the directives of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), protests have erupted in southern parts of the State.
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has moved the Supreme Court to intervene in a significant case concerning the interpretation of legislative privileges of MLAs and their impact on freedom of speech. A seven-judge Constitution bench will hear the matter from October 6. Kamra's involvement stems from privilege proceedings against him in the Maharashtra Assembly over his comedy special. The case also revisits a 2003 matter involving journalist N Ravi, highlighting conflicting views on whether fundamental rights override legislative privileges.
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.
'If he has not achieved 'Congress mukt Bharat' even now, the question of his creating a 'DMK mukt Tamil Nadu' does not arise,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The DMK leadership may now have to deal with a demand for more seats from its Congress ally in the Lok Sabha polls, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Stalin said one cannot and should not decide the mood of the entire country based on the results of one state elections.
The Ministry of Home Affairs informed a Joint Committee of Parliament that the number of active NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act has halved over the last decade, even as foreign funds received by them have significantly increased. Christian associations received the largest share of these funds in 2024-25. The report comes amidst discussions on a contentious FCRA amendment bill aimed at tighter government oversight.
The recent 'revelation' by TN fishers freed by Sri Lanka after they had paid up Lankan rupees 50,000 each in fines, that their hair was tonsured in prison and they were forced to remove their garments other than the underpants, and were also made to clean toilets, as if with vengeance, has touched a raw nerve this time, just as another issue or issues had done it ahead of the Jallikattu protests, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Change of guard in some states and evolving El Nino dynamics are triggering fresh actions on raging water-sharing disputes in several states.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Fisheries Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan accepted the mistake on Thursday after the Tamil Nadu government was left red-faced after an advertisement for a new Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that featured a rocket with the flag of China.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday asserted that his government was committed to protecting the interests of the state's farmers and people on the Cauvery issue, while appealing to organisations to withdraw the proposed state-wide bandh.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay actively participated in a 6 km anti-drug marathon at Chennai's Marina Beach, running alongside thousands of participants. This marks a historic first for a sitting CM in the state to complete such an event for a social cause, drawing praise from political figures and reinforcing the government's commitment to a drug-free Tamil Nadu.
'The BJP doesn't have to do anything except nudge the AIADMK in one direction.'
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led a large protest in Mumbai, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke announced a further protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Kumar does not step down, citing alleged voter deletions and irregularities in recent elections. The protest, which saw participation from various activists and public figures, also called for freezing voter lists and abolishing the 2023 law on Election Commissioner appointments.
'Sometimes we use political pressure and sometimes political acumen to get what we want.'
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.
A proposed Rs 1,200 crore Secretariat-Assembly complex in Pattinapakkam, Chennai, has ignited significant opposition from local fishing communities and various political parties. Residents fear displacement, loss of livelihood, and environmental damage, citing ancestral rights and broken promises. Political leaders across the spectrum are urging Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to reconsider the site, highlighting concerns about ecological impact, traffic, and financial priorities.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala are voting in single-phase for 234 and 140 assembly constituencies respectively.
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.
Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary took a grim note of the unruly behaviour of some of the BJP MLAs who had entered the well and placed chairs on the table of the reporting staff.
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.
DMK Parliamentary Party leader T R Baalu told reporters in New Delhi that Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy, who led a delegation, handed over to the President what state Chief Minister M K Stalin has 'written', but repeatedly insisted the content of the communication was only known to the CM.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai has stepped down as election in-charge for six Assembly constituencies due to his father's health condition. He has informed the party leadership of his decision, citing his inability to travel and the need to care for his father.
With the Tamil Nadu electorate having given him an unprecedented mandate that had eluded his father the late M Karunanidhi, Stalin has to prove his worth, ensuring at the same time that the Dravidian drag on the AIADMK's side does not open up space for the BJP to make inroads in the state, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced a significant overhaul of its national team under party president Nitin Nabin, introducing numerous new faces and promoting prominent leaders like former Union minister Smriti Irani to general secretary and former RSS functionary Ram Madhav to vice president. The revamp aims to balance youth and experience while preparing for upcoming assembly and general elections.
Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should meet the expectations of the people that prices will go down if he took over and 'it is the duty of the new government to do that.'
'You will have the President's rule for 7 to 8 months, And Annamalai will be the hero in those 7 months.'
R Rajagopalan predicts that Tamil Nadu won't have single party rule for the first time in its history.
M K Alagiri, the disgruntled son of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch M Karunanidhi, has reached out to the Bharatiya Janata Party with an offer of support in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai left for Delhi from Chennai on Monday amid growing speculation on social media over his political future and reports suggesting he may be planning to launch a new political platform.
For a party that has adopted the successful social re-engineering model from Gujarat, Rajasthan and across the rest of the 'Hindi belt' over the past decades, Tamil Nadu continues to remain a tricky customer, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The DMK has approached the Supreme Court, alleging that Tamil Nadu ministers are actively influencing witnesses in the CBI probe into last year's Karur stampede case, which resulted in 41 deaths.
The Congress party is considering supporting TVK in forming a government in Tamil Nadu, following a request from TVK chief Vijay. The party leadership has directed the Tamil Nadu unit to make a final decision, keeping in mind the state's sentiments and commitment to a secular government.
According to pollster Pradeep Gupta, years of TMC "misrule" that created a "climate of fear", Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma and the organisational abilities of Amit Shah and the RSS brought the BJP to power in West Bengal.
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'.
BJP witnessed steady growth in crorepati MLAs between 2016 and 2026.
'They have been imposing Hindi on Tamil Nadu,' says DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the state now is not in a position to release Cauvery river water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, due to lack of rains in the river basin region.
