Newly appointed Kerala CM V D Satheesan seeks guidance from senior Congress leaders A K Antony and V M Sudheeran, receiving advice on navigating the challenges of leadership and addressing the state's financial and developmental issues.
CPI(M) leader P A Mohamed Riyas has strongly defended former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against criticism regarding his age and his role as Leader of the Opposition, asserting that Vijayan remains the voice of the neglected.
V D Satheesan, a 61-year-old lawyer-turned-politician, has emerged as a prominent figure in Kerala politics, known for his aggressive opposition to the Left government and his role in revitalising the Congress party. His journey from student politics to a key leadership position highlights his strategic acumen and dedication to addressing local issues.
The Congress party has announced VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala, ending days of speculation. The decision was revealed at a press conference in New Delhi.
The Congress party's delay in naming the next Chief Minister of Kerala has drawn criticism, particularly from key ally IUML, which warns of potential political fallout from the prolonged uncertainty.
'He worked over time to become the natural claimant,' a senior UDF leader observed. 'Others had organisational stature, but Satheesan had momentum.' For the Congress, it may signal the beginning of a new leadership template -- one where performance, communication and grassroots credibility increasingly outweigh inherited power structures in deciding who leads the party into its next phase.
In a state known for high political literacy and ideological mobilisation, the Congress' inability to quickly settle on a leader after securing a massive mandate has fed a narrative that the party remains excessively dependent on Delhi, deeply faction-ridden and vulnerable to internal sabotage
Sivagiri Mutt head Swami Satchidananda has voiced concerns over the lack of adequate representation for backward communities in elections by political parties in Kerala, India. He also welcomed the Kerala High Court decision disqualifying the leadership of the SNDP Yogam.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
Antony will irretrievably sully his legacy by scuttling an operationally crucial appointment, says Ajai Shukla
Defence minister A K Antony on Sunday visited a forward post in north Kashmir's Kupwara sector.
Reviewing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday said the 'visibility' of troops should be reduced as much as possible in the state without compromising efficacy.
Antony on the security scenario in the immediate neighbourhood and beyond.
'Maybe this has created some minor issues which can happen in any party.'
Indian-Americans in the Washington metropolitan area accorded visiting Indian Defence Minister A K Antony -- on his maiden visit to the United States on the invitation of Defence Secretary Robert Gates -- a rousing welcome on his arrival at the Washington Dulles International Airport on Sunday evening. Dr Parthasarathy Pillai, a community icon in the Washington, DC area and erstwhile national president of the National Federation of Indian Associations were at the airport.
'Once again we have a case where a European armaments manufacturer apparently paid bribes to win a contract from India. Once again we have an honest man in the ministry of defence. Once again there is talk of contracts being cancelled to wring the truth. As a student of history,' says T V R Shenoy, 'I can only draw parallels.'
Amid demands by the armed forces for a war memorial in Delhi, Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday said things were progressing in a "comfortable" manner on the issue. "I can tell you that things are now progressing very well. Things are progressing very well," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function to pay homage to the martyrs of defence forces on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Veteran Congress leader and former Defence Minister A K Antony said on Tuesday that his son, Anil K Antony, who is contesting as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, should not win the election.
A purported video in which veteran Congress leader A K Antony's wife Elizabeth was seen justifying their elder son's recent entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party has gone viral on social media platforms, putting the Congress party in a fix in Kerala.
Almost five years later, the three services have still not fully understood that joint/theatre commands are not a discussion point; they are the prime minister's diktat on a military reform measure that is in line with what armed forces around the world have implemented, points out Ajai Shukla.
'While some women allow themselves to be exploited so that they can climb up the ladder, there are many voiceless and silent people who get exploited by men in powerful positions.'
'There will be no compromise with someone who has betrayed the party at this stage even if she is my sister,' Congress MP K Muraleedharan told reporters.
'Pappa (A K Antony) was seen sitting with utmost pain in a corner of the house. I have never ever seen him so weak like this in my life. He did not shed tears, that's all'
'China will do everything to hamper our ability to be a competitor.' 'China wants every country in the region to be subservient and we are the biggest stumbling block.'
The BJP has dropped C T Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, as its general secretaries, and Vinod Sonkar, Harish Dwivedi, both Lok Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh, and Sunil Deodhar as secretaries.
Talking about the relationship with his father, Anil Antony said, "We all are different and our thinking is also different. Joining the BJP is my personal decision and my father has been associated with the Congress for many decades. He has a different attachment to the Congress."
The youngest in the CWC is 31-year-old Neeraj Kundan, who is an ex-officio member of the body as the president of the National Students Union of India, the students' wing of the party.
Exigencies of electoral politics and individual ambitions often stoke family feuds and sibling rivalries.
In a strategic move, the BJP has welcomed prominent Christian figures like Anil K Antony, son of Congress stalwart AK Antony, and seasoned Kerala politician PC George, into its fold.
'I am the senior most Congress party leader from Kerala, and I don't know why I am sidelined.'
'They hate him so much that if PM Modi says the Sun rises in the east the Congress will say the Sun rises in the west.'
If the party's members aren't sure what it stands for, see no path to wealth or power, and endure control by a dynasty, which, almighty as it is within the party, cannot get them the votes, they are likely to explore options, notes Shekhar Gupta.
C R Kesavan, great grandson of noted freedom fighter and India's last governor general C Rajagopalachari, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday as the party aims to boost its presence in southern India.
He cited the names of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Scindia, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Kiran Kumar Reddy and Anil K Antony in his tweet.
Sarma said the defamation case will be filed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Guwahati on April 14.
The DG said that the previous government was wary of constructing roads near the Line of Actual Control.
A case has been registered against Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that promote enmity between different groups, police said on Tuesday.
Anil Antony announced his resignation via a tweet in which he said that he was getting "intolerant calls" to retract his tweet against the documentary and the "wall of hate/abuses" on Facebook over the same issue have prompted him to take the decision.
Kerala's election discourse operates surreptitiously. Its explicit face focuses on important national and local issues. At the same time, it seeks to secure apt communal equations to ensure votes, notes Shyam G Menon.
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