Tag: O Panneerselvam

SC upholds Madras HC order allowing EPS as AIADMK interim general secretary

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the order of the Madras High Court, which allowed Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) to continue as the interim general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in major setback to opposing O Panneerselvam (OPS).

It dismissed the petitions filed by OPS challenging the Madras High Court’s decision to restore former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EPS as the party’s single leader.

Addressing the public, EPS said that the court’s judgement today put an end to the “suffering” AIADMK cadres had experienced for the past 6-7 months.

“God’s blessing is with us so that we got that judgement in our favor. AIADMK is not a family party, it is a common people’s party,” EPS said.

EPS added that he was in doubt about the direction the Supreme Court’s decision would take. He said that their final verdict siding with him confirmed late AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa’s statement about the party’s 1,000-year rule over the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

“The veils under which DMK’s B team was functioning were torn by the Supreme Court’s verdict,” EPS said.

Calling the Supreme Court’s verdict a setback, expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam said that ‘Amma’ is the permanent general secretary of their party and they have passed a resolution on the same. He said nobody has the power to act on the same. He said the EPS wants to capture his party and yesterday’s verdict was a setback for them. They would soon be meeting VK Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran, he added.

A bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy had reserved judgment on the matter on January 12.

The judgment came on a batch of pleas concerning amendments made to the party bylaws during the July 11, 2022 general council meeting.

Celebrations broke out in Chennai at MGR Maaligai, the AIADMK headquarters, over the court’s ruling. The HQ witnessed increased police presence as EPS supporters burst firecrackers and poured milk on cardboard cutouts of the newly reinstated AIADMK interim general secretary. They also offered sweets and flowers to photographs of EPS.

Reacting to the news, former minister and senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said it was a historic verdict and implied that OPS’s political future was over, gesturing a “zero.”

In August 2022, the Madras High Court had stayed the AIADMK General Council’s decision to elect EPS as interim General Secretary. Upon his election in July 2022, EPS’ first decision was to expel OPS much to the latter’s chagrin.

ALSO READ | EPS the new interim general secretary of AIADMK; OPS expelled

The feud between OPS and EPS has intensified with the upcoming Erode East assembly constituency election, scheduled for February 27. The constituency has been vacant since the death of Congress MLA Thirumaran Everaa, who was the son of EVKS Elangovan.

OPS also suffered another major setback when Erode district secretary T Muruganandam and other party functionaries on Tuesday joined hands with EPS and resigned from his claiming disappointment over OPS’ leadership.

With the Supreme Court’s decision, EPS will now be able to continue as the AIADMK’s interim general secretary, and the party can move forward with its plans for the upcoming elections.

EPS had previously announced that the election for the position of general secretary of the AIADMK would be postponed until the court resolved the ongoing leadership dispute between himself and OPS.

The AIADMK, which is a major political force in the state of Tamil Nadu, has been facing internal turmoil and leadership battles since the death of its leader, J Jayalalithaa, in 2016.

The verdict is likely to have a significant impact on the state’s politics, as the AIADMK is one of the two major parties in Tamil Nadu, along with the DMK.

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O Panneerselvam extends olive branch to “dear brother” Palaniswami; EPS rejects truce offer

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Thursday extended an olive branch to his rival, “dear brother” Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) to run the party jointly and said “let bygones be bygones” but the latter ruled out any association with OPS and even blamed him for the party’s defeat in the 2021 Assembly polls which the DMK-led bloc swept.

Incidentally, Pannerselvam’s call for unity also pertained to deposed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran.

Palaniswami rejected Panneerselvam’s call for joining hands and listed out a series of reasons, including alleging OPS was behind the attack on the party headquarters here last month.

He flayed his rival for seeking “posts without efforts”. Palaniswami also moved the Madras High Court against a single judge order on Wednesday which declared as not valid the AIADMK General Council resolutions of July 11, which among others, ‘expelled’ Panneerselvam and picked EPS as the party’s interim general secretary.

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A day after securing the High Court order in his favour, OPS informed there had never been an issue with the earlier dual leadership but said the arrangement of “joint leadership” was brought in to steer the party in the absence of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

“After Amma’s death (in December 2016), dear brother Palaniswami became CM and we travelled along extending good cooperation. Many democratic duties were discharged by us,” he said.

“After Amma’s death, Dharmayudham was undertaken (by him against deposed leader VK Sasikala and her family) and as per the wishes of party workers and leaders, it was decided as a policy that AIADMK will function under joint leadership,” he told reporters here. As a result, the Coordinator (OPS) and the joint coordinator (EPS) posts were created, Panneerselvam added.

There was no shortcoming in this aspect from either leaders as they diligently performed the roles in the interest of the party and within the ambit of its laws, the former CM said.

AIADMK workers had set their political path as “brothers” of the party founder, the late CM MG Ramachandran and “sons” of Amma (Jayalalithaa), but due to some “difference of opinion” there was an “abnormal situation,” OPS said, in an apparent reference to the differences with Palaniswami.

“Let bygones be bygones…would never say it affected us…1.5 crore party workers and the people who desire the good rule of MGR and Amma want this movement to remain united. Without holding any grudges of the past bitterness, we should throw them away (as) the party’s unity should be the sole idea,” he said.

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Such an association was the desire of the party’s 1.5 crore workers, Panneerselvam said. Asked if his invitation extended to Sasikala and Dhinakaran also, the senior leader said it applied to all those “who strived for the party during” the period of MGR and Jayalalithaa and responded in the affirmative when prodded further.

Sasikala was a confidante of Jayalalithaa and was ‘expelled’ from the AIADMK in 2017, months after she was jailed in a disproportionate assets case.

Hitting out at Panneerselvam, Palaniswami said his rival often gave such invitations. “Against whom did he undertake Dharmayudham. He is now inviting them all. He wants posts, can’t live without it. He does not struggle for them, but wants post for himself and his family,” the former CM told reporters.

He slammed Panneerselvam’s son and Lok Sabha MP P Ravindranath for “praising” the MK Stalin-led DMK government, after meeting the CM recently and claimed that this had “demoralised” the party’s rank and file.

The AIADMK was founded by the late MGR against the DMK, he pointed out.

“How can we join. Should he (OPS) not have come to the General Council. He went to the party office with rowdies and attacked it, broke open the doors, damaged comps and stole key documents,” he said.

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“How can we work with such a person who employs rowdies and goondas, despite being in the leadership role. Party workers were attacked. How can I work with him?” Palaniswami asked.

Claiming that he was not behind posts, Palaniswami said the single leadership chorus and the party projecting him as the CM face in the 2021 polls were due to the supporters’ desire and that he was not behind posts. EPS addressed Panneerselvam repeatedly as “elder brother”.

He further questioned OPS’ assertion of being a Jayalalithaa loyalist, insisting that Panneerselvam was the chief agent to her rival candidate in the 1989 Bodinayakkanur Assembly poll, whereas he has always been her supporter.

“How can he be a loyalist of Amma? We have been with Amma always. He will do anything for power,” EPS charged.

Meanwhile, in his plea before the HC, among other things, EPS contended that by granting an order of status quo ante as on June 23, the single judge has virtually interfered with the decisions taken in the general council meetings held on June 23 and July 11.

And the same is directly in contravention of the order of the Supreme Court dated July 6 this year passed against the order of a division bench of this court, which had placed restrictions on the GC meeting held on June 23.

The SC has ultimately stayed the operation of this order, he pointed out. The plea will come up for hearing on Monday.

Also read: Setback for Palaniswami as Madras HC rules in favour of O Paneerselvam in AIADMK power tussle

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Setback for Palaniswami as Madras HC rules in favour of O Paneerselvam in AIADMK power tussle

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Council’s decision to elect Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as interim General Secretary. The court ordered convening a fresh General Council Meeting to elect a general secretary.

The order came as former party coordinator O Paneerselvam (OPS) moved the court to stay the conduct of the meeting. OPS had questioned the legality and violation of bylaws in convening the meeting.

Following the order, celebrations erupted outside OPS’s residence in Chennai.

#WATCH | Tamil Nadu | Celebrations erupt outside the residence of O Panneerselvam in Chennai

Madras HC passed an order in his favour on his plea questioning legality of convening AIADMK Gen Council meeting. HC ordered status quo ante June 23 & ordered a fresh gen council meeting pic.twitter.com/BpI3YcoX1q

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2022

On July 11, EPS was appointed as the interim general secretary of AIADMK, thus ending the dual leadership in the party. He had also expelled OPS. The party had terminated the coordinator and joint coordinator posts and has decided to create a Deputy General Secretary post, who will be selected by the party’s General Secretary.

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EPS expels OPS’s sons, 16 other AIADMK members; Panneerselvam reacts

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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AIADMK interim general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) expelled 18 party members including O Panneerselvam’s (OPS) two sons on Thursday. All the 18 were supporters of OPS who was who were expelled from the AIADMK on July 11. In retaliation, OPS announced the expelling of 22 functionaries, including EPS, from the other faction in the capacity of AIADMK’s coordinator’.

Announcing the expulsion, Palaniswami was quoted in a party release as saying that all the 18 party leaders acted against party interests, and principles and brought disrepute to the organisation.

Raveendranath, AIADMK’s Lok Sabha MP from Theni constituency, and Jeyapradeep, both of whom are sons of OPS, and former minister Vellamandi N Natarajan were expelled. OPS’s loyalist SPM Syed Khan, a former MP and also the Theni District Secretary, was also ousted from the party. Former MLA Kovai Selvaraj and Marudhu Alaguraj, both spokespersons of the AIADMK, were also expelled.

ALSO READ | OPS and EPS factions clash, hurl stones ahead of AIADMK General Council meet — watch video

Former MLA from Chennai VNP Venkatraman (Trade wing secretary), Asokan, Kanyakumari east party district secretary, Kolathur D Krishnamurthy, an office-bearer of MGR youth wing, were relieved from their posts and the party membership. Former legislator belonging to neighbouring Puducherry Om Shakthi Sekar and ex-MP R Gopalakrishnan were among others who were expelled from the party’s primary membership.

After EPS’s move, Panneerselvam’s camp demanded that the government intervene to ensure that the official residence of Palaniswami is not used for political purposes. On July 11, the AIADMK general council meeting had expelled Panneerselvam and three of his supporters including Thanjavur district based R Vaithilingam from the party.

OPS reacts

Panneerselvam then announced the ‘expulsion’ of 22 leaders from the Palaniswami camp,  claiming himself to be the coordinator, a post he was heading prior to the June 23 GC meet of the party.  The leaders were accused of “acting against the interests and policies of the party and bringing disrepute to it.”

href=”https://www.cnbctv18.com/tags/k-palaniswami.htm”>Palaniswami and KP Munusamy, ex-ministers and senior leaders Dindigul C Srinivasan, KA Sengkottaiyan, D Jayakumar, C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani were among those who were ‘expelled’ by Panneerselvam on Thursday.

The AIADMK General Council had on Monday elected EPS as its interim General Secretary. Earlier on Wednesday, the AIADMK appointed KP Munusamy and Natham Vishwanathan as deputy general secretaries, news agency ANI reported. Now, EPS will hold a meeting with party MLAs on July 17, according to the sources. The meeting will be held at the residence of EPS on Chennai’s Greenways Road.

(With inputs from PTI)

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OPS and EPS factions clash, hurl stones ahead of AIADMK General Council meet — watch video

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Supporters of AIADMK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam clashed outside the party headquarters on Monday morning, according to the police. This comes ahead of the party’s council meeting scheduled for today when the dominant faction led by Palaniswami is set to possibly elect him as the single leader of the organisation.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court verdict gave a green signal to AIADMK’s crucial meet of the General Council, the party’s highest decision-making body.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu | A clash-like situation breaks out between supporters of AIADMK leaders E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam near party headquarters ahead of the General Council meeting, today pic.twitter.com/rSW9LsQFJE

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022

Violence erupted between the two groups carrying AIADMK flags with people hurling stones at each other, burning posters and damaging vehicles parked nearby. It was not clear immediately if there were any injuries.

#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Visuals from outside the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai where supporters of party leaders E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam burn posters & banners, ahead of the General Council meeting, today pic.twitter.com/BS00E133Ks

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022

Tamil Nadu Revenue department sealed the AIADMK headquarters in the wake of clashes that broke out between OPS and EPS cadres earlier today. The door was broke open by OPS supporters earlier in the day. Section 144 has been imposed around the party’s headquarters following the clash that erupted in the morning.

Also read: EPS the new interim general secretary of AIADMK; OPS expelled

Since last month, the AIADMK has been witnessing serious intra-party wrangling over the issue of single-leadership and Palaniswami has the support of an overwhelming majority and Panneerselvam has been sidelined in the party.

Earlier, Vijay Narayan, the senior counsel representing former joint co-ordinator and party leader Palanisamy, told the court that there was nothing new in the head-quarters’ office-bearers of the party convening the GC meeting in the absence of the echelons of the party.

It happened in 1987, when party founder MG Ramachandran died and his successor J Jayalalithaa was declared as the general secretary of the party. It was repeated after the death of Jayalalithaa in 2016, when Sasikala was elected as the interim general secretary of the party.

Tamil Nadu | AIADMK leader E Palaniswami reaches party office in Vanagaram for the General Council meeting pic.twitter.com/d3nFJmf139

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022

EPS said the Supreme Court has already allowed him and his men to conduct the meeting and made it clear that the hands of the GC should not be fettered on what it has to decide. The posts of Coordinator and joint coordinator do not exist as the same was not ratified by the June 23 GC.

#WATCH | O Paneerselvam supporters slap slippers at E Palaniswami's photo as they protest AIADMK's General Council meeting in Vanagaram, Chennai pic.twitter.com/1bLqtnT7To

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022

In the absence of the two posts, the headquarters’ office-bearers, the supreme body, steps in. One man was trying to stifle the growth of the party, which cannot be permitted, EPS added.

With inputs from PTI

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EPS the new interim general secretary of AIADMK; OPS expelled

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) was on Monday appointed as the interim general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), thus ending the dual leadership in the party. In his first decision, EPS expelled O Panneerselvam, who had moved the court to stall the crucial General Council meeting of the party.

OPS said he will challenge EPS’s decision to expel him in court. “General Council expelling me isn’t valid. We will take legal action according to the law. They don’t have the right to remove me. I have been elected (as party coordinator) by 1.5 crore cadres of our party. As per law, we will challenge it in court. I will meet the cadres and seek justice,” said OPS.

The General Council adopted resolutions for reviving the general secretary post and to ensure electing a person for the post by the primary members of the party. The election will be held 4 months from now.

The General Council Meeting also adopted a resolution demanding Bharat Ratna for Periyar, MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J Jayalalitha.

The party has terminated the coordinator and joint coordinator posts. It has decided to create a Deputy General Secretary post, who will be selected by party’s General Secretary. EPS also announced Dindukal Srinivasan as the AIADMK treasurer. The post was held by OPS.

After the party’s general council meet, AIADMK changed the profile picture on Twitter.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/Y3ixT6C3hU

— AIADMK (@AIADMKOfficial) July 11, 2022

Earlier, the Madras High Court on Monday rejected a plea from Panneerselvam to stay the conduct of the general council meeting of the party at a marriage hall on July 11. Justice Krishnan Ramaswamy delivered the verdict on Monday morning, which allowed the EPS faction to hold the GC meet, the supreme decision-making body of the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu.

Ahead of the meeting, supporters of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam clashed outside the party headquarters, police said. Some persons were seen hurling stones at each other and some damaging vehicles parked nearby, as per TV visuals. Dome men were also seen forcing their way into the party office by breaking open the doors. Later, Panneerselvam arrived at the party office, flanked by his supporters including R Vaithilingam and Manoj Pandian.

Section 144 has been imposed around the party’s headquarters following the clash that erupted in the morning.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu | A clash-like situation breaks out between supporters of AIADMK leaders E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam near party headquarters ahead of the General Council meeting, today pic.twitter.com/rSW9LsQFJE

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022

Panneerselvam greeted his supporters from a portico and also waved the party flag. There were “Ayya OPS vazhga” (hail OPS sir) slogans by his supporters.

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Alliance with BJP for 2021 elections to continue, say AIADMK’s top leaders

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday said its alliance with the BJP will continue for the 2021 Assembly elections and exuded confidence it will win a hattrick poll next year.

AIADMK top leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami made the announcement at a government event here, attended by Union Home Minister and BJP veteran Amit Shah.

Chief Minister Palaniswami is the AIADMK Co-Coordinator while Coordinator Panneerselvam is his deputy.

“I would like to inform through this meeting that in the coming election (2021), the victorious alliance of AIADMK and BJP will continue,” Panneerselvam said.

Palaniswami, who said Prime Minister Modi and Shah were working towards making the country a superpower, asserted that “the alliance formed for the Lok Sabha polls will continue.”

“Our alliance will win maximum seats and AIADMK will retain power,” he said.

The AIADMK and the BJP aligned for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, along with others, including PMK, but the combine could win only the lone Theni seat out of the 39 segments in Tamil Nadu, with the ruling party clinching it.

The top leaders’ assertion comes in the backdrop of the government’s denial of permission to the BJP’s Vel Yatra, aimed at exposing the DMK for “lending support” to an atheist group accused of denigrating Tamil hymn ‘Kanda Sashti Kavacham’, sung in praise of Lord Muruga, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AIADMK had recently lashed out at its saffron ally on the matter and accused it of attempting vote bank politics.

BJP State President L Murugan has been courting arrest in different towns after trying to take out the procession despite the denial of permission.

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In a nail biting finish, DMK wins Vellore Lok Sabha seat

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In a nail biting finish, DMK’s D M Kathir Anand on Friday won the Vellore Lok Sabha segment defeating his nearest rival, AIADMK’s ally A C Shanmugam, by a
narrow margin of 8,141 votes.

The result came as a setback to the AIADMK which was hoping to retain the seat and prove a point after it faced a near rout in the April Lok Sabha elections with the DMK-led alliance winning 37 of the 38 constituencies then.

The DMK candidate, son of party Treasurer Duraimurugan, bagged 4,85,340 votes and garnered a 47.3 per cent vote share as it wrested the Vellore seat from its arch rival AIADMK which had won it in 2014.

Shanmugam of Puthiya Needhi Katchi, who contested on the AIADMK’s Two-Leaves symbol, polled 4,77,199 votes and got 46.51 per cent share, the Election Commission announced.

Thanking the voters, DMK chief M K Stalin said the victory was “exceptional and unparallelled.”

Since the election was like a bypoll, trouncing a ruling party candidate meant a “huge victory,” he told reporters.

Also, the win has cemented DMK’s position as the third biggest party in the Lok Sabha, he said adding his party’s victory could have been “delayed,” but cannot be “prevented.”

He was apparently referring to the earlier cancellation of the election in Vellore in April when the rest of the 38 seats in Tamil Nadu went for polls. The EC had then cancelled the poll in Vellore following seizure of huge cash.

The election was subsequently held on August 5 and the counting of votes was taken up on Friday morning.

The lead kept changing in initial rounds but the DMK candidate later narrowed the gap steadily and then forged ahead, holding on to the little over 8,000 vote difference till the end.

Reflecting the sea-saw battle, the AIADMK cadres brimmed with enthusiasm initially but once the trend changed it was the turn of DMK workers to break into celebrations here and at the party headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai.

Distribution of sweets, bursting of crackers and dancing marked the DMK’s victory here and in other parts of Tamil Nadu.

Carrying party flags, DMK workers lined up at the residence of Stalin in Chennai to celebrate the victory.

District Election Officer and Collector A Shanmuga Sundaram gave away the certificate of election to Kathir Anand following completion of counting and tallying votes recorded in five Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices for each of the six assembly segments under the Lok Sabha seat.

With this win, the DMK’s tally in Lok Sabha has now gone up to 24 and that of the alliance led by it to 38.

According to the provisional data provided by the EC, the AIADMK polled more votes in Anaicut, K V Kuppam and Gudiyattam assembly segments while DMK was ahead in Vellore, Vaniyambadi and Ambur, which have a sizable Muslim population.

The AIADMK which strained every nerve to retain the seat and recover the lost political ground had to be content with giving a tough fight.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had campaigned in the constituency and had accused the DMK of having swept the Lok Sabha polls by giving false promises.

The margin of victory in Vellore seat is however the lowest for the DMK compared to the April polls though the party’s ally Thol Thirumavalavan of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi had scraped home by just 3,219 votes in Chidambaram seat then.

“We consider the win as people’s confidence on Stalin,” Duraimurugan said.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief, K S Alagiri said DMK’s victory was expected.

AIADMK senior leader and Minister D Jayakumar said “only we have won,” and alleged the DMK emerged victorious through “foul means”. He pointed out that the margin was only about 8,000 votes.

In the end, Deepalakshmi of Naam Tamilar Katchi, who got 26,995 votes and came third, and NOTA (none of the above) accounting for 9,417 votes, appeared to have poured cold water on the AIADMK’s chances.

Though the result was a disappointment for AIADMK, party cadres were of the view that the narrow margin further validated the leadership of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam after the win in nine of the 22 assembly seats in crucial
bypolls in April that ensured stability of the government.

Over 300 polling officials conducted the counting exercise amidst a three-tier security which included about 1,000 state police and paramilitary personnel and monitoring through 70 CCTV cameras.

In the election held on August 5, a polling percentage of 71.51 was recorded in the constituency which has 14.32 lakh voters.

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Tamil Nadu Budget: O Panneerselvam steers clear of new taxes, revenue deficit narrows

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, who holds the finance portfolio, reposed hope that tax revenues in the state would continue its positive trajectory, while announcing that revenue deficit projections for FY 20 had narrowed down to Rs 14,314 crore.

Revenue deficit estimate stood at Rs 17,491 for FY19, while actual deficit was pegged at Rs 19,300 crore. On the bright side though, the state displayed signs of GST-driven tax revenue picking up pace.

“Economic growth in the state is expected to further boost our tax revenues,” said Panneerselvam while presenting the state budget for 2019-20, “We had some difficulty owing to GST in 2017, but we later achieved some momentum.” The state’s fiscal deficit projection of Rs 44,176 crore for FY 20 continued to remain as bleak as that of last year’s Rs 44,481 crore for FY 19.

Being a poll year, it came as no surprise that Tamil Nadu’s budget proposed no additional taxes or levies. While there were no new big-bang populist announcements, the state government announced a decent list of poll sops.

The state finance ministry’s decision to allocate nearly Rs 85,000 crore towards salaries and pension for government employees (41 percent of its total expenditure of Rs 2.08 lakh crore for FY 20), signals the impact of 90,000 government teachers going on strike demanding better wages.

In keeping with previous year’s budgetary allocations, O Panneerselvam announced that Rs 6,000 crore would be earmarked for food subsidies, including ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (AIADMK) free rice scheme.

Another familiar budgetary allocation was the Rs 1,072 crore set aside for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s pet free laptop distribution scheme.

The state government also announced a budgetary allocation of Rs 491 crore towards the distribution of free dhotis and sarees, in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow