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<keyword id="19895758" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai" source="keywords">Chennai</keyword>: Actor-turned-politician <keyword id="19902056" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vijay" source="keywords">Vijay</keyword> unveiled the <keyword id="20304924" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flag" source="keywords">flag</keyword> and symbol of his party, <keyword id="20429636" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tamilaga-Vettri-Kazhagam" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam">Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam</keyword> (TVK) at the party office in Chennai on Thursday. Vijay's father and mother were also present at the party office during the unveiling of TVK's flag and symbol. Before unveiling the flag of the party, the actor turned politician read a pledge and said that he will uphold the principle of equality for all living beings. "We will always appreciate the fighters who fought and sacrificed their life for the liberation of our country and countless soldiers who fought tirelessly for the rights of our people from Tamil soil...I will remove the differences in the name of caste, religion, gender, place of birth, create awareness among the people and strive for equal opportunities and equal rights for all. I solemnly affirm that I will uphold the principle of equality for all living beings," reads the pledge. Earlier, in a press statement released on Wednesday in Tamil, the star actor said, "It is a great blessing if every day is a new direction and a new force in history. 22nd August 2024 is the day that God and nature have given us as such a blessing. It is the day when the flag, the main symbol of our <keyword id="22873688" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu-victory-club" source="keywords">Tamil Nadu Victory Club</keyword>, will be introduced." "Working for the welfare of Tamil Nadu, we will introduce our heroic flag, the victory flag, which will become the symbol of our state, tomorrow at our headquarters secretariat and release the association flag song. I am pleased to announce that we are hoisting the club flag," the release added. Actor Vijay entered into politics and announced the name of his party <keyword id="22873689" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="-tamilaga-vetri-kazham" source="keywords">- Tamilaga Vetri Kazham</keyword> in February this year.

Actor Vijay unveils Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam flag, symbol

Chennai (<keyword id="19896558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="keywords">Tamil Nadu</keyword>) [India], March 28 (ANI): Despite the 'Rising Sun' and 'Two leaves', this general election to the Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha revolves around many symbols as some heavy weights are contesting on an independent symbol. Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Pannerselvam, will contest independently, on an independent symbol from Ramanathapuram constituency. MDMK Headquarters Secretary Durai Vaiko will face the election on an independent symbol from Trichy Constituency. Likewise, <keyword id="21108992" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="naam-thamizlar-katchi" source="keywords">Naam Thamizlar Katchi</keyword> (NTK), which failed took get the Sugarcane farmer as its symbol, is now contesting with the <keyword id="20862692" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microphone" source="keywords">Microphone</keyword> symbol in all constituencies of Tamil Nadu. <keyword id="21109299" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="naam-thamilar-party" source="keywords">Naam Thamilar Party</keyword> coordinator Seeman says that the Microphone symbol gives them hope. The NTK is contesting outside the principal alliances in the state. "Even though we didn't get our sugarcane famer symbol, we are contesting with hope in the 'Mic' symbol. Many revolutionaries used this equipment to put forth their slogans," NTK leader Seeman said. TTV Dhinakaran's AMMK will contest the elections using the <keyword id="20401835" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pressure-cooker" source="keywords">Pressure Cooker</keyword> symbol. The 'Pressure cooker' is the lucky symbol on which he had won the RK Nagar by-poll after the death of former Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha amidst political drama in Tamil Nadu after former CM Jayalalitha's demise. For the candidates it is a question of proving their worth on an unrecognised symbol. O Pannerselvam who was ousted from the AIADMK is out to prove that he still has the support of AIADMK cadres as he seeks victory in Ramanathapuram constituency. "Symbol is a way of identifying with voters, with their ideology. With regard to DMK we have Rising Sun, it symbolise sun will drive away the darkness of ignorance darkness of oppression. Every political party will ask for symbol which signifies their ideology signifies the DNA of the party so that why symbols are important," says DMK spokesperson Sarvanan. Meanwhile, DMK ally Vaiko's MDMK is looking to bolster its vote share to ensure it gets a recognized symbol for the next elections. The ECI refused to allocate the 'Top' symbol to MDMK, saying the party is contesting only in one constituency. The MDMK was under pressure from alliance big-brother DMK to contest on the DMK Rising Sun symbol but Vaiko's party felt it would be better to strike out on an independent symbol. Vaiko's son Durai Vaiko had broken down in a public rally saying, "We are facing indirect pressure to contest the DMK symbol, but that would affect our party's image. Whatever it takes, he would contest their party's independent symbol." In Tamil Nadu's political history, the symbol for the election is a prestigious issue. When former CM and MDMK founder MG Ramachandran passed away, the AIADMK split. One faction was led by MGR's wife Janaki and the other by Jayalalitha. At that time, AIADMK two leaves symbol was frozen and Jayalalitha contest on an independent symbol of 'Two Pigeons' while Janaki's faction was given the Seval (Rooster) as its symbol. For the voter a multitude of symbols could be confusing, so it is really up to the individual leaders to woo their cadres to ensure that their symbol prevails. (ANI)

Microphone to Pressure Cooker - small Tamil parties wage war of symbols

<ul><li>The <keyword id="40807" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission">Election Commission</keyword> has issued a notification that no victory processions should take place on or after the results of state elections are tallied on May 2.</li><li>This means the winning party in Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Puducherry and Kerala will not be allowed to take to streets and encourage the gathering of people.</li><li>The development comes after the <keyword id="6360667" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="madras-high-court">Madras High Court</keyword> told the ECI is it should be ‘booked on murder charges’ for its handling of the pre-election political rallies and campaigns.</li></ul>The <keyword id="65281" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission-of-India">Election Commission of India</keyword> (ECI) has banned all victory processions and celebrations after the results of the state elections in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, West Bengal, and Kerala come out on May 2. The ECI has also dictated that no more than two people shall be allowed to accompany the winning candidate when they come to collect their election certificate. “In view of the surge in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, the commission has decided to make more stringent provisions to be followed during the process of counting,” said the notification. The development comes after the Madras High Court said that the ECI should be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/the-election-commission-should-be-booked-on-murder-charges-for-the-second-wave-of-covid-19-in-the-country-according-to-a-high-court-in-india/articleshow/82260926.cms">“booked on murder charges”</a> during a hearing on April 26. The court pointed the finger at ECI for not doing anything to stop the political rallies that were being held in different states ahead of the elections. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Massive political rallies with no social distancing or face masks" comment="subhead" text="Massive political rallies with no social distancing or face masks">Massive political rallies with no social distancing or face masks</cmsannotation> The political rallies saw people come out in massive numbers to hear their favourite politicians. Not only was there no social distancing, but many were also seen amid the crowds without a mask. The ECI only stepped in on <a href="https://eci.gov.in/files/file/13339-eci-order-dated-22042021/">April 22</a> to ban roadshows, vehicle rallies, and public meetings. On the same day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that he would be cancelling four of his rallies that were scheduled for April 23. And by then the cases of COVID-19 had already begun to surge in states with elections. <div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1249934092994375680/xX66NSZP_normal.jpg" favoritecount="112343" retweetcount="14376" status="Tomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would no… https://t.co/79d2zBQhX6" createdat="1619092487000" id="1385200406775672835"></div> The High Court threatened the ECI to come up with a proper plan to ensure COVID-19 guidelines are followed on counting day, May 2, or it will pull the plug on the entire exercise. It has asked the ECI to submit the blueprint of its plan by April 30. “The situation now is of survival and protection. Everything else comes second,” said the court. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/india-will-receive-the-first-batch-of-russia-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-by-may-1/articleshow/82269061.cms">India will receive the first batch of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine by May 1 — in time for the third phase of its vaccination drive</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/election-commission-bans-all-victory-processions-on-or-after-counting-in-tamil-nadu-assam-goa-west-bengal-and-kerala-assembly-elections/articleshow/82269994.cms">Election Commission bans all victory processions on or after counting on May 2</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/the-pace-of-infections-and-test-positivity-in-maharashtra-is-slowing-down-but-it-is-too-soon-to-celebrate/articleshow/82256149.cms">The pace of infections and test positivity in Maharashtra is slowing down — but it is too soon to celebrate</a>

Election Commission bans all victory processions on or after counting on May 2

The DMK's rising sun gets a chance to shine in Tamil Nadu after a decade of waiting ⁠— MK Stalin will be the next Chief Minister

DMK is winning in 133 constituencies in Tamil Nadu — here’s a full list of winners

Chennai, Time has come to change the fate of <keyword id="20154" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword>, while political and government change in the state is important and compulsion of time, said <keyword id="559334" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="actor-Rajinikanth">actor Rajinikanth</keyword> on Thursday. The actor sounded his poll bugle against the ruling AIADMK government as well as against the major opposition party DMK. Rajinikanth said he would float his political party in January 2021 and an announcement in that regard will be made on December 31, 2020. Speaking to reporters here, Rajinikanth said: "The time has come to change the fate of Tamil Nadu. Political and government change in the state is important. It will surely change. The political change is important and is compulsion of time. If not now, it is not possible ever. Everything has to be changed. We will change everything." He appealed all to support him to bring in the change. "I am just a small instrument in the change. If I win then it is people's victory," he added. He said that in 2017 he had announced his decision to enter politics and contest in all the 234 Assembly seats. According to him, though doctors had advised against holding rallies, if his life goes for the benefit of people then he is not worried about it. Rajinikanth also said 40 per cent shooting is pending for his movie Annaatthe which he will complete. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-may-reportedly-block-wikipedia-if-the-site-doesnt-delete-the-map-showing-aksai-chin-as-a-part-of-china/articleshow/79541391.cms">India may reportedly block Wikipedia if the site doesn't delete the map showing Aksai Chin as a part of China</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/geo-tagged-bottles-in-the-ganges-river-show-how-plastic-pollution-can-travel-thousands-of-kilometres-in-just-a-few-months/articleshow/79540173.cms">Geo-tagged bottles in the Ganges river show how plastic pollution can travel thousands of kilometres in just a few months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/trump-h1-b-visa-restrictions-scrapped-by-us-court-spells-good-news-for-indian-and-american-it-companies-alike/articleshow/79531053.cms">Trump's H-1B visa restrictions scrapped by US court spells good news for Indian and American IT companies alike</a>

Rajnikanth announces plans to float his political party in January next year

The <keyword id="40807" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission">Election Commission</keyword> is confident of holding the five <keyword id="6372725" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="assembly-polls">assembly polls</keyword> due early next year, including in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> and <keyword id="6354953" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="punjab">Punjab</keyword>, on time as the poll panel has gained a lot of experience from the electoral exercise in Bihar, West Bengal and four other assemblies amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra has asserted. The terms of the legislative assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand are coming to an end in March 2022, while the term of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly is scheduled to end in May. "That is the foremost duty of the Election Commission that we should hold the <keyword id="6355644" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="elections">elections</keyword> and submit the list of the winning candidates (to the governor) before the term of the assembly expires," Chandra told In an interview. He was asked whether the poll panel will be able to hold the assembly polls due in five states on time due to Covid-19 as recently it has deferred some Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls due to the second wave of Covid-19. Some Rajya Sabha bypolls and biennial legislative council elections were also deferred due to the second wave of the pandemic. "As you are aware that the second wave of COVID-19 is also receding and the numbers (of infections) are quite less. We have done elections in Bihar during the pandemic, we have done elections in four states and one UT. We have experience... We have learned various experiences on how to hold polls during the pandemic also," he said. "I am very much sure that with the receding pandemic now, and I wish the pandemic is over soon, we will absolutely be in a position to hold elections next year which are scheduled in five states on time, as per the schedule," Chandra said. While Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur have BJP-led governments, Punjab has a Congress government. Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, has approximately 14.66 crore voters, while Punjab has over 2 crore electors, according to January 1, 2021 data of the Election Commission. Uttarakhand has 78.15 lakh voters while Manipur has 19.58 lakh and Goa has 11.45 lakh electors. The five states together have an estimated 17.84 crore voters. Ahead of the Bihar polls held last year, the EC had taken various steps to ensure a "Covid-free" election such as allowing people above 80 years of age and those suffering from COVID-19 to use postal ballot and reducing the number of voters per polling station from 1500 to 1000 to ensure distancing norms. The number of polling stations had increased by nearly 80,000 in the four states and one Union Territory due to the distancing norms as a lesser number of voters were allowed per polling station. The same principles were adopted in elections to West Bengal, <keyword id="6354915" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="assam">Assam</keyword>, <keyword id="20154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword>, <keyword id="28504" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword> and Puducherry. However, after it found that Covid safety norms were being flouted in West Bengal during campaigning, the Election Commission had banned roadshows and vehicle rallies in the state and capped the maximum permissible number of people at public meetings at 500. The decision was taken when the last few phases of polls in West Bengal were still to be held. The EC had said at that time that it was noting "with anguish" that many political parties and candidates were still not adhering to the prescribed safety norms during the public gatherings. The Commission had also banned victory processions during and after counting of votes. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-photos-alternatives-are-hardly-any-good/articleshow/83138238.cms">Google Photos alternatives are hardly any good – here’s what made the Google service so good</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/economy/news/indias-gdp-has-contracted-five-times-since-1947-but-never-as-bad-as-7-3/articleshow/83135455.cms">India’s GDP has contracted five times since 1947, but never as bad as 7.3%</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/xiaomis-latest-wired-charging-tech-can-fully-charge-a-phone-in-just-8-minutes-and-wirelessly-in-15-minutes/articleshow/83136172.cms">Xiaomi’s latest wired charging tech can fully charge a phone in just 8 minutes and wirelessly in 15 minutes</a>

India's election commission is confident of holding five state polls in 2022 on time, even as the pandemic continues to spread

As of 5 p.m, <keyword id="96364" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="MK-Stalin">MK Stalin</keyword> of DMK was leading in Kolathur constituency amassing a vote share of 57%. MK Stalin has been nurturing the dreams of becoming Tamil Nadu’s chief minister, a post which his father M. Karunanidhi had held several terms in the past. Kolathur is very well known to Stalin and having been associated with this constituency from 2011, he feels at home here to face the election confidently. If he wins from this seat, he will become the legislator from here for the third consecutive term. His opponent, also fighting for this seat is Aadi Rajaram fielded by the AIADMK. Earlier once, Stalin had defeated Aadi Rajaram in Thousand Lights constituency with a thin margin of votes. Stalin had been the deputy chief minister under his father. The party elected him as the leader after the demise of Karunanidhi. Now Stalin also heads the opposition in the state assembly. Stalin is seen fervently pursuing the election campaign to become the chief minister of the state for the first time in his life. Stalin and Kolathur constituency Kolathur seat was born in 2011 after the reorganisation of constituencies. Right from the first election the constituency faced, Stalin’s name has been figuring on the ballot paper for DMK in all the elections. The compelling reason for Stalin to choose Kolathur constituency is the fact that this had proved to be a strong bastion for DMK. In the 2016 assembly elections, Stalin won from here scoring 91,303 votes. His winning margin was 37,730 votes, which made up around 22.42 per cent of the total number of votes the people casted. Over the past 10 years, he has nurtured this constituency with a lot of developmental activities. Kolathur constituency has the advantage of a sizeable Muslim population. The large middle class and lower middle class segment here also favors DMK. Stalin enjoys a strong support of the Muslim groups and left unions. Stalin’s wife Durga is also seen actively campaigning for his husband as well as for the party. A worthy opponent for Stalin Aadi Rajaram is the South Chennai North (East) district secretary of the AIADMK. In the 2006 elections, he faced Stalin in the Thousand Lights constituency. Stalin could win him with a thin margin of 2,468 votes. This is one of the reasons why AIADMK has decided to field Aadi Rajaram against Stalin in Kolathur now. Stalin’s advantages Stalin also enjoys the advantage of facing the election with the title of DMK’s party president. The party structure is now very strong. Stalin had been a political personality accepted by all people beyond the barriers of caste and religion. This status is something that he enjoys after Karunanidhi and J.Jayalalitha. Unlike most politicians of the day, he has few corruption charges against him. Stalin has a few weaknesses One of the weaknesses of Stalin is he has failed to create a rapport with the party people and the general masses. AIADMK has been campaigning with a strong election manifesto and also strictly condemning the family politics of DMK. “Stalin’s victory is imminent”, say political experts The scene at the Kolathur constituency is quite encouraging for DMK. Stalin had been visiting the constituency very often and had been spending a lot of money from his constituency development funds to accomplish several welfare projects in this base over the past five years. Political experts opine it is not that easy to defeat Stalin at Kolathur. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/final-tally-of-suvendu-adhikari-mukul-roy-rajiv-ghosh-and-other-ex-tmc-leaders-who-fought-on-bjp-ticket/articleshow/82354609.cms">These 13 former TMC leaders got tickets from BJP – only four of them are leading</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/bjp-is-now-leading-on-four-of-the-twenty-seats-it-contested-in-tamil-nadu/articleshow/82354058.cms">BJP is now leading on four of the twenty seats it contested in Tamil Nadu</a>

MK Stalin of DMK leads by a fair margin in Kolathur, as his party gets ready to take charge of the Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu elects its MPs from its 39 Lok Sabha Constituencies. For so long, Tamil Nadu has been the castle of the DMK and AIADMK parties that have their strong roots in the state. For quite some time in the past, only these two parties have been getting as many seats as possible alternatively leaving only a few constituencies for the other parties. This time, the BJP and AIADMK have formed a strong alliance in the state and are facing the elections together. The AIADMK will contest in 34 places this time leaving only 5 constituencies to the BJP. Names of Constituencies in Tamil Nadu The list of 39 parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu includes Tiruvallur, Chennai North, Chennai South, Chennai Central, Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram, Arakkonam, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Arani, Viluppuram, Kallakurichi, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Sivaganga, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukkudi, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari. The present status of constituencies in Tamil Nadu The AIADMK secured a thumping victory in the state during 2014 parliamentary elections. As on date, it has 37 seats in the parliament leaving BJP and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) with just 1 seat each. The DMK does not have any Lok Sabha seats from the state now.

Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu in Election 2019

<ul><li>Tamil Nadu’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party has filed a plea with the Supreme Court against the state’s Assembly Speaker, <keyword id="1553209" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="P-Dhanapal">P Dhanapal</keyword>. </li><li>They argue that Dhanapal has been delaying the disqualification of 11 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs for over three years now. </li><li>DMK has requested the Supreme Court to use its extraordinary powers under Article 142 as it did to remove Manipur Forest Cabinet Minister T. Shyamkumar from office. </li></ul>The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu has filed a plea with the Supreme Court against the state’s Assembly Speaker, P Dhanapal. They allege that he has been delaying the decision to disqualify 11 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) ⁠— the ruling party⁠— legislators for over three years now. All this is playing out even as a DMK’s senior leader <keyword id="505450" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="J-Anbazhagan">J Anbazhagan</keyword> succumbed to COVID-19 infection earlier today, on his 62nd birthday. These members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) had previously voted against Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the incumbent Chief Minister, during a ‘no-confidence’ motion in 2017. The plea for their disqualification has been pending since 20 March 2017 and DMK leader R. Sakkarapani said it will likely remain that way until the government completes its term, unless the Supreme Court intervenes. Amit Anand Tiwari, the lead advocate for DMK, told the Supreme Court that even notice to the MLAs was only issued in February 2020, three years after the fact. "Despite that nothing has been done for the last 4 months, whereas the law requires the Speaker to decide a petition from disqualification within an outer limit of three months,” the plea said. Following the example set in Manipur The DMK has requested the Supreme Court to use its extraordinary powers under Article 142. It cited the example of how the legislation was recently used to strip Manipur Forest Cabinet Minister T. Shyamkumar from office and ban him from entering the Assembly after the Speaker continued to delay the decision of his disqualification for defection under the Tenth Schedule. Shyamkumar contested the elections on a Congress ticket and switched sides to favour the BJP after coming to power. According to the DMK, the precedent set by that judgement should also apply to the Tamil Nadu Speaker. The plea seeks direction to hold the “deliberate action” of the Speaker to not disqualify the MLAs as “arbitrary and violative” of fundamental rights. The election heat is building up Tamil Nadu is set for an election in May 2021 and this could be the first political heat in the run-up to it. AIADMK is seen as an ally of Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) However, in 2019 the DMK claimed victory for the first time in eight years during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after AIADMK General Secretary and Chief Minister, J. Jayalalitha passed away in 2016. DMK has been busy picking up the pieces after their previous chief M Karunanidhi, passed away in 2018. He ensured a 40/40 win of the DMK-led coalition in 2004 despite AIADMK’s Jayalalitha being at the helm at the time. The current DMK President, MK Stalin is at his strongest since the party lost the Assembly polls in 2016. In his absence, Stalin has been establishing himself as a strong regional leader, leading the charge against the central government on issues like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), federalism, and the imposition of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states. This will be the first Assembly election without both Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi.

Tamil Nadu witnesses political drama inspired by a Manipur court verdict⁠— even as senior opposition leader Anbazhagan succumbs to COVID-19

DMK winner candidate list in Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha Election 2019

<ul class="generic-article__summary--ul content--ul"><li class="generic-article__summary--li content--li">Incoming leader says he will not allow the island nation to be pulled into a proxy contest among the world’s major powers</li><li class="generic-article__summary--li content--li">But analysts foresee a cautious creep towards the pro-Beijing policies of predecessor and brother Mahinda</li></ul>Sri Lanka’s freshly elected president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will take a “low key” approach in restoring the cosy ties the country enjoyed with China during the 2005-2015 presidency of his brother, analysts said, as the new leader stressed on Monday that he would adopt a strictly neutral foreign policy. Paul Staniland, a prominent scholar of Sri Lankan politics, said Gotabaya was more likely to “spread his bets by reaching out to a variety of powerful states in the region and beyond”. Expectations before Saturday’s elections had been that he would not only sweep the polls against his main rival, Sajith Premadasa, but that he would also swiftly revert back to the overtly pro-Beijing foreign policy of his brother Mahinda. In his inaugural speech, the president said he would not allow the island nation to be pulled into a proxy contest among the world’s major powers. The 70-year-old won 52.25 per cent of the nearly 16 million votes cast, with the country’s majority Sinhala population overwhelmingly backing his platform that touted a return to his brother’s strongman leadership style and a focus on national security. The Rajapaksa brothers – alongside their two other siblings Basil and Chamal – are immensely popular among Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese population because of their role in crushing Tamil separatists and ending a 26-year civil war in 2009. “We will remain neutral in our foreign relations, and stay out of any conflict of world powers,” said Gotabaya after being sworn in on Monday. During the tenure of the outgoing president Maithripala Sirisena and the current Prime Minister <keyword id="300704" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ranil-Wickremesinghe">Ranil Wickremesinghe</keyword> – Sri Lanka’s key political mover and shaker of the last five years – the consensus has been that Colombo prioritised ties with the United States over Beijing. But foreign policy researchers said that a return towards a China-friendly policy was not so clear-cut. For one, there remains public trepidation about China from the Mahinda era, during which Sri Lanka chalked up large public debt due to the former president’s penchant for using cheap Beijing-backed financing to fund mega-infrastructure projects. A quarter of Sri Lanka’s foreign debt, which stands at 45 per cent of GDP, is owed to China. Among the projects built using Chinese financing are the now-infamous deep water port and airport in Hambantota, the Rajapaksa clan’s stronghold. The Sirisena government in 2017 was forced to hand over control of the seaport to Beijing as part of a debt-for-equity swap. The Rajapaksas’ dalliance with China also rattled regional power India, and Mahinda has previously accused New Delhi’s top spy agency of engineering his shock 2015 defeat to Sirisena. “This round is going to be about playing things in low key for China, but playing nevertheless,” said Jabin Jacob, an international relations professor at India’s <keyword id="44903" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shiv-Nadar">Shiv Nadar</keyword> University. “Perhaps the Rajapaksas have learned from the first time that there are consequences to playing the China card with India,” Jacob added. “It also does not help that the perception is that Chinese projects such as the Hambantota port and airport do not make money and have cost Sri Lanka.” Hemant Shivakumar, a senior analyst for India and South Asia at the consultancy Control Risks, offered a similar assessment – suggesting the new president is not likely to make dramatic changes to foreign policy even as he seeks to rebuild strained ties with China. “[Gotabaya] Rajapaksa is rightly perceived to be pro-China, and he will want to refocus the relationship and bring it back on track, while being cognisant of these [debt-related] issues,” he said. The analyst added that there was likely to be a “convergence of interests” between Gotabaya and China, with Beijing eager to show the new government that it was a “good development partner” and the new president hoping to show he would engage with the Asian power on Sri Lanka’s terms. Staniland, an associate professor specialising in South Asian security issues and political violence at the University of Chicago, said a likely effort by the new president to present Sri Lanka as open to having “multiple friends” would be in part due to “lessons of the past and a related desire not to rely too heavily on China”. He said it would be unsurprising if “in the medium term we see an overall tilt back towards China even as Colombo maintains a ‘portfolio’ approach to its international relations”. N. Sathiyamoorthy, a researcher based in India’s southern <keyword id="20154" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> state close to Sri Lanka, offered an altogether different take – suggesting that the outgoing government of Sirisena and Wikremesinghe was in fact more China-leaning compared to the Rajapaksas. He said Mahinda merely signed the Hambantota deals that had been “hanging in the air for decades” and that “it is quite likely that others in his place would have done the same”. The same could not be said about the outgoing government, Sathiyamoorthy added. He said the Sirisena government, while blaming the Rajapaksas for plunging the country into a “debt trap”, was ultimately responsible for green-lighting the 2017 deal that handed over Sri Lankan land to China on a long-term lease. One mistake that the researcher – head of the <keyword id="12864" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai">Chennai</keyword> chapter of the Observer Research Foundation think tank – said the Rajapaksas were unlikely to repeat was their “indiscretion” in allowing Chinese submarines to be berthed in Colombo in 2014. Located off the tip of southern India, Sri Lanka has found itself increasingly a theatre for the US-China strategic tussle, with both superpowers seeking to strengthen their presence in the Indian Ocean. The Sirisena government – in particular Prime Minister Wikremesinghe – blocked further dockings of Chinese submarines but found itself having to furiously push back against rumours that it had <keyword id="7016615" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Secret-Plans">secret plans</keyword> to let the US build a naval base in the eastern region of Trincomalee. Apart from policies towards the world’s two superpowers, the new president’s view of Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s government will be parsed by observers. Shivakumar, the New Delhi-based Control Risk analyst, said India would be scrutinising the new president’s national security policies in view of Sri Lanka’s extremist attacks earlier this year, as well as his policies towards the minority Tamils. Gotabaya, who like his brother Mahinda has denied allegations of presiding over <keyword id="52767" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Human-rights">human rights</keyword> abuses as they spearheaded the bloody civil war victory over Tamil separatists in 2009, has said he will significantly strengthen security and intelligence agencies that he says were sidelined by Sirisena’s administration. Jacob said he expected Gotabaya to visit India followed by China in his first 100 days in office. “But it will probably be China that will load him with the goodies,” the China-India watcher said. This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: New president set for low-key china approach

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