Supporters of TVK chief Vijay gathered in large numbers outside his residence, demanding he be invited to take the oath as Chief Minister amid ongoing political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu. The gathering highlights the pressure on the TVK leadership to clarify its roadmap for the upcoming elections and its position on the ongoing government formation deadlock.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin celebrated the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, emphasising the unity of the south and the triumph of democracy. The bill aimed to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase Lok Sabha seats. Stalin criticised the bill as weakening the balance of the union and asserted Tamil Nadu's commitment to justice, dignity, and federalism.
Two MDMK MLAs, T M Rajendran and R Senthil Selvan, have refused to resign from their Assembly seats despite demands from MDMK General Secretary Vaiko. They assert their status as DMK legislators, having won on the DMK's 'Rising Sun' symbol, and have pledged loyalty to DMK leadership, including M K Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin.
With the assembly elections in fast approaching, the campaign juggernaut has started rolling through the streets of Tamil Nadu. While the 2G-scam hit Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam is doing everything it can to regain its popularity, Jayalalitha's whirlwind campaign is only gathering more steam. Rediff.com analyses the situation in poll-bound Tamil Nadu as election fever grips the state.
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.
A member of actor-turned-politician Vijay-led Tamilaka Vettri Kazhagam on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to invite his single largest political party to form the government in the state.
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 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.
Vijay termed the assembly polls due in April this year as a "surprising election" as all parties in the state are allegedly teamed up against him and reiterated that the contest was between the DMK and TVK only.
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.
'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.'
Rulers in New Delhi and their political aides in sensitive states like Tamil Nadu have to be doubly careful not to provoke a situation whose consequences may be much more than visible now to the naked eye, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The 2G spectrum scam involving DMK leader A Raja will have an impact on the party's prospects in the forthcoming Tamil Nadu assembly election, feels DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan.
With Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam joining hands with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, rumours had it that DMDK will follow suit.
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.
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.
Counting of votes begins in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal, with significant implications for regional and national parties.
What lessons opposition parties need to learn post defeat of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal elections? The election saw spectacular victor of BJP which rose from 3 seats in 2016 to 206 seats in 2026 assembly elections.
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.
The Congress high command has intervened to manage discord within the DMK-Congress alliance in Tamil Nadu, following controversial remarks by state leaders regarding power-sharing demands.
The Congress party has announced its seven candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Meenakshi Natarajan, Praveen Chakravarty, Neeraj Dangi, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Pranav Jha, representing various states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. The elections are set for June 18.
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.
'The TVK might form a minority government.'
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'.
Stalin said one cannot and should not decide the mood of the entire country based on the results of one state elections.
'If Congress had aligned with the TVK before the election, we would have won almost a two-thirds majority.'
'They want to know more about him. They want to see his films. Even those who were earlier not interested in his films want to see him now.'
'Sometimes we use political pressure and sometimes political acumen to get what we want.'
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.
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.
Words and actions like those of R N Ravi and a vocal section of the state BJP have only added to Tamil fears and suspicions, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'They have been imposing Hindi on Tamil Nadu,' says DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai.
The Election Commission has allotted the 'whistle' symbol to actor Vijay's political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), for the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections. Party workers are enthusiastically promoting the symbol across Tamil Nadu.
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.
A fourth AIADMK MLA, Esakki Subaya, has resigned from the Tamil Nadu Assembly and is seen with TVK leaders, following three other rebel MLAs who also quit and joined the ruling TVK. This move has sparked strong accusations of 'horse-trading' from the AIADMK and Congress, while the Speaker insists he is acting within legal frameworks.
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.
'EPS exposed all the traitors. The DMK has given them political asylum. They are political orphans.'
Vijay said the 2026 assembly election carried a new environment that had never seen before.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay, buoyed by the support from the Left parties, on Friday called on Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai in connection with securing an invite from him to form the government.
