'What we see here is puppetry. The string is with the BJP.' 'All the puppets here are dancing to the direction the BJP pulls the strings.'
Among major engagements in 2026 is the visit of the European Union leadership, chief guests at the Republic Day parade.
A grim-faced Panneerselvam, who was also seen sporting a beard, was sworn in around 1.15 am by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhavan amidst a scene of gloom.
The Election Commission on Friday ruled out postponing the April 13 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu as demanded by major political parties, including the Opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, saying every issue was factored in before announcing the poll schedule.
It was also for the first time that the people of the state denied any political party an absolute majority and DMK formed a minority government with outside support from its allies Congress, Pattali Makkal Katchi and Left parties.
Post Jayalalithaa's death, the Tamil Nadu government is in confused state.
The Election Commission removed 6.5 crore electors from the draft electoral rolls of nine states and three Union territories as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The removals are due to voters being absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicates.
Parliament is set to debate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram and election reforms, with key discussions led by Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah.
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, along with three other newly elected Rajya Sabha MPs from Tamil Nadu, took oath as members of the House.
Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list commenced in nine states and three Union territories on Tuesday, amid objections from several parties with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leading the anti-SIR offensive in West Bengal with a rally in Kolkata and alleging 'silent, invisible rigging' through the exercise.
'Some states have become more populous, while others have become less populous. Those who became less populous became economically strong. Those where population increased, they became economically weak
Stealing a march over other political parties, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday announced candidates for 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state and Puducherry.
Today, when one Kamalahaasan launches a new political outfit, vowing to cleanse Tamil Nadu polity and political administration of corruption, mal-governance and non-governance, he is pitted not only against Rajini with his commitment to 'spiritual politics', he is also pitted against the real 'Lotus' in Tamil Nadu politics, representing the ruling BJP at the Centre, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Display of Jayalalithaa's portrait in the Republic Day tableaux in Chennai has stirred up a row
Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu's new CM was among the senior ministers who had proximity to Jayalalithaa.
Slamming the Election Commission for its 'hasty' announcement of schedule for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday said the state had not been consulted about the dates and sought to know the rationale behind the poll panel's action. A day after the EC announced the schedule, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam chief said everybody expected the polls to be held either in the last week of April or in the first week of May.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accept the preliminary objections raised by opposition-ruled states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala to maintainability of Presidential Reference, saying the issues raised in it pertain to the very core and foundational modalities of the constitutional machinery.
The Supreme Court has directed states to consider deploying additional staff to ease the workload on booth level officers (BLOs) engaged in the special revision of electoral rolls, following concerns about extreme work pressure and related issues.
Tensions between Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have drawn national attention in recent months.
In a lot of ways, Tamil Nadu votes exactly as do other states. But at places there are crucial differences.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission's voters' list cleanup exercise, will commence in nine states and three Union territories from Tuesday.
Narendra Modi's meeting with J Jayalalithaa in Chennai has set the rumour mills abuzz. Will the Tamil Nadu chief minister ally with the BJP ahead of the 2016 polls, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
The DMK may consider a two-tier campaign, where they keep the focus on Chief Minister Stalin, as a senior statesman with 50-plus years of political experience, and let EPS and the BJP shout in the wilderness. In such a case, the second-tier may project Udhayanidhi as the contender and chosen obstructionist in Vijay's path. The attempt, if any, would be to reduce Vijay to Udhayanidhi's level when the former is aiming at Stalin and Stalin alone in the state's political horizon, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has bagged a Mayor's post and is leading in all ten corporations including Chennai as counting of votes polled during the two-phased Tamil Nadu civic polls on October 17 and 19 was taken up on Friday.
Sasikala appeared in front of supporters in a dark green sari, a colour greatly favoured by Jayalalithaa.
J Jayalalithaa's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has stayed away from by-elections in Tamil Nadu since its defeat in the assembly polls in 2006. However, in the forthcoming by-elections for Thiruchendur and Vandavasi constituencies, the party will take on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with a sole motive.
Will the 2016 assembly election be Stalin's to lead the DMK in?
Over 10.56 lakh voters have been deleted from Assam's electoral rolls following a Special Revision, ahead of upcoming assembly elections. The revision included house-to-house verification and aims to create an error-free electoral roll.
The 45-year-old former Delhi captain, who becomes the BCCI's 37th president, succeeds Roger Binny, who resigned last month after turning 70.
Having a young, untested leader makes sense for the Tamil Nadu BJP. But the new state president's immediate concern will be to gain acceptance within the state unit that is still in the grip of those with a strong RSS background, says N Sathiya Moorthy
The trailer of the film, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Kamakhya Narain Singh, released on Tuesday and landed straight into controversy. It tracks the stories of three Hindu women from three different states going against their families to marry Muslim men and then being forced to convert.
The upcoming Hindi film 'The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond' is embroiled in controversy, similar to its predecessor, with accusations of hate propaganda and defenses of legitimate concern over religious conversion.
The never-before performance, a clean sweep by the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa-headed party coming on a day when she completed three years in office, decimated her opponents, particularly arch-rival DMK, and put her in the driver's seat for the assembly polls due exactly two years from now
On the eve of the elections it is advantage AIADMK, says M R Venkatesh.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated the government is open to discussing electoral reforms in the Rajya Sabha, urging the Opposition not to impose a timeline. Opposition parties staged a walkout after demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
'The irresistible charm of Indian politics is it can always throw up surprises -- even when it looks as predictable as in Tamil Nadu,' discovers Shekhar Gupta.
Dravida Munetra Kazhagam President M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi was on Thursday reelected to Rajya Sabha with Congress support from Tamil Nadu after a contest with actor Vijayakanth's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam candidate.
The Supreme Court's opinion on the presidential reference can impact on any number of cases if and when governors, if not the President, take a literary view of the Supreme Court's 'ppinion' on their 'discretionary powers' without reference to the rider on 'reasonable time', points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'With its vote bank is intact, the PMK, though a smaller party of Vanniars, was able to twist around major parties like the DMK and AIADMK, negotiating with both before settling for Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami's side.' 'There is a lesson in it for regional parties in other states as well, on how to dominate the national parties with a committed vote share of just 7 to 8 per cent,' says R Rajagopalan.
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