News Analysis India

Tag: Tamil Nadu polls

  • ‘Awaiting people’s verdict’: Congress on exit poll projections

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: With exit poll projections painting a bleak picture for the Congress, the grand old party appears set to draw a blank in another election cycle, except in Tamil Nadu, where it could piggy-ride a regional party to victory.

    The Congress, however, appears in no position to challenge its rivals in Kerala, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry, and could face further decimation if the exit poll projections hold on May 2, the result day.

    The party says exit polls are only projections and it would wait for the final verdict of the people.

    In what could come as a huge blow to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is projected to retain Kerala, bucking the trend of governments alternating every five years in the southern state.

    For the first time in four decades, the ruling alliance, led by the Left, is set to retain power in Kerala, with the Congress’s internal factionalism looking to prove costly for the opposition party, according to the exit polls.

    Senior leader from the southern state P C Chacko quit the party on the eve of the polls, triggering anxieties and rumblings in its Kerala unit.

    The fact that the Congress has the maximum number of Lok Sabha MPs from the southern state, including Gandhi from Wayanad, would make matters worse for the Nehru-Gandhi scion.

    Knives would be out for the former Congress chief and his sister and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should the party lose the electoral contests in Kerala and Assam, the only states where it was in a position to win.

    The exit polls have predicted victories for the incumbent governments in both these states — the BJP-led dispensation in Assam and the LDF in Kerala — with the Congress failing to make a mark or win people’s confidence.

    If the poll results follow the estimated trends, the leadership of the Gandhis would once again come under question in the party, where the “G-23” (Group of 23) leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, are waiting to make their next moves.

    Considering Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were the principal campaigners for the Congress in both Assam and Kerala, question marks on their performance would be evident.

    “Exit polls are always an estimation exercise for laying the groundwork for discussions. The Congress party fought a good election unitedly and we shall await the final verdict of the people,” Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

    Senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar agreed that the exit poll projections are disappointing for his party and said, “I hope the actual results are better.”

    He said in any case, the party needs to revisit its processes and politics to remain relevant as the alternative pillar of national politics.

    “Hopefully, the results of such introspection will yield a stronger party,” the former law minister said.

    It is also important for the Congress to take the lead in bringing the opposition parties together on a single platform, he said.

    “In these extraordinary times, when there are no easy answers, the nation is looking for credible, moral and ideological leadership that can translate into reality the national aspiration for a liberal democracy, based on inclusion and justice,” Kumar said.

    In West Bengal, the Congress is projected to end up a distant fourth, with insiders saying the alliance with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) could have cost it dearly.

    One of the G-23 leaders, Sharma, had publicly opposed the Congress’s alliance with the ISF, saying a secular party could not strike communal pacts.

    Similar alliances of the Congress in Assam and Kerala will also be dissected should the May 2 results disfavour the grand old party.

    With Puducherry likely to go the BJP-led alliance’s way, the Congress’s sole ray of hope would be Tamil Nadu, where the exit polls have predicted a clear victory for the DMK-led coalition.

    But that would hardly be any succour to a national party, which would fail to make its independent mark in any state and need to piggy-ride the DMK to secure a lame victory in one state.

    The post-election phase in the Congress would be crucial with the debate on leadership set to get revived, especially in light of the January 22 decision of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that the party “will have a new president by June at any cost”.

  • ‘EC trod with caution, was ahead of curve in ensuring safety of voters, personnel’: Sources on HC flak

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: After the Madras High Court observed that the Election Commission must be held “singularly” responsible for the second wave of coronavirus in the country, sources said on Monday that the poll panel has trodden with caution all along to ensure COVID-19-free polls, first in Bihar and then in four states and a union territory.

    They said while enforcing the Disaster Management Act to ensure COVID-19-appropriate behaviour is the responsibility of the State Disaster Management Authority, the Commission invoked its constitutional powers to place curbs on campaigning in West Bengal to reduce exposure of people to the virus.

    “We were ahead of the curve in ensuring safety of voters and personnel in the pandemic,” a functionary said.

    They said that after the successful conduct of the Bihar assembly elections in November 2020 involving 73 million voters at 1,06,000 polling booths, there was widespread appreciation of strength and capability of the constitutional authority.

    The biggest stakeholder in democracy — the electorate — in Bihar reposed their faith and participated in numbers even more than the last assembly polls in the state.

    The Madras High Court on Monday castigated the Election Commission over the COVID-19 second wave in the country, holding it “singularly” responsible for the spread.

    The court called the poll panel “the most irresponsible institution” and even said its officials may be booked under murder charges.

    When counsel for the EC told the judges that all necessary steps were implemented, the bench shot back saying that by allowing political parties to take out rallies and meetings, it (the Commission) had paved the way for the resurgence of the second wave of the deadly virus.

    A functionary said, “From the pedestal of strength, we announced elections to five states in February 2021. By the way, the pandemic then was at its lowest stage. The number of new cases in the country in February were hovering around 11,000 new cases a day and all states and UTs had reported a decline in active cases in January-February. The vaccination was in full swing, signs of economic revival were visible.”

    Despite overall improvement in the COVID-19 situation, general mood of overall revival and no input available on the likelihood of a second wave, the Commission decided to tread with caution and not lower the guards, the sources observed.

    There was a persuasive suggestion to go back to 1,500 voters per polling station as opposed to 1,000 voters, which was resulting in 23,000 more booths (32 per cent increase) just in West Bengal and of course consequential tremendous increase in police and civil manpower and other logistics.

    All protocols of COVID-19, including 1,000 voters per polling station, were enforced in all poll-going states on the same template as was very successfully developed during Bihar elections last year.

    Elections to Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry were over on April 6 before the unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, they underlined.

    The spread of the pandemic has been dynamic and so has been the response of the EC, the sources stressed.

    In April itself, four directions were issued by the EC to check the spread of the virus amid electioneering.

    The severity of the pandemic and its response strategy, including complete or conditional shutdown, is governed by the Disaster Management Act and is outside the remit of EC, they said.

    “No national or state level lockdown was declared till April 17 (phase 5 polling in West Bengal) by the authorities administering the Act. EC still invoked its power under Article 324 of the Constitution and curtailed the campaign duration, silence period, restricted the campaigning time from 10am to 7 pm. All kinds of road shows and ‘padayatras’ and rallies were later banned and restricted the limit for public meeting to 500,” another functionary said.

    The sources cited electoral laws to say that clubbing of the last three phases of polling in West Bengal as demanded by the Trinamool Congress was not feasible.

    In any case, it was ensured that there is no campaigning between 7th and 8th phase by further extending silence period to 72 hours, they said.

    “In any case, the Commission kept on tightening Covid protocols, finally banning all rallies, road shows. There are large number of cases, including criminal cases, being registered for violation of EC guidelines.”

    “If even temporary disfranchising of voters was to be considered as an option, the hue and cry at an unimaginable level of high decibel would have been the outcome and perhaps rightly so.

    Implications of not completing elections timely, possibly leading to situation of conducting at a later stage under extended term or President’s Rule might be much more damaging and attract sharper objections of favouring one and acting against another,” the functionary said.

    The coronavirus situation remained grim with India’s daily COVID-19 infection tally and death toll touching new peaks in the past few days.

    The country recorded 3,52,991 cases, the highest so far, taking the tally of cases to 1,73,13,163 while active cases have crossed the 28-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

    The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

  • Press the button: India enters the busiest phase of Assembly polls 2021

    By Express News Service
    Tuesday will mark the busiest day of the election season with Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Bengal going to polls. 

    Assam will witness the third and final phase of voting, while it’s a single-phase for Kerala, TN and Puducherry. For Bengal, it’s the 3rd of the 8th-phase voting that will end on April 29. 

    The results will be declared on May 2. 

    In West Bengal, 205 candidates are fighting for 31 seats. Among the prominent contestants are Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee (TMC) and journalist Swapan Dasgupta (BJP).

    In Assam, 337 candidates are vying for 40 Assembly constituencies.

    The Congress-led grand alliance may have an edge as most of the constituencies going to polls on Tuesday are dominated by Bengali-speaking Muslims, who are known to support the grand old party. 

    In Kerala, a total of 957 candidates, including 123 women, and one third-gender person are contesting in 140 seats spread over 14 districts.

    The ruling CPM-led LDF hopes to retain power by breaking the state’s famed ‘incumbency jinx’, while the Congress-led UDF is confident of winning a comfortable majority. Meanwhile, the NDA is eyeing the kingmaker position by bagging seats in double-digits.

    An apolitical collective called Twenty-20, which has made impressive inroads in the recently held local body polls, is also in the fray.

    Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (CPM), Oommen Chandy (Congress), ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan (BJP) and K Surendran (BJP) are among the big names seeking their electoral fate. 

    Did you know?

    If your name is not on the voters list, there is no way you can cast your ballot

    But if you find that someone has already cast your vote, then ask for a ‘tender vote’ and exercise your voting right after satisfactorily establishing your identity with the presiding officer

    A look at key figures and characters…

  • AIADMK, DMK, Tamil Nadu’s key contenders for power leave fate to people

    By PTI
    CHENNAI: After fierce electioneering over a span of about four months, with a resurgent DMK eyeing capturing power and a determined AIADMK straining every nerve to retain power for the second time, Tamil Nadu is all set for the Assembly polls on Tuesday.

    The most intense in its electoral history and the first polls in the absence of stalwarts, AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa and DMK’s M Karunanidhi, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, who is seeking a third successive win from Edappadi segment in his home district of Salem, steered his party’s hectic campaign.

    With women (3,19,39,112) outnumbering men (3,09,23,651), the 6.28 crore voters, which includes 7,192 third gender people, would decide the fortunes of 3,998 candidates.

    As many as 13 candidates, including BJP’s Pon Radhakrishnan and Vijay Vasanth of Congress are in the fray for the bypoll to the Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat.

    Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who too embarked on an aggressive campaign, is contesting again from his native Theni district’s Bodinayakanur constituency, where he emerged victorious in the 2011 and 2016 polls.

    The AIADMK leadership that began the campaign in December last, latched on to government’s ‘achievements’ like 7.5 per cent quota for government school students in medical admissions, successful COVID-19 management and poll promises like Rs 1,500 monthly assistance to families.

    The DMK’s poll plank was corruption charges against the government and 500 plus poll promises, including Rs 4,000 relief to COVID-19 hit rice ration card holders and legislation to earmark 75 per cent of jobs for locals.

    DMK chief M K Stalin, who spearheaded several campaign programmes against the ruling party, including the ‘We Reject AIADMK’ in December last and ‘people’s’ grama sabhas, vigorously toured the state to take on the ruling AIADMK.

    He is seeking reelection for the straight third term from Kolathur segment here.

    His son and party youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin is debuting from Chepauk- Triplicance constituency.

    For the first time, Makkal Needhi Maiam, founded in 2018 and led by actor-politician Kamal Haasan, is trying its luck in Assembly polls.

    AIADMK’s ally, BJP which is contesting in 20 constituencies, has made a serious bid to make a mark in the Assembly polls.

    Currently, the BJP has no MLAs in the Assembly.

    The saffron party conducted a ‘Vel’ yatra last year and claimed in its campaign that it had championed the cause of protecting the people’s sentiments.

    Its yatra prompted DMK chief Stalin to even hold a ‘Vel’.

    Several senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national chief J P Nadda were among those who campaigned.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi toured Tamil Nadu with zest and covered many regions to woo voters, targeting the BJP for not ‘respecting’ Tamil culture and its ally, the AIADMK leadership, for ‘bowing’ before the Centre.

    The Congress, an ally of the DMK, is in the fray in 25 Assembly segments.

    Haasan is trying his luck from Coimbatore South, while BJP’s state unit president L Murugan and the saffron party’s Kushbhu Sundar are contesting from Dharapuram and Thousand Lights constituencies respectively.

    Another AIADMK ally PMK is contesting from 23 constituencies and is pinning its hopes on measures like the 10.5 per cent internal reservation for Vanniyars, a Most Backward Community.

    AIADMK’s rival Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, led by TTV Dhinakaran (contesting from Kovilpatti) and Nam Tamizhar Katchi of Seeman (Tiruvotriyur) made a determined effort to woo voters.

    DMDK, which walked out of the AIADMK alliance over not being alloted the number of seats it sought, is fighting the polls in alliance with AMMK.

    The state has 88,937 polling stations 1,29,165 ballot units, 91,180 control units (which comprise the Electronic Voting Machine) and an equal number of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) units.

    As many as 4,17,521 polling personnel are on duty and over 1.50 lakh security personnel, including those from state police, Central Armed Police Force, and home guards have been deployed.

    There are 10,813 vulnerable polling stations and 537 critical and webcasting is all set to be done from ’50 per cent’ of the polling stations.

    A total of Rs 428.46 crore worth seizures have been made in the run up to the polls, which includes a cash component of Rs 225.52 crore.

    There are 234 Assembly constituencies which goes for a single phase polls on Tuesday.

    AIADMK is in the fray in 191 segments (including allies who are contesting on AIADMK’s two-leaves symbol) and DMK is fighting from 188 constituencies (including poll partners who are contesting on DMK’s Rising Sun symbol).

    The DMK was in power during 2006-11.

    The AIADMK, then led by late Jayalalithaa, won the 2011 polls hands down and also went on to retain power in 2016.

  • BJP’s Chief Election Committee meets to short-list candidates for upcoming Assembly polls

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI:The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the BJP met here on Wednesday to finalise the party candidates for the seats for which it has so far not named its nominees for the upcoming state Assembly elections.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders met at the party headquarters to deliberate on the probable names and short-list the candidates.

    The CEC has so far announced the names of candidates for the Assam polls and the first few phases of the election in West Bengal.

    It has also named its nominees for a number of seats in Kerala and all the nine constituencies in Puducherry the party will contest.

    The polls in the four states of Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be held between March 27 and April 29.

    Assam will have three-phase polls, Bengal will have eight-phase polls while Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will have single-phase elections on April 6.

    The counting of votes will be taken up on May 2.

  • Polls announcement: Congress welcomes decision, says people will give ‘befitting’ reply to BJP

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday welcomed the Election Commission’s announcement of the schedule of assembly elections in four states and a Union territory and said people will give a “befitting reply” to the BJP for its “anti-people” policies.

    The Opposition party also hoped that the Election Commission, fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities, will conduct the elections impartially without any “fear or favour”.

    Reacting to the announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission, senior Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “We are confident that the people of the four states and a Union Territory will give a befitting reply to the BJP for its mis-governance and anti-people policies.”

    “The BJP will be defeated and democracy will win again. Feelings will awaken for the bright future of the people,” the AICC in-charge administration said.

    Voting for the five assembly elections will begin on March 27, with West Bengal conducting the maximum eight phases continuing till April 29, and votes for the polls in the four states and one union territory will be counted on May 2, the Election Commission said on Friday.

    Some Congress leaders raised questions over the the Election Commission (EC) announcing eight-phase assembly polls in West Bengal.

    While senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar alleged that the poll panel in a way has tried to help the BJP, Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan wondered if there were any “nefarious plans”.

    “If voting for Kerala-140, Tamil Nadu-234 and Puducherry-30 (total 404 seats) can be conducted in a single phase, why Assam-126 and West Bengal-294 (total 420 seats) require 7 & 8 phases? Are there any nefarious plans?” Chavan asked.

    Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill too lashed out at the EC as well as the Centre.

    “On one hand, the BJP Govt parrots idea of ‘One Nation One Election’ and on the other hand EC announces 8 phase election for Bengal which shows vast difference between fictional world of sloganeering and reality of implementation,” he said in a tweet.

    Bansal slammed the BJP over its policies such as demonetisation and GST and said the government is to be squarely blamed for rising fuel prices and inflation which has hurt the common man.

    Asked about its alliances and poll preparation, Bansal said, “We are presently in touch with all our allies and all our associations and electoral alliances will be worked out. We will be in a position to share something only when the final picture is clear.”

    On a question about Opposition’s scepticism of EVMs, Bansal said, “Our demand at this juncture is not going to matter. The Election Commission has announced this, I would with all the respect say — today this question is conjecturer, because the dates have been announced.”

    “They have worked out the schedule, they have moved on with the premise of EVMs, so whatever stands we had taken from time to time. we have to go by this,” Bansal said.

    “We only expect the Election Commission to go by the rule book and conduct the elections in a fair manner without fear or favour,” he said.

    As many as 18.68 crore voters will be eligible to cast their votes at 2.7 lakh polling stations for 824 assembly seats across Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

    The elections for the five assemblies are expected to witness a determined attempt by the BJP to put a strong show, including in Assam where it is already in power, as well as in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry where the saffron party has been pushing hard in recent years.