INDIA
'Can't make person stay in party with gun to head': Annamalai's unhappiness comes to fore as patience wears thin
Annamalai was replaced by Nainar Nagendran, a former AIADMK minister, as the BJP chief in the state, evidently at the instance of AIADMK, led by its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, which made his removal a precondition for an alliance.
POLITICS
Is BJP trying to woo TVK or using it to target DMK over Karur tragedy?
The BJP supports the AIADMK efforts, as it wants the DMK defeated. But it is not sure about wooing TVK and getting it into the NDA fold. So, when the TVK went to the Supreme Court seeking CBI probe into the tragedy, BJP supported the plea.
POLITICS
OPINION | Vijay, the megastar with the trappings of a political party
Aura can sustain an actor in the tinsel world. Not in politics. Tamil cinema’s matinee idols who reached the top did so on the back of a well-oiled political structure. The stars who didn’t heed the lesson have been consigned to flashbacks
INDIA
Karur Stampede: How star power, poor planning and politics turned deadly in Karur at Vijay’s rally
Given that the Assembly election is expected in a few months from now in Tamil Nadu, the tragedy is getting entangled in a political blame game.
POLITICS
Ramadoss vs Anbumani: PMK's tug-of-war leaves NDA in a fix ahead of Tamil Nadu polls
The confrontation between Ramadoss and Anbumani started last year before the Lok Sabha election, when the former wanted the PMK to align with the AIADMK (then not in the NDA), while the latter wanted to go with the BJP
INDIA
BJP makes an 'exception' in Tamil Nadu, sends signal to AIADMK faction
The meeting between Sengottaiyan and Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman does indicate that the BJP is not afraid to offend the Palaniswami faction
INDIA
What's driving ‘honour killing’ of lower caste youths in Tamil Nadu?
The non-Brahmin movement of Periyar mobilised backward classes politically, but appears to have done little to undermine entrenched caste-based social structures.
INDIA
Is O Panneerselvam a spent force? Why his exit may not create ripples in Tamil Nadu politics
Although seen as a trusted lieutenant of Jayalalithaa and her friend Sasikala, OPS has been in the political wilderness for the last two years, coming up as a poor second in the power struggle in the AIADMK.
INDIA
Annamalai stays relevant by becoming a thorn in BJP-AIADMK ties
Annamalai insists that the alliance was formed on the understanding that a coalition government would be formed if the NDA came to power.
POLITICS
Why AIADMK's Palaniswami faces do-or-die situation ahead of 2026 Tamil Nadu polls
If AIADMK, which faced three electoral defeats since 2019, does not return to power in the coming Assembly election, it would be difficult to revive the party back to its earlier glory and Palaniswami's leadership would be at stake.
INDIA
Business feud divides Maran brothers, but it might not spill over in politics
The feuds within the family are tightly controlled; they erupt in different forms and family members take different sides, but usually, the late family patriarch and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would settle matters
INDIA
Anna University case: Justice delivered but questions on crime prevention remain
A Mahila court on Wednesday handed out a guilty verdict to a food vendor and history sheeter Gnanasekaran for sexually assaulting a student at the Anna University campus.
INDIA
Head held high: How Pollachi sex assault survivors beat stigma, silence, blackmail to get justice
The nine accused, one of whom was affiliated to the then ruling AIADMK, formed a gang and between 2016 and 2018 trapped young girls and women, sexually assaulting them, recording the act and blackmailing them for further sexual exploitation
INDIA
DMK's autonomy push vs BJP's pushback: The new flashpoint in Tamil Nadu
When the DMK formally gave up its demand for secession from India in 1963, it stressed on federalism and state autonomy as the conceptual vehicle for achieving Tamil Nadu’s rights within a united India.
INDIA
AIADMK-BJP reunite: Uphill battle for DMK without possible alliance?
DMK cannot find new allies as both Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) are not well disposed towards it. Moreover, seat sharing will be a difficult exercise with new demands from existing allies.
BUSINESS
BJP-AIADMK join hands, again: Can the alliance dethrone DMK in 2026 Tamil Nadu elections?
INDIA
Nainar Nagendran: The catalyst in the renewed alliance between BJP & AIADMK
His familiarity with AIADMK and its leadership is expected to iron out animosity that pervaded the relationship between the two parties since Annamalai took over the BJP state unit as its chief.
INDIA
Stalin wins a crucial battle in court, but a truce with Raj Bhavan is unlikely
The Supreme Court reprimand of Ravi for being a ‘hindrance’ to the state government instead of being a ‘friend, philosopher and guide’ is a culmination of a long three-year cold war.
INDIA
AIADMK resets the political scene in Tamil Nadu as Annamalai prepares to leave the centrestage
For the survival of the party, the AIADMK has to regain power in Tamil Nadu. The BJP on the other hand needs to stabilise its foothold in the state. So Annamalai had to go.
INDIA
Annamalai’s conciliatory tone augurs well for a BJP-AIADMK patch-up in Tamil Nadu
Annamalai is willing to walk back on his criticism of AIADMK icons, past and present. But whether under his leadership the BJP can work harmoniously with the AIADMK is open to question.
INDIA
What's in the colour of a dress? It's clear as black and white in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, black is more evocative of protest than of grief - it is the colour of opposition to those in power, a sign of standing up against any form of perceived subjugation.
INDIA
1, 2 or 3? Why language is a ticking time bomb in Tamil Nadu amid Hindi pushback
The fear is that studying a third language would not only be an extra burden on the students of Tamil Nadu, but would lead to the dominance of Hindi across India.
INDIA
A 27-year-old plan for a new international airport in Chennai is struggling to take off
In 1998, under the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi the state government decided on a land south of the current airport in Meenambakkam and it was considered to be executed on Build-Own-Operate and Transfer (BOOT) concept
INDIA
Fearing delimitation, southern states now rethinking population control
Even though Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that the South will not lose a "single seat" on account of delimitation, the fear still looms.
