It may have taken Rahul Gandhi a good 10 days to finalise the name of V D Satheesan as Kerala CM but the fact that he managed to do so resisting the pressure to pick his close aide K C Venugopal is commendable. Satheesan’s elevation as CM is largely being viewed as succumbing to pressure from a key ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 22 MLAs. In view of IUML’s influence in the crucial Wayanad Lok Sabha seat held by Priyanka Gandhi, many in the Congress feel Rahul may have possibly rewarded the man who was the face of the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s emphatic victory. The UDF won 102 of the 140 seats in the assembly. Even on May 14, the day of announcement Venugopal was prevailing on his boss to rethink his decision. AICC in charge Deepa Dasmunsi apparently had to reschedule her flight to Thiruvananthapuram as Venugopal was playing his mind games. Meanwhile the BJP tried to drum up sympathy for Venugopal saying the Congress had succumbed to pressure of Muslim League. Party spokesperson Shehzad Jai Hind wrote on X that the Kerala CM face had been done under two pressures – pressure from Jamat/IUML, Muslim vote bank, and Priyanka Vadra who did not support Venugopal. But then what does it mean for thousands of Congress leaders who were hoping a Kerala win will take a manipulative Venugopal away from the AICC. A senior Congress leader from South remarked: “It is bad luck for us…we will have to learn to live with this. But the Congress will suffer because of him.  As for Venugopal, it is karma…payback time for him. He was denied a chance to be CM precisely for the torture he has put many Congress workers through.”  Venugopal who has played gatekeeper made Rahul Gandhi inaccessible to party leaders/workers. In sharp contrast, Satheesan is an accessible Congress leader.

For the first time in the last 15 years, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and her party face the toughest challenge after BJP’s landslide victory in the 2026 assembly polls. The setback was compounded by Mamata’s defeat in the Bhabanipur constituency, where she lost to former confidant-turned-BJP leader now chief minister Suvendu Adhikari by a margin of more than 13,000 votes. He defeated her in 2021 too from Nandigram constituency. The election outcome has sparked uncertainty over the future direction of the TMC. During the election, the party increasingly shaped by Didi’s nephew — National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee — had attempted to shift from a leadership model centred entirely around her to one driven by organisational performance and accountability. That strategy has failed as witnessed by the defeat of several senior TMC leaders in their home constituencies. Concerns over internal divisions have also intensified after at least 10 legislators reportedly stayed away from a post-election strategy meeting convened by the supremo in Kolkata. Factional tensions within the party have become increasingly visible, with sections of the leadership holding Abhishek and political consultancy firm I-PAC primarily responsible for the electoral debacle. The party is apprehensive about the possibility of heightened central agency scrutiny following the arrest of former minister Sujit Bose. According to sources, Mamata has advised legislators to strengthen their legal preparedness in case of any eventualities. It may be recalled that the ED had questioned Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira in connection with the coal smuggling case. Electorally, the TMC witnessed a dramatic decline in strength, with its Assembly tally dropping from 215 seats in 2021 to 80. In contrast, the BJP surged from 77 seats to 207, securing a vote share of 45.8%, ahead of the TMC’s 40.8%. Within the party, attention is now turning to the 2027 municipal elections and the...

The heat and dust of the shock electoral outcome of Tamil Nadu has hardly settled. The suspense, anticipation and uncertainty of C Joseph Vijay’s bid for chief ministership has still not abated. But Vijay has already issued an official order appointing and revoking astrologer Rickey Radan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special duty in the state. At the floor test all his allies criticised Vijay for appointing his personal astrologer as OSD. Vijay realised the damage done and so he revoked the appointment. Vettrivel is an astrologer in whom Vijay reposes unconditional faith…ever since the Panditji predicted way back in 2023 that 2026 would catapult him to the top pedestal of TN. Vijay who does not repose faith in anyone easily. But once convinced he is known to follow a person faithfully. Pandit Vettrivel was Jayalalithaa’s unfailing soothsayer, guiding her through the trying court case, later he predicted her death. Vijay now follows Panditji’s every advice…from when to go to a place, what to wear and what to avoid. Even after the Karur stampede deaths, the astrologer told Vijay “Just carry on. It’s not a serious impediment. But you should beat the May 14th date for taking charge as CM”. Almost coinciding with his Asthana astrologer appointment, Udhaynidhi Stalin, the default LoP in the TN Assembly spewed out his vituperative vicious rant about Sanathana Dharma and why it should be eradicated. Even as a Congress MP Shashikant Senthil rapped the astro’s OSD post on X. After all, Badshah’s like Akbar had poets, jesters and painters.

Radhan Pandit, a high-profile political astrologer, lasted as OSD to Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay for barely 24 hours — appointed on May 12, removed the following day. Yes he was removed from the office as soon as Vijay overwhelmingly won the confidence vote— with a thumping 144 votes way beyond the support of his 106 MLAs. So, what is it with Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as he calls himself these days that he dominated the TN confidence debate proceedings? Political analysts are surprised that DMDK leader V Premalatha who first flagged the issue of Pandit’s appointment, should call for vigil to maintain “scientific temperament”. Her call may not reflect popular belief in astrology that prevails in the state where annual or decadal planetary transits usually makes headlines. In fact, there are temples dedicated for various planets and people from North India specifically travel to these spots such as Shani Dev Temple in Thirunallar for “griha shanti”.  Is the call for rationalism, a plan to kill astro spiritual tourism of Tamil Nadu under the TVK regime? Is it the design of Christian church against Hindu temples? Once close to the late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, Radhan Pandit had to flee to Singapore to save himself from her wrath. He had predicted she would get relief in the Disproportionate Assets case. When she was convicted, Jayalalithaa was livid. It was at that point Vettrivel – then known as Erode Vettrivel—moved to Delhi and changed his name. He then tried to hoodwink BJP stalwart LK Advani by telling him that he would be next PM. It was Congress MP Karti Chidambaran who first questioned Raadan Pandit elevation with a subtle post on X “Caligula-Incitatus” referring to the 4th century Roman emperor Caligula’s affection for his favourite horse, Incitatus. Caligula had intended to make his horse consul.

In an interesting move, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay appointed his astrologer Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as his OSD. The appointment reveals Vijay’s dependence on Pandit; it also shows how he values his advice—from the black tilak on brow to the green ink pen he uses for signing files. Meanwhile, in Kerala, where Christians constitute about 18.4 % (Census: 2011) and where the Congress has given at least two Christian chief ministers, this time the party is battling to make a choice from Hindu community of Nairs. The party deliberately decided to project a Hindu CM to break the support base of LDF among the Hindus. The Congress-led UDF was known for a pro-Christian bias. “The days of Christian CMs are over,” says a Kerala Congress leader. Ironically, to break the tie among the three Nair choices, Sonia Gandhi has consulted veteran leader A K Antony. The buzz is Anthony has cast his weight behind popular leader V D Satheesan, even as Rahul Gandhi’s heart is with K C Venugopal. In sharp contrast, Tamil Nadu voted in a Christian CM Joseph Vijay. It is a state where the state manages by law revenues of nearly 36,000 temples and has a ministry to oversee it. What however takes the cake is when DMK leader and LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin once again said, “Sanatana must be eradicated.” This time inside the Tamil Nadu assembly. Udhayanidhi won’t dare to repeat this outside the House as cases are pending outside Tamil Nadu against him on this issue. But what stood out even more was that CM Vijay did not oppose the statement at all – instead, he greeted Stalin respectfully with folded hands. If Udhayanidhi had said “Christianity must be eradicated,” would Vijay have still remained silent? Guess for now, Tamil people are only bothered about Vijay’s freebies. That is if he can deliver!

Nothing has stunned Tamil Nadu political circles more than chief minister Joseph Vijay’s grand gesture of a political outreach on May 11 afternoon. Yes, on the first day of the new Tamil Nadu assembly session, Vijay did the unthinkable, reached out to his political rivals across the political aisle. Beginning with his predecessor and DMK supremo M K Stalin, on whom he called at his Alwarpet residence, Vijay reached out to nearly everyone on the broader spectrum of Dravidian parties. For once Vijay seemed – as if he was either God’s good man or at least a man without any guile. In doing so, Vijay was quite clearly following the great traditions of Tamil Nadu political tradition that was followed by veteran Congress leaders such as Rajaji and Kamaraj. Such leaders were known to maintain good relations with DMK patriarch C N Annadurai.  Apparently, relations between the ruling and the Opposition side turned for the worse only when MGR who led the AIADMK came to power in the 70s. MGR and Karunanidhi of the DMK could never see eye to eye. DMK could never come to power when J Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK. Political analysts believe Vijay is being well-advised to change political tradition and follow the path taken by Kamaraj. In many ways Vijay seems to be taking a cue from PM Modi. After vanquishing Congress, Modi in 2014 had called on Dr Manmohan Singh. Interestingly, Udhayanidhi, who ignored CM Vijay in the assembly, more than made up by warmly receiving him at his house when he came to meet his father Stalin. Vijay also called on MDMK stalwart Vaiko and PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Ramadoss’s wife Sowmya is an MLA. Vaiko hailed Vijay’s gesture as a “healthy tradition”. With the Speaker’s election set for May 12, it remains to be seen if Vijay’s grand gesture helps the TVK government come out with flying colour in its first test.

  The recent BJP win in West Bengal must be music to the ear of the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The end of 15-year rule of Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government means the end of perpetual potato shortage crises in Odisha and prices getting stabilised. Political observers say Odisha-Bengal re-alignment also means settling border disputes and help build coastal belt development in Eastern India and also bring out a comprehensive plan to further develop an interstate trade as well. The most significant point emerging now is the potential of new BJP government in West Bengal to address the misuse of Lord Jagannath name. The controversy was generated by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government by erecting Lord Jagannath Temple in Digha, West Bengal. This saw the influx of Bengali tourists to Odisha drastically falling. The rumour is the new BJP Bengal headed by Suvendu Adhikari may consider modifying the nomenclature of the Digha temple suitably by removing the name Dham. With a BJP government in Bengal many in Odisha believe the long-standing Puri Temple name and logo controversy between Odisha and West Bengal would finally see a solution soon. Sangram Mohanty

Even before he was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister, C Joseph Vijay did the unexpected. He landed up at the venue nearly an hour before the oath-taking ceremony. He was perhaps determined to shatter myths that film stars are not punctual. Interestingly, he dropped his trademark white shirt paired with grey trousers— a sartorial idea he had picked up from his close friend and ex-Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and opted for black suit with crisp white shirt. It is not clear if Vijay was advised by a designer or as it is being said these days, he only listens to his astrologer who has a big influence on him. Like it was on his astrologer’s advice Vijay has been greeting everybody with yellow shawls – TN Governor Rajendra Arlekar to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In his speech after oath-taking ceremony CM Vijay, who enjoys a great bond with Rahul, warmly referred to the Congress leader as “my brother”. He also referred to Rahul’s close aide, Praveen Chakravarty “as my personal friend”. One of the toughest messages of CM Vijay was that he would reach out to anybody—meaning seek Centre’s help — to serve the state’s interest. Shocked by gaping holes in TN’s fiscal management when officials initially briefed him, Vijay is having nightmares about how to implement his poll sops. It is for this reason that as soon as he was sworn-in Vijay made it clear that he would first bring out a white paper on the state’s financial status. DMK has not taken kindly to this swipe. One of the moving images of the swearing in was the picture of Vijay’s parents –filmmaker S Chandrashekhar and singer Shoba Chandrashekhar. Vijay is close to his mother who is a Hindu Mudaliar. He had built a Saibaba temple in Chennai in 2024 for his mother.

Political uncertainty that prevailed in Tamil Nadu over the last few days ended on May 9 evening with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay calling on Governor Rajendra Arlekar and staking claim to form the government with the support of 120 MLAs-elect in the 234-member House. This meeting resulted in the Governor okaying his swearing-in on May 10 at 10 am at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. It was Vijay’s 4th meeting with the Governor spread over four days. The TVK chief met the Governor only after the VCK and IUML extended unconditional support to TVK. Could these former DMK allies not have extended support right at the beginning? Who was holding them back? Did the DMK first family deliberately delay the formation of Vijay’s government? It is quite an irony that Vijay who raved and ranted against – thiya shakti or evil forces of the DMK — has now become a puppet of the Stalin family. Udhayanidhi Stalin, it is being said, had opposed lending help to Vijay; he fears Vijay opening files against him after becoming CM. Only former chief minister M K Stalin and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi K batted for democratic support to TVK. Though all DMK allies have technically extended unconditional support, it is possible Vijay will find his hands tied. Left Parties have been told to protest any action against the Stalins. Which in a way means Vijay’s mandate will eventually be subverted by these do-gooders! They will ensure Vijay becomes a puppet in the hand of DMK. Meanwhile, in a post, M K Stalin noted how the Congress did not care to visit Arivalyam and had rushed to sever ties with DMK. Other allies like the Left Parties and the VCK had at least   thanked the DMK for its support.

Known for his penchant for making statements on any subject under the sun, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut added another feather to his cap himself. Raut has achieved this glory by writing an open letter to the U.S. President Donald Trump to take exception to the congratulatory message POTUS has sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly election. Within minutes, Raut became a troll victim. The BJP called him a joker. Several social media posts castigated Raut, with one saying, “If leaders like Sanjay Raut are writing letters to Donald Trump, then rest assured something good has happened in Bengal.” A post recalled Raut’s past, saying “He is an MP who is an accused in a scam. Raut was in jail in this connection and he is still not exonerated.” Raut has asked the Most Powerful Leader on Earth to stay out of India’s internal matters. In a flowery language message, Raut has also appealed to Trump to “emphasise democratic values” instead of celebrating the WB result. In his post on ‘X,’ the MP said he was responding to the U.S. President’s best wishes to Modi following the BJP’s win in West Bengal. He also reminded Trump that “These are state-level elections — an internal matter of India’s federal democracy.”