Tamilnadu News, Tamil news

Archive for the ‘Political’ Category

Tamilnadu News: The by-election to the Pudukkottai Assembly Constituency in Tamil Nadu would be held on June 12. Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar, in a release here, said the Election Commission of India today announced the poll schedule for the By-election to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Pudukkottai Assembly Constituency, which fell vacant following the death of CPI MLA P Muthukumaran in a tragic road accident recently.

With the announcement of poll schedule, the model code of conduct has come into force in Pudukkottai District with immediate effect. As per the schedule, filing of nominations would commence from May 18.

The last date for filing nomination would be May 25 and the scrutiny would take place the next day.

The last date for withdrawal of candidates was May 28 and the polling would take place on June 12 from 0800 hrs to 1700 hrs.

Tamilnad news:  Huge victory for AIADMK again after six months in the Local election it was set to capture all the ten Corporations and a majority of Municipalities, Town Panchayats and Panchayat Unions. When counting of votes polled in the two phase local body elections held on October 17 and 19 was taken up this morning, it became clear that the ruling AIADMK was emerging as a winner, pushing far behind the opposition DMK and other parties.

The AIADMK re-established its strength and power in electoral politics, winning or establishing leads in all the Corporations and in a majority of Municipalities, Town Panchayats and Panchayat Unions and Wards without the support of the alliance parties. For the first time, direct elections were held for the Mayoral Posts of Corporations and Chairmen posts of Municipalities and Town Panchayats and the AIADMK was all set to win a majority of these local bodies.

The Party came out with flying colors as it was set to capture all the ten Corporations, including Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tiruchirapalli and Vellore. The AIADMK made impressive performance both in the urban and rural local bodies. It won or established leads in about 100 of the 125 Municipalities and more than 200 of the 529 Town Panchayats and Panchayat Unions.

Ruling AIADMK won the by-elections to Tiruchirapalli (west) Assembly constituency and retained the seat. Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer, in an official statement here, said AIADMK nominee M Paranjothi secured 69,029 votes, while DMK candidate K N Nehru polled 54,345 votes. Of the total 2,08,247 electorates, 1,27,433 exercised their franchise. All the 14 independents, who were in the fray, forfeited their deposits.

Surprisingly, Independents have won a size-able number of seats in the local bodies pushing the Opposition DMK and the DMDK of actor-politician Vijayakanth to the third and fourth places respectively.

Tamilnadu news: Polls in Tamilnadu Corporation began 0700 hours, while in the midst of tight security, was largely peaceful, but some random episodes of alleged booth capturing and attacking the opposition within the AIADMK party men. In the first phase, elections were held to choose the mayors of the ten state-owned enterprises, 60 municipal presidents and the President of the Municipal Council 259 Panchayats and 191 Village Panchayats.

In Chennai Corporation, which was witnessing a fierce fight between the ruling AIADMK, opposition DMK, the DMDK, PMK, the Congress and the MDMK candidates, only about 40 to 45 per cent of voters cast their votes, an estimated 55 to 60 per cent of the electorate cast their ballots as the first phase of polling to elect the local body representatives, including Mayors for ten Corporations in Tamil Nadu, peacefully ended at 1700 hrs today.

But, The Opposition DMK today moved Madras High Court seeking repoll in 239 booths where the ruling AIADMK had allegedly indulged in rigging during the first phase of polling to the local bodies yesterday. When the petition filed by DMK Legal Wing Leader R S Bharathi, party advocates and councilor candidates came up for hearing, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam said the petition would be taken up for hearing tomorrow.

In the petition, the DMK alleged the ruling AIADMK had indulged in rigging and committed in irregularities in 239 booths in the city and sought a direction to the State Election Commission (SEC) to order repoll in these booths.  DMK Counsel and Former Rajya Sabha Member N Jyothi submitted the SEC had not complied with the High Court order on installing web cameras in all the polling booths in Chennai City and said contempt of court proceedings should be initiated against them.

He also said the Government had not provided adequate police personnel in polling booths and had not deployed police forces from outside Tamil Nadu in the booths. To this, Justice Eqbal sought to know whether the DMK was willing to file a fresh petition.  After Mr Jyothi replied in the affirmative, the Bench asked them to file the plea and said it would be listed for hearing tomorrow. After the first phase of polling that ended at 1700 hrs last evening, DMK President M Karunanidhi told newsmen last night the AIADMK Government had rigged the Mayoral Elections in the city by capturing booths and casting bogus votes and said the DMK would move the High Court seeking repoll.

Tamilnadu News: Over 26 percent of voters have implemented their franchise till noon in the urban centers of West Tiruchirapalli Assembly constituency today. The replacement chosen was necessitated by the untimely death of AIADMK minister N Mariyam Pichai in a car accident within a week after joining the state cabinet. In the April 2011 election, late Pichai registered a 7,179 votes win over the then Transport Minister K N Nehru.

According to official sources, though Trichy By-polling was going on a dull note, no untoward incident was reported from any constituency. Polling was held up at a booth at Alwarthope area in the city, as one of the EVM developed a snag. However, polling resumed within a few minutes, after the officials replaced the faulty EVM with alternative one.

AIADMK Rajya Sabha Member R Elavarasan cast his vote at a polling booth at Thiruthanthon Road in Woriyur, while DMK Rajaya Sabha Member from Tiruchirapalli N Siva cast his vote at a polling booth at St John Vestry School at Cantonment in the city.

Former Transport Minister and the DMK candidate for the today’s poll K N Nehru, former Minister N Selvaraj, and BJP National Executive member M Subramanian cast their votes at a polling booth at Thillainagar. AIADMK nominee for the today’s bypoll, M Paranjothi, went round the entire constituency. He did not vote as he was a voter of Srirangam Assembly constituency.

Tamilnadu News: The Tamil Nadu Electoral Commission announced date for election to Tiruchirapalli Corporation held on October 17, along with other nine Corporations in Tamilnadu. The Commission, while announcing the schedule for the local body elections, had deferred elections to Tiruchirapalli Corporation in view of pendency of case in the Madras High court.

As the High Court has allowed an appeal filed by the Government and upheld its order, merging Thiruverumbur town panchayat with Tiruchirapalli Corporation, the Commission came out with a fresh schedule. The Commission said the nomination would begin tomorrow and close on October seven. The papers would be taken up for scrutiny on October eight.

October 10 would be the last date for withdrawal.

The election and counting of votes would take place along with other Corporations on October 17 and October 21, respectively.

Tamilnadu News: Reversing some of the previous decision taken by the DMK governments, the new AIADMK government announced that the first day of Tamil month Chithirai would henceforth be celebrated as Tamil New Year Day in the state of Tamilnadu. As Celebrated the 100^th day of today tamilnadu CM J.Jeyalalitha, annulled a legislation brought by the DMK government, declaring Tamil New Year Day would be celebrated on the first day of Thai (mid January), coinciding with Pongal festival, instead of the first day of Chithirai (mid-April).

Reversing the decision, the state Assembly today passed a bill shifting back the Tamil New Year to the original month of Chithirai The House passed the bill, presented by Hindu Religions and Charitable Endowments Minister S P Shanmuganathan even as members of the left parties opposed the government’s decision. Justifying the government decision, Mr Shanmuganathan said general public, archeological experts; pundits, astronomy exponents and scholars have opined that the DMK government’s 2008 decision to shift the Tamil New Year went against the sentiments of the Hindus and age old practice.

These people requested the government to revert the Tamil New Year to the month of Chithirai, the Bill said, adding there was also lot of practical difficulties among the people to celebrate Pongal as the Tamil New Year Day. Reacting to AIADMK‘s latest decision, Karunanidhi told reporters here that his government had taken the decision based on the views of around 500 Tamil scholars.

Hence it has been decided to declare once again the first day of Chithirai as the Tamil New Year day, if they announced before mid of April tamilnadu people celebrated New Year Twice a year.

Tamilnadu News: Presenting the Budget for the year 2011-12 Tamil Nadu would be free from power cuts by August next year, Finance Minister O Panneerselvam announced in the State Assembly today. He said the existing Restriction and Control (R and C) measures with three hour power cuts in rural and urban areas have been reduced to two hours with effect from July one.

The government has decided to gradually relax the R and C Measures depending upon the improvement in the power position and ensure the measures were totally lifted throughout the State by August, 2012. Present installed capacity of the state is 10,237 MW with average availability of 8000 MW. But the demand ranged from 10,500 to 11,500 MW, thereby creating a shortage of 2500 MW to 3500 MW.

Also the government would secure and start distributing free fans, mixies and grinders on the occasion of Former Chief Minister C N Annadurai’s birth anniversary on September 15. In total, 1.83 crore women beneficiaries, holding family cards which are eligible for drawing rice, would get this benefit in a phased manner. This year, about 25 lakh families would be given fans, mixies and grinders and a sum of Rs 1,250 crore had been provided for this purpose in the revised budget estimates.

Free laptop computers would be distributed to the students of plus one and plus two in schools and students studying in government and government-aided colleges. During 2011-12, the government proposed to distribute 9.12 lakh laptops to the eligible students and a sum of Rs 912 crore has been provided for this scheme in the Budget estimates.

Tamilnadu News: One of the Shock news for Tamilnadu people, the another turn in a day after he was spiked by the CBI in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran on Today (July 7) Resigned from the post of Textiles Minister from the Union Cabinet. In a huge blow to the Karunanidhi-led DMK, Maran who was the communications minister in 2004-07, tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at 7RC today.

Maran spoke that the DMK leader had confided to his associates that his time in the cabinet was over. Before attending the Cabinet meeting at 7RCR today, sources said that Maran told his close associates, “It is all over now” and that he was going to tender his resignation to the Prime Minister. The PM stepped into the issue a day after the CBI in its status report in the 2G spectrum allocation scam pointed fingers art Maran for delaying of Telecom Company Aircel’s application for 2G licence.

The CBI’s report also states the Maran forced the license to be sold to Malaysian company Maxis during his tenure as communications minister in 2006. The Congress Core Group had yesterday met at the Prime Minister’s residence and is believed to have discussed the issue. Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa had on Wednesday said, there is no use in expecting Maran to take moral responsibility and resign. It is high time that the PM dropped him from the Cabinet.

BJP also demanded the PM to drop him from his cabinet. Maran’s position in the Cabinet has become untenable and he has to resign, party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman had told reporters. The DMK chief is not in the best of terms with the Congress over the arrest and jailing of his daughter Kanimozhi and that of his trusted man A Raja. Chennai businessman Sivasankaran has alleged that Maran coerced him into selling Aircel to Malaysian businessman T Anandkrishnan by denying him the licenses he had sought for 13 new circles, and by not considering his application to extend the deadline to meet the letter of intent conditions for the MP circle that was already with him.

Tamilnadu News: The bypoll for a Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu will be held July 22, the Election Commission announced. The seat was held by AIADMK’s K.V. Ramalingam, who resigned after being elected to the state assembly in the April polls. He also became a minister in the J. Jayalalithaa ministry.

The Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar said the poll notification will be issued July 5, the last date for filing of nomination will be July 12 and scrutiny of nominations will take place the next day. Polling is scheduled for July 22. The AIADMK-led front has won a whopping 203 seats in the recently concluded assembly elections.

On its own, AIADMK has won 150 seats, including the four smaller parties which fought on its symbol. Among its allies, DMDK won 29, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) 10 and the Communist Party of India (CPI) 9. On the other hand, the rival DMK-led front won just 31 seats out of 234 it contested. Of that, the DMK won 23 seats, the PMK three and the Congress five.

In Tamil Nadu, the support of around 33 legislators is necessary to get elected to the Rajya Sabha. There are 18 Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu. Six members – Kanimozhi and N. Siva of the DMK, A. Elavarasan and V. Maitreyan of the AIADMK, B.S. Gnanadesikan of Congress and D. Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) will retire in 2013.

Another six - S. Amir Ali Jinnah and Vasanthi Stanley of the DMK, G.K. Vasan and Jayanthi Natarajan of the Congress, T.K. Rangarajan of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and N. Balaganga of the AIADMK will retire in 2014. Presently, the AIADMK has five members and the DMK seven members in the Rajya Sabha. The other members belong to the Congress, the CPI-M and the CPI.

Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar were arrested in the 2G spectrum scam case on Friday. A special Delhi court rejected Kanimozhi’s bail plea and ordered her arrest. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charge sheeted Kanimozhi as a co-conspirator in the scam and for allegedly accepting a Rs 214 crore bribe in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal that saw her party colleague and former Telecom Minister going to Tihar jail.

The 2G spectrum scam relates to irregularities in the allocation of airwaves to telecom companies that caused huge losses to the exchequer. DMK MP and former communications minister A. Raja is already in jail in connection with the case. Present in the courtroom Friday were former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa, Raja’s aide R.K. Chandolia, Vinod Goenka of Swan Telecom and Sanjay Chandra of Unitech.

Two officials of ADAG, Gautam Doshi and Hari Nair, who were also named in the charge sheet, were present in the courtroom. Cineyug Film’s Karim Morani was not present as he got exemption from personal appearance due to his ill health, while Surendra Pipara of Reliance, who is in judicial custody, was not presented in the court as he is undergoing treatment for a heart problem at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Kalaignar TV channel had earlier stated that the Rs.214 crore it got was a loan and paid back with interest.