INDIA
The deadly 'cocktail' behind unending cycle of hooch tragedies in Tamil Nadu
An entire ecosystem of politicians, corrupt officials, and poor wage earners, aided by a short-sighted liquor policy, thrives in Tamil Nadu.
INDIA
Sasikala's return, bypoll boycott: AIADMK in a flux as it desperately eyes political reset
The AIADMK fared better than the NDA in the general election, but nowhere as well as to give it the confidence in its ability to take on the DMK without help from the BJP and the PMK.
POLITICS
Congress divided over alliance strategy in Tamil Nadu as TNCC president seeks to emulate BJP's Annamalai tactic
The Congress lost power in the state in 1967, and has since spent its time in the shadows of one or the other of the two Dravidian parties, the DMK and the AIADMK.
INDIA
Amit Shah 'reprimanding' video: Show of unity at top of Tamil Nadu BJP takes the heat off national leadership
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had come in for criticism in Tamil Nadu after he was widely seen as having publicly reprimanded Tamilisai Soundararajan, a former state unit president and former Telangana governor, for her remarks on the current state unit president K Annamalai.
INDIA
A viral video, blame game & clarification: It's open season on Tamil Nadu BJP leaders after poll setback
Tamilisai Soundararajan says her exchange with Amit Shah was reassuring after coming under attack for her remarks on state BJP leadership
INDIA
Was BJP's loss in Puducherry a result of power dynamics in the Union territory?
Though Congress' victory could be attributed to the extensive campaigning by the party and its allies, especially the DMK, there was another game at play to ensure Vaithilingam's victory: A game of power dynamics by the Puducherry CM and NR Congress chief N Rangaswamy.
POLITICS
Pro-LTTE NTK in Tamil Nadu: Rising tiger, hidden tensions
Forming the party in 2010, NTK polled 1.76 percent vote share in the first (Assembly) election it fought in 2016, increasing it to 3.87 percent in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 6.58 percent in 2021 Assembly polls and in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls it got 8.19 percent vote share.
INDIA
Culture or religion? DMK and BJP spar over Tamil custom and Hindu tradition
The choice of Varanasi was both politically and culturally significant: as the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha constituency and as a Hindu pilgrimage centre that is important for Hindus in the south too
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Divided, they fell. Will BJP and AIADMK reunite and thrive?
Although the BJP increased its vote share to 11.24 percent, it could not displace the AIADMK from the second place in 27 constituencies.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
A convenient loss: How the defeat of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury can help Congress mend fences with TMC
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's defeat in Baharampur allows Congress to reconsider alliance with TMC in Bengal, mend ties with breakaway parties, and potentially strengthen INDIA bloc without his obstruction.
POLITICS
When a 100% success rate isn’t good enough: INDIA bloc fails the DMK outside Tamil Nadu
Together with the Congress, Stalin campaigned intensively in Puducherry for the re-election of Congress’ V Vaithilingam, who defeated A Namassivayam of BJP by 1,36,516 votes.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
TMC deflates BJP in Bengal turf war: What worked for Mamata Banerjee?
The TMC turned the election into a referendum on the Mamata government and the welfare schemes and created an impression that the BJP wanted to stop welfare measures.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Tamil Nadu: DMK won the battle but lost the war, for BJP it is vice versa
The DMK’s tactics paid off in but the BJP’s strategy floundered. The BJP would have been happy with a second place finish, but it ended well behind the AIADMK
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Pride and prejudice might not have worked in Bengal, going by exit polls
Mamata Banerjee’s tactic of one foot in INDIA block and the other outside, and her talk of ‘outside’ support to the INDIA block government might have confused the voters, if the results are in keeping with the exit polls projections.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
DMK sitting pretty after exit polls prediction, but there are concerns about the future
For about a year now, it is the BJP's state president K Annamalai who has been going hammer and tongs at the DMK, more than even Edappadi Palaniswamy, the AIADMK leader.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
If exit polls hold true, Tamil Nadu may just be BJP's biggest conquest this election
For only the second time in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is a contender for Lok Sabha seats without an alliance with either of the two Dravidian parties.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
A battle for India is drawing to a close in West Bengal
West Bengal Lok Sabha elections 2024: Violence, fake videos, abusive advertisements and sting operations were all part of the campaign drama as both TMC and BJP refused to play by the Model Code of Conduct.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Young, brave, and ready to fight and lose: CPI(M)’s new generation of Lok Sabha candidates set their sights on the distant horizon
The Jadavpur University is an important centre of Left-leaning student politics, and the Left Front chose Students Federation of India leader Srijan Bhattacharya as the candidate for the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Banerjees vs Adhikaris: Fierce fight for future in West Bengal's Tamluk
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who switched loyalties from the Trinamool, is leading the charge against chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Lakshmir Bhandar vs Sandeshkhali: The battle for women’s votes in Basirhat
West Bengal Lok Sabha poll 2024: Lakshmir Bhandar, which gives unemployed women money per month, is competing for voter mind space with allegations of sexual assault in Sandeshkhali.
POLITICS
Culture goes out of politics: Disintegration of bhadralok in Bengal
Today, instead of writers and commentators, it is television hosts and sportspersons who are in the forefront of politics in West Bengal.
LOK-SABHA-ELECTION
Singur: They voted for TMC and then BJP. Now they are urging parties to restore their livelihood
West Bengal Lok Sabha elections: In Singur, people want jobs and development, not sit on uncultivable land.
INDIA
A jailed strongman and a former police officer: Bolpur and Birbhum feel the presence of two people not in the fray
Birbhum has a strong Muslim presence, but the Trinamool doesn’t want a polarisation on religious lines as that would work to the advantage of the BJP.
POLITICS
Dilip Ghosh vs Kirti Azad: A fight between a sidelined party faithful and a prominent party hopper in Bardhaman-Durgapur
The Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency was established in 2009 and no party has been re-elected since then.
