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Increased voting by women and a comparatively lower turnout of the Muslims for the Maharashtra assembly elections are likely to be the two major factors which can tilt the outcome of the crucial battle that will conclude on Saturday evening. These two trends have been commented upon repeatedly by several analysts while making a comparison with the Lok Sabha election’s voting pattern. As the turnout for this election has been the highest at more than 66% over the past three decades, both sides are claiming that it will benefit their candidates. For instance, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has suggested that the Laadki Bahin Yojana was one reason for the handsome response of women, who would support the Mahayuti nominees. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) failed to gauge the potency of the scheme whereby eligible women receive Rs 1500 per month from the state. Both sides have promised to enhance the provision after watching the unprecedented welcome it has received. Similarly, the lack of enthusiasm of Muslim voters as compared with the Lok Sabha voting complexion has emerged as another important factor for the final outcome. At least a dozen Lok Sabha seats went to MVA owing to en bloc minority voting. In Dhule, while the other five assembly segments supported the Mahayuti, voting in the Malegaon assembly changed the picture and the seat went to MVA. In view of such aspects, the results are awaited eagerly.
As the term of the present Maharashtra assembly ends on 26 November, the political calculations to capture power will have to be finalised within just 48 hours once the results are out. This has heightened the suspense about the outcome of the election since the richest state of India will play a crucial role in shaping the national political future. A mandate in Maharashtra will strengthen the prospects of both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The state saw a brief spell of President’s Rule in 2019 as none of the claimants was ready to form a government within the deadline. Making preparations to avert any such eventuality, Mahayuti and MVA planners have booked dozens of rooms in five star hotels in Mumbai for the possible winners. Moreover, chartered planes and helicopters have also been booked in readiness to ensure the availability of the future MLAs. Another precaution is to keep them under watch so that sides are not changed at the eleventh hour. But the Lok Sabha results changed the picture as MVA won 30 out of the 48 seats. The exit polls for the assembly election have predicted a keen race, making it imperative for both sides to count on each vote. Therefore, the 48 hours after the results will become the game changer.
Alliance politics, an eternal feature of the Tamil Nadu political scene, has turned sharper with the advent of actor Vijay on the electoral stage. All the parties save the ruling DMK are running helter-skelter in their bid to stitch up an alliance before the 2026 Assembly polls. DMK is content to wait out the drama with parties rejecting each other as potential allies since this helps the ruling party to stay ahead in poll percentages. The arithmetic is simple. If the votes split three ways as they did in the Lok Sabha polls, the DMK stands to gain the most, or sweep everything as it did with 39 of 39 seats. If the votes are going to split four ways after Vijay’s entry, the DMK will be laughing all the way to Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony. The AIADMK, a shrewd player of alliance politics in the time of J Jayalalithaa, has not only split on her demise but also stands isolated in the alliance race. They don’t want to join the BJP again after the stinging 2021 experiment. Vijay does not want to join the AIADMK though the party would very much want the youthful politico on his side. The BJP is keeping the door open for AIADMK provided those shunted out are part of a united package. The DMK is only keen to keep VCK and its current allies on board. The more divided the opposition is, the better for MK Stalin and family.
In the wake of escalating face-off between the Chennai-based Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) and its American partner AGCO over the ownership rights of Massey Ferguson in India, a two-member bench of the Madras High Court has stepped in to direct the warring parties to “maintain status quo until the original applications are heard and disposed of by the learned single judge. “For avoidance of doubt, we hasten to add that the observations made herein are tentative and solely intended for the purpose of disposing of these appeals. We have not delved much into the various rival submissions. All rights and contentions are kept open,” the two-member bench said in its order on Monday. The relationship between TAFE, an Amalgamation group company, and AGCO Corporation of the U.S. hit a nasty bump in April last when the AGCO management terminated commercial agreements -– including the one on licensing the Massey Ferguson brand — with TAFE. The Chennai firm quickly got a stay on this from a commercial court. When AGCO subsequently confirmed the termination, TAFE filed a contempt petition in the Chennai commercial court. Separately, TAFE also moved the Madras High Court, asserting its ownership right to Massey Ferguson brand. TAFE had got a favourable interim order from the Madras High Court. TAFE had filed a civil suit before the Madras High Court against Massey Ferguson Corporation, a subsidiary of AGCO, claiming that the said trademarks are distinctive of TAFE in India and exclusively owned by it. It had sought the Madras High Court to declare that TAFE owns the Massey Ferguson brand/trademarks in India. With the HC bench asking both parties to maintain status quo, all eyes are on the upcoming proceeding before the single judge. It is “advantage TAFE” at the moment, however.
With only 12 days remaining for the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah to take charge as independent chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), clarity has not emerged as to who would perform the duties of the Secretary from December 1, 2024. First and foremost, election has not been called for the post, and this could be because the BCCI Constitution has adequate provisions for its Joint Secretary to perform the Secretary’s duties. The BCCI Constitution says: “The President shall, in the event of a vacancy or indisposition of an office bearer, delegate the functions to another office-bearer until the vacancy is duly filled up, or the indisposition ceases.” In this case the BCCI President Roger Binny has the right to assign duties to any other office-bearer. Shah who has been the Secretary from 2019 may be allowed a grace period to hand over the work to someone else. Next week is going to be hectic for the ICC to take a call on the format and venues of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (Feb-Mar) because the BCCI has conveyed to the ICC that India will not travel to Pakistan. The BCCI, nay Jay Shah, would like to see a finality to the Champions Trophy issue, in particular where India will play before he takes charge of the ICC. If the Champions Trophy has to take place, the Pakistan Cricket Board has to accept a hybrid model with one group (with India in it) playing league matches, most likely in Dubai and keeping the venue of the semi-finals and final, open. The PCB may not be in a position to lose the hosting rights and thereby with it a fee of around $ 70 million!
The ‘Satta Bazaar’ is betting down (dampened market sentiments) over Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) forming Maharashtra’s next government. A market player says, “Punters have never been wrong before. Dampened stock market spirits indicate the Mahayuti Alliance is unlikely to win notwithstanding sops galore unleashed by CM Eknath Shinde.” Differing with market pundits, BJP says, “Markets crashed after Foreign Portfolio Investors withdrew Rs 1.25 lakh crore in October (out of total Rs 71 lakh crore total stock investments in India) seeking better pastures after China announced stimulus. FPIs sold Rs 8700 crore stocks in April, Rs 25,600 crore in May then bought Rs 26,600 crore worth in June, Rs 32, 400 crore in July, Rs 7300 crore in August and Rs 57,700 crore in September before the big sell off in October. Already overleveraged NSE slumped, the subdued corporate sector quarterly results after much hype triggered a profit-booking mindset among investors.” Donald Trump’s ascendancy as the next U.S. president (previous tenure witnessed negative bias towards precious metals) bodes badly setting price corrections of gold and silver even as the U.S. dollar firms up, adding to Indian stock market woes. The BJP leader adds, “Maharashtra contributes around 14% to India’s GDP but even when MVA ruled for 2.5 years Modi-nomics ensured high buoyancy on Indian bourses despite stalling of bullet train project, Rs 14,000 crore cost escalation of Metro project.” The market punter, however, cites India’s financial capital Mumbai in Maharashtra that ensures most Indian business gravitates around the state while explaining the gloomy market mood over MVA’s likely win. November 23 will reveal the truth when the political bets are finally called out.
In a massive setback to AAP, Delhi’s transport minister and Jat leader Kailash Gahlot resigned from the party, citing “grave challenges” and “awkward” controversies in a letter to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal months ahead of Delhi Assembly polls. He has joined the BJP. Gahlot’s exit is well timed in the sense that it comes days before Maharashtra goes to polls. AAP, an INDIA Bloc partner that has no stake in the state polls. But it must be said Gahlot’s exit was something that was in the works for some time now. It is believed that the seeds of discord between Gahlot and the AAP leadership were sown on August 15 over unfurling the national flag during the Delhi Govt’s I-Day celebrations. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who was in jail on charges linked to the alleged liquor policy scam, had wanted Education Minister Atishi to unfurl the flag. Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena however felt Gahlot was more suitable for the job as he held the Home Department. Meanwhile, Kejriwal indicated that Gahlot had quit as he was under pressure from the ED and IT. In his resignation letter, Gahlot pointed to how “Political ambitions have overtaken our commitment towards people, leaving many promises unfulfilled”. In an apparent swipe at Kejriwal, he referred to “many embarrassing and awkward controversies like the “Sheeshmahal” — a term used by the BJP to refer to the CM’s residence renovated during Kejriwal’s term costing the exchequer Rs 45 crore.
A major controversy has erupted in Tollywood as over 233 directors from films, TV and independent media have filed a defamation suit against Swarup Biswas, president of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India. The Rs 23-crore lawsuit follows Biswas’s contentious remarks alleging rampant sexual harassment in the film industry, with 60% of complaints purportedly against directors and producer-directors. The hearing will take place on January 10. Swarup, the younger brother of Aroop Biswas, Bengal’s Power and Housing Minister and a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, finds himself at the centre of an unprecedented protest by Tollywood’s creative community. This is, perhaps, the first time that Tollywood has publicly challenged the Federation. Directors and producers have also criticized what they call “red-tapism” and “arbitrary demands” imposed by the Federation, including its control over unit sizes, pay scales, working hours, and technician selection. At the Eastern India Motion Picture Association’s (EIMPA) recent AGM, Swarup Biswas proposed that producers deposit Rs 5 lakh each as security to ensure timely technician payments, citing Rs 50 lakh in pending dues. Producers have outright rejected the demand, questioning the Federation’s accountability and EIMPA’s silence on the matter. Veteran actor-director Aparna Sen has publicly questioned Swarup Biswas’s credentials, asking for proof of his contributions to the industry. Biswas holds an assistant director’s card, which is reportedly issued only to those involved in at least two films. Actor-politician Roopa Ganguly also criticized the Federation, accusing it of politicizing the industry and questioning why filmmakers often seek the CM’s intervention during crises.
If rising onion prices decided the election outcome in many states some decades ago, falling soybean prices could impact the outcome in around 70 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. Hence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, representing two ends of the political spectrum, are found promising farmers of much higher rates, but only after they are elected on 20 November. The sensitive constituencies are spread in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, where cotton and soybean are the main cash crops. The current market rate of Rs 4000 per quintal is unacceptable to the growers though they have no choice but to sell the produce as it can’t be stored for long. The MSP is Rs 4800 but not enough stocks are lifted by the machinery. The ruling saffron alliance has been promising better tariffs. The government hiked the soybean import duty in a bid to jack up the prices but the hike was of only around Rs 400, still leaving a gap of the same amount. Sensing the distress and the government’s inability to make any major announcement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised Rs 6000 per quintal of the legume. To go a step further, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has pledged to pay Rs 7000. Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has also joined the chorus. The two regions had by and large supported the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi during the Lok Sabha election. Hence, Mahayuti leaders are wary of saying anything that can dampen their prospects.
Are the re-runs slowly becoming a revenue model both for producers and exhibitors who have been grappling to bring back the audiences to cinema halls? Diwali turned out to be decent but then again we are gone back to re-release of films. Shah Rukh Khan’s Veer Zara re-release has been appreciated. Rakesh Roshan plans a re-release of Karan Arjun with a huge number of screens after 30 years of its release. This again has Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan coming together for the first time on screen. SRK’s Kal Ho Naa Ho and Pardes too are re-releasing in cinemas. Those in the trade feel that re-release of Tumbbad, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein and Laila Majnu have given courage to producers to cash on re-runs. The re-runs have stirred both excitement and curiosity. Traditionally, re-releases were reserved for timeless classics, but now more recent films are being revived, prompting questions: Is this trend purely nostalgic, or is there a deeper strategy at play? According to Trade Analyst Saurabh Varma, the re-release phenomenon is benefiting the cinema industry in multiple ways. For producers, re-releasing films is a cost-effective option. The marketing and distribution expenses are far lower than for new releases. Re-releases tap into the large fan bases of iconic films, giving long-time fans a chance to relive their favourite stories on the big screen. Furthermore, these revivals provide a unique opportunity for younger viewers who may have missed these films during their initial release. The combination of nostalgia and iconic music resonates deeply with audiences.
If the same opinion poll can disturb both opposing camps with its forecast, the India TV-CNX Opinion Poll has just done that. Its Maharashtra poll survey has predicted 35 seats for the NDA and 13 for the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Denizens of both camps are somehow disappointed by this forecast. Interestingly, this prediction has come out close on the heels of the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah to the state and his resolve to win at 45 of the total 48 seats. The Opinion Poll has dampened the mood among the three MVA partners – the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, the Congress and the NCP under Sharad Pawar. Already miffed by the changing stance of Republican leader Prakash Ambedkar over seat sharing, MVA is yet to finalise its seat distribution. In the fluid atmosphere, the survey has endorsed the general impression that the BJP will be the largest gainer in the state, winning 25 seats. According to another prediction, sitting MP Supriya Sule will face defeat in the family fiefdom, Baramati, which will be the most prestigious fight in the state. If the MVA is still groping for an understanding, the three parties in the NDA have given indications that they have almost finalised their slices following a discussion with Shah. This happened only after CM Eknath Shinde and DCM Ajit Pawar diluted their original demands. Now, more surveys are awaited to heighten the election fever.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been experiencing internal tensions and factional feuds, which could potentially impact its performance in the upcoming Lok Sabha Election. Though TMC failed to stop its veteran leader and MLA Tapas Roy from resigning as legislator and quit the party, it managed to heal the rift between party spokesperson leader Kunal Ghosh and veteran leader and Kolkata North MP Sudip Banerjee. However, insiders of the party and close aides of Roy have confirmed that former poll strategist and Jan Suraj party leader Prasant Kishor (PK) personally called Roy following his resignation from the party and asked him not to join any party in a hurry. Kunal Ghosh met Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay at his residence in presence of local councillors to resolve the issues. Both Ghosh and Roy had been vocal against Bandyopadhyay on several occasions. Interestingly, despite being close to party’s supremo Mamata Banerjee, Roy has been supporting Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s idea of a new guard. It may be noted that Didi had always utilised Roy’s organisational capabilities rather than inducting him in her cabinet. Post his resignation, speculations of Roy joining BJP are rife within the political circuit. Party insiders said that PK, despite not officially functioning as poll strategist, continues to advise Didi. Many are also saying that Bandyopadhyay was advised by PK to invite Ghosh at his residence to resolve the matter, since Kolkata North is a potential seat of the ruling TMC.
It may sound strange but the changing fates of chief ministers in Bihar and Telangana have resounding repercussions in Maharashtra over the past week. While the state unit of the Janata Dal (U) has been closed down, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) branch is awaiting a word from Hyderabad about its future. As the most accomplished turncoat, Nitish Kumar, revived the alliance with the BJP and his follower, Kapil Patil, who is the sole party legislator, announced that he was snapping his ties with JD(U). Soon, Patil declared the formation of a new party, Samajwadi Ganrajya Paksh (SGP). This event was attended by Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray. Both leaders declared that they will unitedly take on the BJP and NDA. However, soon thereafter, Patil’s close associate Jalindar Sarode entered the Sena (U). Similarly, various prominent BRS leaders across the state had a meeting at Sambhaji Nagar in Marathwada to consider their future course of action since they were left high and dry for a long time. They decided to quiz former Andhra CM K Chandrasekhar Rao if he wished them to continue or shut shop. After his response is received, their next step will be decided, according to BRS Maharashtra Manik Kadam. To exacerbate the atmosphere, the BJP’s state and national leaders keep hinting that more incomings are on the cards. Hence, a pall of suspicion is felt in the opposition camp.
The DMK-Congress alliance that has stood the test of time is on the point of cracking up now. A wordy duel between a DMK and Congress representatives over seat sharing ended in both parties coming to breaking point with a deadline of March 7 given to the DMK now for acceding to Congress demands or face a rupture in ties. The DMK is determined not to let the Congress dictate which 9 seats will be given to them but would like to have a say in which candidates Congress will pick as there is some resistance to Karti Chidambaram and Jothimani getting seats. Ajoy Kumar of the Congress left fuming after the meeting and seems determined to inform his high command that the AIADMK offer of 12 seats and campaign funding looks attractive if the DMK offer does not match expectations. Chief Minister MK Stalin was closeted with his senior colleagues on Tuesday (Mar 5) morning at the DMK HQ, but then they had no inkling then that the Congress would get shrill in the seat sharing talks that they had with TR Baalu and his poll seats panel. The issues could get sorted out at the highest levels if any of the senior Gandhis intervene in the seat sharing process, otherwise a 20-year alliance seems to be at risk.
After breaching the 500-wicket mark in Test cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin is on the verge of another magnificent landmark of turning out in 100 Tests. The 37-year-old is set to play his 100th Test against England in Dharamsala on March 7. The significance of the fantastic feat gets enhanced when one takes into account the fact that only 76 cricketers (from 3174) have been capped in 100 Tests and more. For some reason or the other Ashwin did not feature in 24 Tests after his debut against the West Indies in November 2011. The tall off-break bowler who bowls the stock ball (turning from off to leg) and many variations, is only the eighth spinner who has taken 100 wickets and more to reach the magic marking of 100 Tests. The others are Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nathan Lyon, Harbhajan Singh, Daniel Vettori, Anil Kumble and Carl Hooper. He will be the 14th Indian to compete in Test cricket for such a long time. Ashwin has not only excelled with the ball taking 507 wickets (354 at home and 153 abroad in 40 Tests which is the second highest after Kumble’s 269 wickets in 69 Tests overseas), but he has also scored 3309 runs with five centuries and 14 half-centuries. He has held 33 catches. 100 Test caps is a remarkable feat his family, the cricketing fraternity in his home State of Tamil Nadu and India will be proud of. He has been part of 58 Test wins, the highest by any Indian bowler.
Actor Kamal Haasan is not in political limbo. He will get one seat for his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), and he will be the candidate for the seat. It is just that the DMK has been playing with the Congress a bit, trying to downsize the GOP’s demand for the nine seats that it won in the last Lok Sabha elections. The DMK has been wanting to cut the Congress quota as it is dealing with demands for additional seats from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi. It was even suggested to the Congress that it take nine seats but allot one seat to Kamal out of that. The Congress offered to accommodate that provided the actor stood on the ‘Hand’ symbol, which Kamal is reluctant to do as he has spent a lot of time and energy on his political party MNM, which has a shining torch symbol. The DMK may not offer him the Coimbatore seat that he craves because that seat has been pledged to a western TN leader. Kamal will probably plump for the South Chennai seat. It appears now that he cannot expect two seats from DMK+ but one seat of his choice may be his if he is the candidate. Since the seat sharing talks could not proceed in time, Kamal even cancelled his US visit to await word from the DMK boss MK Stalin on a meeting and a Lok Sabha seat.
AIADMK supremo Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is striding like a sumo wrestler. Political wags are impressed with his show of bravado even as the mighty BJP like the canny spider is inviting him to “come to my parlour”. He has stood his ground of stand-alone status for the Lok Sabha polls for six months, a defiance that has confused and confounded his flock. A senior analyst from the Vikatan Group warns against anyone taking his leverage for granted. This analyst quotes Palaniswami’s resilience in the wake of Jayalalithaa’s demise and how he managed to complete the elected term for the party, in the face of open rebellion by OPS and backroom manoeuvres by Dinakaran and Sasikala to hijack and Two Leaves election symbol and many an attempt to unseat him. He is confident of the support of the moneyed Gounders and his own party strongmen Jayakumar, Shanmugam and others who are voter influencers. Despite several concerted efforts of the BJP to wean him back, EPS stands adamant. EPS shared logic with his close aides “Suppose we get into the alliance, win some MP seats, where’s the guarantee that they won’t be enticed to cross over? I would rather prove our own strength to have bargaining power, than cave in to be used expediently.” The BJP is sure to have its own strategy …EPS or no EPS. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, nor failure fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts”.
Republican leader Prakash Ambedkar has been administering one jolt after another to the embattled Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over his changing demands regarding seat distribution for the coming Lok Sabha election. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) founded by Ambedkar has reportedly demanded half a dozen seats whereas MVA leaders are not inclined to grant it more than three. Therefore, Ambedkar’s present warning to his followers not to attend any MVA discussions for seat sharing without his clearance has once again added to the suspense. Ambedkar had kept himself away from all major parties in the 2019 LS election, causing the defeat of several candidates across the board all over Maharashtra. Hence, MVA leaders are not taking any chances with him this time. They are scheduled to meet in Mumbai on March 7-8 to finalise their seat sharing formula and candidates, too, perhaps. Veteran leader Sharad Pawar has said that VBA would be welcome to team up with MVA if it were willing. Pawar once upon a time had eschewed Ambedkar and had taken his Republican adversary Ramdas Athavale along. However, Athavale has donned the saffron garb while Ambedkar has chosen his own path. His influence is still substantial in some areas though not enough to win seats but certainly more than enough to defeat certain contestants. As this is a battle for survival for MVA, efforts to woo Ambedkar have intensified, notwithstanding his varying stance.
When Rajya Sabha terms of 7 Union ministers recently ended and they were not renominated, there was an expectation that they would be asked to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Significantly, at least 5 of them figure in the BJP’s first list of 195 candidates for 2024 Lok Sabha elections along with PM Narendra Modi (Varanasi) and Home Minister Amit Shah (Ahmedabad). Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is contesting from Porbandar, junior IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been pitted against incumbent MP Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav will face-off in Alwar, Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala in Rajkot and junior EAM V Muraleedharan will contest from Attingal (Kerala). The party has also tried to fortify its foray into Kerala by fielding actor Suresh Gopi(Thrissur.) and Anil Anthony (Pathanamthitta). What clearly showed that PM Modi is not taking challenges of AAP-Congress alliance in Delhi lightly was the way the party dropped 4 of the 5 sitting MPs. In Chandni Chowk the party decided not to experiment and opted to field Praveen Khandelwal; he heads the traders’ body. Yet, the biggest surprise of course was in fielding a very young and energetic Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late Sushma Swaraj for the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat. The complaint against incumbent MP and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi was that she remained aloof and inaccessible most of the time. She was known to be rude to the demands of her voters and direct them to councillors. If PM Modi gave a fresh face for New Delhi, how did Hema Malini pushing 76 managed to get the Mathura Lok Sabha seat? Was it an endorsement of her work in Mathura? Ought to be.
Tamil Nadu is where power packed deals are taking shape for seat sharing talks with DMK cracking the whip. To deal with pouting allies and demands. Take veteran Vaiko heading the MDMK. He insists that this time, his party wants to contest on its own symbol. Vaiko is also insisting on the coveted Trichy Lok Sabha seat. Stalin agreed for the first condition, but was not budging on the demand for one Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha seat. Vaiko’s six-year Rajya Sabha term ends in 2025, and he wants son, Durai to move in seamlessly. The DMK is challenged to accommodate CPI, CPM and other allies. The Congress has a new leader, Selvaperundagai who is keen to show that the new boss has his own agenda and perception. After two rounds of high decibel negotiation with DMK, he is bent on getting the nine seats, the same number it contested in 2019. Kamal Hasaan who has also aligned with DMK is bent on getting either Coimbatore seat or south Chennai but incumbent Marxists MP is refusing to budge. Will Stalin accede to Kamal’s request or promise him Rajya Sabha seat? But Annamalai is the Trojan horse in this alphabet soup as it is his untiring image building which has turned this election to a three cornered fight for the first time in TN. As for the AIADMK, which has cut loose from the NDA fortress, it is very clear that only those with deep pockets (deep enough to register their claim at Rs 15 crore a pop for a seat) need apply.
Used to witness clashes between legislators belonging to the Treasury Benches and Opposition, Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan was astounded when news broke out of a virtual fisticuff between a top minister and a ruling alliance MLA on Friday. Top minister Dada Bhuse and NCP (Ajit) faction member Mahendra Thorve rushed at each other after a brief verbal duel just outside the house lobby. Immediately, another minister, Shambhuraje Desai, tried to soothe them and took them inside. However, by that time, over a dozen legislators had seen the disturbing scene. While Bhuse later told the house that no clash had taken place, Thorve made it a point that he had asked Bhuse why certain works in his constituency were not getting clearance. Thorve has been elected from Raigad district and is considered close to DCM Ajit Pawar. Otherwise a low-profile leader, he lost his cool, he said, since even CM Eknath Shinde’s son had intervened so that the work would receive a nod, but in vain. When the CM was asked about the reported fight, he dismissed the question by saying, “Ask me about the house session, not such things.” The matter, however, was raised in the assembly by Opposition leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and former finance minister Jayant Patil. They both condemned the incident and expressed concern that physical assaults had now reached the legislature precincts.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and both deputy chief ministers, Devendra Fadanvis and Ajit Pawar, have expressed their inability to enjoy veteran leader Sharad Pawar’s hospitality in Baramati, where the three ruling alliance leaders will be visiting on March 2. Interestingly, the venue of a gathering, ‘Namo Maha Rozgar Mela, is the Vidya Pratishthan grounds. The institution occupies a pride of place in the numerous such bodies headed by Pawar. The Mela has been organised by Ajit Pawar, who is taking on his uncle’s might on both their home turfs. As Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is determined to retain her Baramati Lok Sabha seat, the family feud has been fuelled by persistent media stories that Ajit’s wife Sunetra is most likely candidate in the constituency on behalf of her husband’s NCP faction. Pawar had written to the CM and DCMs on 28 February. In the letter, he had expressed willingness to attend the Mela and extended the invite to all three to join for tea and a meal. Shinde and Fadnavis have cited pre-scheduled events for being unable to join and have assured Pawar that they will certainly accept his repast at a suitable future time and date. The gesture shown by Pawar was quite intriguing but his habit of administering political shocks, to friends and adversaries, is well known. Moreover, as even his statements are taken with a pinch of salt, breaking bread with him by Shinde or any of the DCMs would have become sensational news.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narndra Modi’s visit to Odisha on March 5, the Biju Janata Dal government headed by Naveen Patnaik is pressing BJP to confer the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna to daring aviator-businessman-politician the late Biju Patnaik coinciding with his birth anniversary. Biju Patnaik who passed away in 1997 was the two term chief minister of Odisha. Father of the current chief minister senior Patnaik also worked at the Centre as the Union minister for steel & mines, and Union minister for coal. Political parties in Odisha like the Congress, and others are not comfortable with BJD-BJP’s continued bonhomie. They are now asking BJD-BJP to lower their mask, clarify their relationship as friends, foes or just having tactical understanding during polls. Sources say, buzz of formal or informal alliance is growing with BJD because, one, PM had recently addressed Naveen Patnaik as a friend at Sambalpur, two, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh in his recent trip to Odisha did not criticize Naveen directly, three, BJD’s extending support to Ashwini Vaishnaw for Rajya Sabha nomination and four, VK Pandian, man Friday of Patnaik, in a TV interview admitted that Patnaik and Modi are good friends. Historically, there has been an informal understanding between BJD and BJP but this time there is a strong buzz in Odisha that the BJP-BJD will have a formal seat sharing arrangement for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have received the short end of the stick — not offered the annual retainership — for not showing commitment to the Ranji Trophy tournament. Iyer has to face the consequence because he did not play against Baroda and Kishan, not a match this ongoing 2023-2024 season. Iyer played against Andhra a month ago. The tournament began in the first week of January 2024 and the BCCI issued an advisory to its members in mid-February that players with annual retainership must play in the premier tournament when not on duty for India. So it’s the whims and fancies of someone in the system responsible for the “must play Ranji Trophy” idea being introduced mid-way through the tournament that has advanced to the semi-final stage; unfair to the players of the teams taking part in the tournament. India Head Coach Rahul Dravid was the one who went public saying that Kishan could come back (after taking a break from national duty in South Africa) after playing in the Ranji Trophy. The mid-season rule would not have come about without the knowledge of Dravid and the India captain Rohit Sharma. Just because they were seen training allegedly with their IPL teams is a flimsy reason not to consider them for the annual retainership. The BCCI with World Cup star Roger Binny as its president ought to have shown sagacity and dealt with it in a better way, and not by showing its iron fist.
Will Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar or Rajiv Bhatia as he is known be fielded by the BJP from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat? Well there is a strong buzz that the actor who grew up in Old Delhi could be fielded from the Delhi seat more so since the AAP and the Congress have decided to contest 2024 seats in an alliance. The AAP has already announced four candidates for Delhi. Chandni Chowk is going to be fought by the Congress. The AAP-Congress alliance will certainly impact the BJP’s approach to candidate selection in Delhi since the contest is now bipolar and not three-cornered as it was in 2019. It is believed the BJP, which won all seven parliamentary seats of the national capital in 2014 and 2019, may field the actor. Speculations about Akshay entering the election fray gained strength ahead of BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting on February 29 which is expected to clear about 150 names. Akshay may be replacing former Union minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who won the Chandni Chowk seat twice in 2014 and 2019. Almost preparing for public life, the actor had acquired Indian citizenship, giving up his Canadian passport last year. Posing alongside the snapshot of his citizenship certificate, 56-year-old Akshay had conveyed his emotions, stating, “Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!”.
A letter war within the powerful Pawar clan that has gone viral has found patriarch Sharad Pawar losing his temper when asked about it. The first salvo was lobbed by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, whose letter was circulated on social media two days ago. In it, he has explained why he has chosen to follow PM Narendra Modi. Which indirectly means that it is a justification to break away from his uncle. In reply, an unsigned letter has described how Ajit was selected to represent the second generation of the family in politics and how his cousin Rajendra was side tracked. Rajendra is the son of Appasaheb Pawar, eldest brother of Sharad Pawar. Their third brother was the late Anantrao, father of Ajit. For the third generation, Rajendra’s son Rohit was selected by the family boss to carry the mantle ahead, keeping aside Ajit’s son Parth. Since then, discontent was simmering. Rajendra told the media that his son Rohit decided to contest the assembly election from neighbouring Ahmednagar district to avert any tension with others in the family. When Pawar was quizzed about the internecine clash, he was livid. “Don’t ask me such trivial questions,” he snapped. However, at the same time, he did not forget to mention that he had read an edit in local Marathi daily Loksatta (belittling Ajit for his letter). Alongside the electoral battle between Supriya Sule and Ajit’s wife Sunetra, the strain among the male members has come out in the open, indicating further disclosures.
As the Maratha agitation in Maharashtra may have fizzled out, the political knives are out between Devendra Fadnavis and Sharad Pawar. The agitation was scuttled in the backdrop of allegations of financial kickbacks, secret midnight meetings and even conspiracies to kill Manoj Jarange Patil. While the BJP has fired all guns against the original Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar, accusing him of being the mastermind behind the agitation and even hinting that the conspiracy was managed from Rajesh Tope’s sugar factory, Sharad Pawar has dared that he has nothing to fear and that no phone calls were made from him. Tope admitted that he had simply provided food and water to agitators from his constituency. Jarange Patil has hinted that leaders from all political parties would stand exposed in the SIT investigation, sparking speculation that the agitation had the tacit support from blocks within both the ruling and the opposition fronts. The Eknath Shinde government has been accused of deliberately playing footsie with Jarange Pati. All parties may have unanimously voted for 10% reservation for the Marathas in a special session of the legislature on February 20, 2024, but the aftermath of the agitation has led to a bitter fall out between parties eyeing the politically powerful bloc of Maratha vote bank. This vote bank continues to be splintered across parties and political machinations have failed to consolidate it behind any particular political block.
When all eyes were fixed on Rajya Sabha polling in Karnataka and UP, it was the polling for a single Rajya Sabha seat in the hill state of Himachal that was threatening the survival of the Congress Government of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu . It is because a high profile candidate like senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi entered the fray and got trounced. Party sources said defeat of the official candidate could cost CM Sukhu his chair but Sukhu dismissed such suggestions saying he must be voted out in the state assembly. At least 9 MLAs — 6 Congress MLAs and 3 independents — backing the 43-member Sukhu Government had cross-voted for the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan. Himachal has a 68-member state assembly. The cross-voters were reportedly whisked away in a CRPF vehicle to Panchkula in Haryana. Now the Congress managers are more keen to save their government in the hill state than worried about Singhvi losing. They got a super boss like former Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel to reach Shimla. Party sources say Congress leaders are apparently prepared to sacrifice CM Sukhu and get a new CM face and appeal to those party MLAs who cross-voted to return back to Congress-fold. Sukhu himself made it clear that he is no push over and challenged his rivals to defeat him on the floor of the assembly. In Karnataka, a determined Deputy CM DK Shivkumar ensured a snub for his JD(S) rival HD Kumaraswamy by ensuring election of all the 3 official candidates, defeat of the JD(S) candidate and cross-voting by two BJP MLAs.
Amid major political backlash due to the Sandeshkhali controversy, ruling Trinamool Congress will be holding its third Mega Rally named as Janagarjan Sabha at the historic Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on March 10. Chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee will address the rally, which is seen as her official poll bugle for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Second in command of the party and Didi’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee will also address the gathering. Party insiders pointed out that both the leaders will mainly highlight the issues of pending central dues to the state government under various central-sponsored schemes with a focus on the 100-day job scheme under MGNREGA and the housing scheme under PMAY. It may be recalled that before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, TMC brought all the Opposition parties including Congress under the banner — United Front at a similar mega rally at Brigade Parade Ground to counter Narendra Modi-led BJP. However, the rally did not yield results, rather failed to stop the BJP’s clear sweep. This time TMC has made it clear that every district and block unit must ensure packed houses instead of displaying their personal stature. According to political analysts, Didi finds herself on a sticky ground over the ongoing Sandeshkhali controversy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll campaigns slated during the first week of March, where in all probability he will address a rally in North 24 Parganas district and also meet local women allegedly victims of sexual harassment and violence by TMC’s strongman Sheikh Shajahan.
With India already clinching the ongoing five-test cricket series following a 3:1 victory against England, the cricket enthusiasts are now eagerly awaiting one more edition of the popular IPL (India Premier League). The indefatigable Mahendra Singh Dhoni is expected to lead the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) yet one more time! As the expectation of fans rises to a crescendo, CSK will defend the title this time around with a new sponsor! Well, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is the new official sponsor of CSK. The partnership was unveiled at a special ceremony held in Chennai some time ago. Edition after edition, The India Cements Ltd (ICL) had been an inseparable principal sponsor of CSK for long. The Etihad partnership will come to life across Chennai Super Kings’ events and platforms with Etihad showcased on the back of the Chennai Super Kings’ jersey. That Etihad has replaced The India Cements as the principal sponsor is hard to visualise for many long-time watchers of CSK, which has become an iconic brand. Since Brand CSK commands quite a respect in the marketplace, the CSK management, perhaps, thought it prudent to pitch the principal sponsorship at a premium. It apparently took a lot to convince the management of India Cements, especially its boss N. Srinivasan. It is a win-win for both CSK and The Indian Cements, nevertheless.
Speculations are rife whether Odia superstar and Biju Janata Dal MP Anubhav Mohanty will get the 2024 Lok Sabha ticket? Unlikely, say BJD insiders. The Kendrapara seat which he won in the 2019 election may be given to former Rajnagar Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty who switched over to BJD few days ago. So what went wrong with Anubhav? The marital discord with his ex-wife Varsha Priyadarshini saw him hitting the headlines instead of political work. He was spending more time on fighting the divorce case than nursing his constituency. The court did grant him the divorce finally. But, this discord kept him away from attending party meetings, registering his presence at the government programmes, participating in Durga Puja festival or involved in Panchayat poll campaigns, party insiders say. People close to Anubhav reveal that he has been sidelined in the BJD for quite some time now. It is learnt that BJP’s Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda busy with UP election responsibility is unlikely to contest from Kendrapara. And BJP is yet to announce its list of candidates for Odisha. So given this situation, BJD seems well prepared to defend its traditional “Kendrapara” fort.
Indian toy factories seem to be getting badly affected and many of them are faced with closure because of various issues caused by non-implementation of various rules and guidelines. Members of the Toy Association of India and The All India Toy Manufacturers’ Association feel that both these representative bodies urgently need to present various facts to the government, especially as Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has focused on the toy industry in his own speech stressing the Aatmanirbhar programme. Officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which is tasked with certifying toys among other items, have also been pleading pre-occupation with other work over the past three years. Some foreign manufacturers have invaded the market by flouting BIS norms and rules under various umbrellas provided to protect the Indian industry. Another issue is the huge, continuous supply of imported non-BIS compliant toys – especially from China – because of leakages in the ports, with many customs officers and, later, BIS/ISI inspectors, willing to look the other way for a consideration. Also, the fact that components attract the same customs duty of 50-60% as readymade toys allows importers to misuse this and take advantage of the lower rates of around 20% levied on other products by declaring consignments as other products. This makes it important to define what a ‘component’ is: an organ inside a toy, like mechanical gearboxes, electric motors, coreless motors, PCBs, chips, LED for toys and the like. The duty on these should not be more than 20%, with strict adherence to the law. Unless these and other issues – including the unhealthy challenges from some e-commerce platforms – are addressed at the earliest, the Indian manufacturer will succumb to the uneven competition.
Most of us know about safety instructions video ennui, even as we buckle up our seat belts and wait for take-off. Whether shown as live mime by bored air hostess, or as a video shot with performing robots, take off videos are pushed into the lowest rung of consciousness, except if you are a first time flier. After Tatas took over they are changing many of Air India’s touchpoint profiles — new livery, new aircraft, a whole new attitude to commercial travel’s competitive ethos. McCann Worldwide’s Prasoon Joshi, music icon Shankar Mahadevan and Bharatbala have conjured up a winner in the new safety instruction video which has gone viral. Ingeniously projecting India’s exotic and energetic dances, the safety instructions are embedded and nuanced through eight dance forms set against ancient temple architecture and verdant landscape. India is unique for its art forms…let alone one classical dance, how many countries can boast of such a variety in which the costumes, jewellery and energetic moves make for such an immersive experience? Air India started its first branding image …a child holding up a frame to watch myriad countries to tempt her wanderlust, this new video uses the same frame to view the dances. Incredible India and its facets are packaged in short vignettes…showcasing tourism promo, safety and exotic art all at once. Mile Sur Mera Tumara, Tho Nrithya Bane Hamaara.
When it comes to alliances, it seems, the Congress seems to be getting a raw deal – whether it is from a newbie like AAP or even from an old ally like Samajwadi Party. The Congress with diminishing bargaining power it seems did not have much say on the seats it would contest in states — be it in Gujarat or UP. It was as if everything was left to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal or SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to finalise the seat sharing pact. That is probably why the party did not bother to resist claims of AAP for Bharuch Lok Sabha seat — a constituency once represented by Sonia Gandhi’s close aide and AICC treasurer Ahmed Patel — or Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat once represented by former Union Minister Salman Khurshid. That is why Khurshid, who is a CWC member, did express his disappointment that his Lok Sabha constituency was not part of the Congress-SP alliance. So did the late Patel’s children– Faisal and Mumtaz. They both gave voice to disappointment among Congress workers in Bharuch over the AAP-Congress poll pact. Faisal went a step further to assert that Bharuch which has been with the BJP since 1989 can be won only if the Congress contests from there. Meanwhile, the Congress hopes to wriggle out of this unequal electoral pact thrust on it by AAP only if ED finally catches up with Kejriwal.”If ED arrests Kejriwal, our alliance will end. We are hoping it will happen soon,” admits a Congress leader.
When the national selectors chose Dhruv Jurel in the squad for the first two Tests against England in mid-January, there were plenty who shrugged their shoulders and asked: Jurel who? Such was the surprise element in his selection as a spare stumper to Kona Bharat for the Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. With KL Rahul not in the scheme of things as the primary ‘keeper — which he was in South Africa — the choice fell upon Bharat who had donned the big gloves in the previous four-Test home series against Australia. The concussion-related like-for-like rule fast-tracked Jurel’s entry into the big league of Test cricket, more so after Ishan Kishan was ‘discarded’ from the selection process. For many talent scouts, Jurel held promise in 2020 when he led India in the under -19 World Cup; then Rajasthan Royals made him its main ‘keeper for IPL 2023. The national selector kept an eye on him and plumped for him for the opening two Tests, After the Visakhapatnam Test, Head Coach Rahul Dravid and Captain Rohit Sharma firmed up to look at Jurel as a serious option from the third Test in Rajkot. Bharat’s poor returns with the bat cost him a lot. Thereafter Jurel — son of a Kargil War soldier — has only excelled in front and behind the stumps; his brilliant 90 and 39 ensured India victory in the Ranchi Test and thereby the series 3-1. He’s been top-class with the big gloves too. So far, so good… Jurel!
Multi-talented Saleel Tambe seems to be on a roll. This tabla maestro, wildlife photographer, IT professional must be feeling elated to see his posters all over Croydon in England for a project conceptualised by London Mozart Players as the Face Of Croydon. Saleel’s portrait was created by specialist photographer Kaupo Kikkas from Estonia who was specially commissioned for this piece of work. For the London-based Tambe who works with Deloitte as senior manager, the year 2024 began on a positive note. He won the First Prize, out of 40,000 entries, in the prestigious International Wildlife annual photo contests conducted by the National Wildlife Federation, USA. Saleel’s two images were awarded in the World Monochrome Photography Contest. Besides photography, he will be on a concert tour over the next 3-4 months travelling across Scandinavia with a Flautist in May, then with a Santoor player for the SAJDA Festival and a series of concerts in Spain with a Sitar player. On his recent visit to India, he did a full house presentation on wildlife to the Army Officers in MCTE, Mhow (Indore) in Madhya Pradesh.
The 24th of February was an unusual day. It was Masi Magam (as per Tamil calendar), the auspicious Magam star of the Masi month — an unusual combination of date of birth and star birthday falling on the same day of the late J Jayalalithaa (Amma). So, VK Sasikala, (Chinnamma), a close confidante of Jayalalithaa hosted the mother of all lunches at her mint new house, Jayalalithaa Illam in Poes Garden, Chennai. Sasikala had formally celebrated the Gruhapravesam, a month back. She planned this grand event on Masi Magam to honour and relive the memory of her patron and friend. Sasikala’s house is bigger than Jayalalithaa’s bungalow and the lunch spread was sumptuous. Cars were milling around as numerous former AIADMK members and Sasikala faithful’s elbowed for vantage and advantage. Just across the narrow stretch, JJ’ niece Deepa hosted a memorial lunch too at Veda Nilayam, the landmark residence of Jayalalithaa, one of the most powerful women politicians of this country. But one visitor to Sasikala’s house who caught everybody’s attention was the superstar Rajini clad in a dhoti and white shirt with a housewarming gift in hand. As he came out of Sasikala’s house, surmises, presumptions and speculations were buzzing around. To the waiting media Rajini said “This house is like a temple. I pray to God and wish the lady much fame, name and happiness here “. When a journalist asked, “Who will fill the vacuum left by Jayalalithaa”? The superstar quipped “No politics please”, and walked away with super energy.
Nothing spooked AIADMK more than a recent weekly magazine survey which showed that the BJP had stolen the salience over other Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu and was headed to a larger vote share than the grand old party of MGR-Jaya. Insiders were busy arguing over what was going wrong in the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led party. Naturally, the blame was shifted to the leader for his inability to form an alliance that alone guarantees some success in vote share in the complicated Dravidian politics. There is no doubt that the national BJP, taking baby steps in TN with a reshuffle that found a leader in K Annamalai who has become a well-recognised face in the state, moved up in the party’s reckoning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contribution by way of referring often to the state’s Tamil literary luminaries also sizeable. The Lok Sabha polls will throw light on how far the party has come in difficult terrain, but there is no doubt that the Ram temple opening has moved a lot of people of faith into the party’s corner. Meanwhile the AIADMK, struggling to find allies, was picking on the PMK and DMDK not having decided yet on where they will go to offer them a number of seats closer to their expectations. All may not be lost yet for the AIADMK front, but the writing is on the wall that the BJP may be stealing a march in Dravidian turf.
Will Rahul Gandhi contest again from Wayanad (Kerala) Lok Sabha, a seat that he had secured by a comfortable margin in 2019? Or will he again look for a safe seat in Karnataka, Telangana or UP? What triggered the buzz was that the CPI announced it was fielding Annie Raja, the wife of the party’s general secretary D Raja, from Wayanad. It was felt it will not “look good” for the I.N.D.I.A front that one of the prominent leader’s wife will be contesting against Rahul Gandhi. Congress leaders from Kerala, however, made it clear that securing the seat wasn’t going to be an issue. “If Rahulji decides to contest from the seat, he will secure it. He is currently abroad (away to the UK for a lecture) and he has to decide. As for who is LDF fielding against Rahulji is not our concern,” said a top AICC functionary. Party sources also made it clear that his second seat, if any, would not be from the South. It could only be from UP now that an alliance with the Samajwadi Party has been stitched. Meanwhile, CPI’s D Raja also made it clear that the Wayanad contest should be purely seen as a UDF versus LDF battle, and not as a clash between Rahul Gandhi and his wife. Congress sources also pointed out that the issue of IUML’s claims over the Wayanad seat — a constituency with Muslim majority voters — had been settled.
Maratha reservation agitation’s icon Manoj Jarange Patil has abandoned his audacious plan to lead a march to the Mumbai residence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to press his demand. Already roasted by his former associates, chief minister Eknath Shinde’s stern warning to Jarange and his followers that they will face stringent action if they took law in their hand is believed to have resulted in his withdrawal of the march. Even Opposition parties, too, have indirectly expressed unhappiness over Jarange’s impossible demands, like asking the government to take and announce a decision within the next few hours. Now, his associate for 18 years, Baburao Walekar has charged that Jarange is hungry for publicity and had instigated his followers in the past to indulge in violence though keeping himself away from such acts. Walekar is the third leader to come out in the open against Jarange. The first was Abhay Baraskar, who is a noted Keertan exponent. He was followed by Sangeeta Wankhede, who became Jarange’s follower after he launched his agitation. She has alleged that Jarange was taking erratic decisions at the behest of a top NCP giant. Interestingly, Fadnavis had stated a day earlier that Jarange’s script resembled the statements of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. On Monday (Feb 26), Jarange has announced the end of his indefinite fast. The battle over Maratha reservations is expected to enter the precincts of judiciary soon.
The AAP and the Congress are set to jointly contest from Delhi, Haryana, Goa, Chandigarh and Gujarat. As per the pact, AAP will contest four of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, two of the 26 seats in Gujarat, and one of the 10 seats in Haryana, while the Congress will contest the rest of the seats in these states. In Gujarat, the AAP will contest two – Bharuch and Bhavnagar – and in Haryana, it will contest the Kurukshetra seat. Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s children — Faisal and Mumtaz — have opposed giving away their home turf Bharuch to AAP. Incidentally the Congress tie-up with AAP comes full circle nearly a decade after the party first came to power in Delhi riding an anti-Congress wave in 2013. Kejriwal with 28 MLAs was propped by the Congress with its 8 MLAs. It is clear that Kejriwal, who had tasted a tough fight during MCD polls to take control of the Delhi civic body in December 2022 is not keen for a repeat in May 2024. He had boasted about limiting BJP to 20 seats in the 250 member MCD. The BJP went on to notch a cool 104. “It is clear both the Opposition parties are too scared to face the Modi juggernaut alone,” said a BJP poll strategist. It also shows that by joining hands with the Congress, Kejriwal has shelved his PM ambitions for now. It is not Kejriwal alone who has seen his limitations. Congress stalwart in Haryana Bhupinder Hooda also knows there is no way he can beat the BJP bulwark in Lok Sabha. By pitting AAP in Kurukshetra — a seat held by state BJP chief — Hooda has tossed an unwinnable seat in AAP’s lap and got an alibi for poor show in 2024.
NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s decision to unveil the new symbol, Tutari (Tura), allotted to his faction at the historical Fort Raigad has been facing derision from different quarters. Raigad was the place Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had selected for his capital in 1674. Pawar’s one-time confidant Chhagan Bhujbal has reminded his former mentor in an oblique quip that the NCP was formed in 1999 and had lost a substantial chunk of votes since its symbol, wall clock, was unfamiliar for voters. Water resources minister Girish Mahajan said neither will the Tutari make any noise nor will Uddhav Thackeray’s symbol, Mashal, be alight. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, however, disclosed that this was the first time Pawar had shown any regard for Chhatrapati Shivaji. Though Pawar always praised social reformers like Mahatma Jotiba Phule, Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur or Dr BR Ambedkar in his speeches, the Maratha strongman seldom paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji, Raj remarked. He recalled Pawar telling him on an earlier occasion that he (Pawar) would lose Muslim votes if there was any mention of Chhatrapati Shivaji by him. On his part, Pawar has clarified that the symbol was allotted by the Election Commission and that he had not asked for this particular image of a man sounding a trumpet, called Tutari in Marathi. This is the fifth election symbol Pawar’s party would be using during his long political career.
Who is behind the farmers’ agitation near Delhi? The two Punjab-Haryana border points – Khanauri and Shambhu – have been the epicentre of the clashes as police personnel fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the farmers trying to march to Delhi. Farmers have rejected a government offer on MSP for five crops and crop diversifications to save the water table. The basic aim of the protesting farmers is not to secure a MSP for all the 23 crops that they produce– they want a law guaranteeing MSP. Such a law farmers argue will ensure that market prices will not go below the MSP. It is also possible that it could force the government to buy farm produce that is not picked up by the market. The thrust of the protests organised by AAP and the Congress is to take the sheen out of PM Modi’s popularity and continue the protest till the April-May Lok Sabha elections. The game is to pull Modi down politically. In this game, while AAP in Punjab is trying to project itself as “friend of the farmers”, with its chief minister Bhagwant Mann playing mediator in the Centre-farmer talks, the Congress, which rejected Swaminathan Committee report in 2006, has also lent support to the farmers’ demands. Punjab urgently needs sustainable agricultural practices. But AAP and Congress are intent on backing the agitation to downsize Modi.
It was an abuse that shocked everyone in UP and Delhi. Rahul Gandhi who hollered away in Amethi about drunkenness and dancing in Varanasi and had also stretched his aversion for Hindu rituals by deriding those chanting Jai Shri Ram. That too at a time when Ram Mandir at Ayodhya has been drawing huge crowds – upwards of 50 lakh devotees within a month’s since its inauguration. So it was expected that the Gandhi scion would be appropriately trashed. And that’s what happened. PM Modi, who reached Varanasi on a two-day visit, panned Rahul for hurling a pejorative ”nashedi “at Varanasi youth — young men of his Lok Sabha constituency from where he plans to contest for a third term. So it was a protective Modi who came to the fore. “They spent the decade abusing Modi. But now they are taking out their frustration on the people. “Jinke aapne hosh thhikane nahi hai, wo UP ke, mere kashi ke bachcho ko nashedi keh rahe hai,” he said. Strongly condemning Rahul Gandhi’s comment, Modi said “A person who belongs to a dynasty is always threatened by the common youth force. And now they have another reason to not like Uttar Pradesh after Ram Mandir’s inauguration. They do not like the new face of Kashi and Ayodhya. I did not know Congress had so much hatred towards Lord Ram. They can’t see or think beyond their family and vote bank”. He also made it clear that the SP-Congress alliance would make no impact. It is an alliance where they come together before every election and then abuse each other after they get ‘nil battey sannata’.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has shut all doors for the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. In a TV channel interview, Fadnavis freely expressed his hurt over the way he was treated by Uddhav after the 2019 assembly election in the state. Fadnavis said political differences can be ironed out. But it will not be possible for the BJP rank and file to overlook the insults hurled by Uddhav at Prime Minister Narendra Modi day in and day out. Recalling his friendly relations with Uddhav for 25 years, Fadnavis said that the Sena leader even refused to take his telephone calls after the assembly election results. It is extremely hurtful to be stabbed in the back by someone you had close ties with, the DCM said. He also attacked NCP founder Sharad Pawar for going back on his pact to form a government with the BJP. Fadnavis made it clear that the people flocking to the BJP were coming by accepting its ideology. “We had just two MPs in 1984. Now we are in power. But throughout, we have never compromised with our basic principles,” he maintained. His statements have indicated that more incomings into the BJP are still possible. One such name being discussed is that of Eknath Khadse, a pillar of the Maharashtra BJP once upon a time. The Congress, too, is worried by the possible exodus. The state BJP leadership will soon administer some more political shocks, it is felt.
After striking a deal with the Samajwadi Party and AAP over seat sharing for the state of Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi, Congress High Command is once again in talks with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on seat-sharing. Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh has said that the party is hopeful that I.N.D.I.A Bloc will fight the BJP unitedly. Sources said that a new proposal has been formulated for seat sharing with TMC. Insiders of Congress say that Congress is seeking 6 out of 42 seats in Bengal including its own seats of Baharampur and Maldah Dakshin. In exchange for this Congress is willing to offer TMC seats in other states. Apparently, discussions are on with TMC over the seats of Maldah Uttar, Raiganj and Darjeeling constituencies, plus one more. In lieu of this it will leave two seats for TMC in Assam and one in Meghalaya. Although there’s no confirmation from the TMC, sources said that Didi has softened her previous stance where she was categorical that her party would go alone in Bengal since the Congress is in talks with the Left. Congress insiders further said that it will ask NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to convince Didi on the same. Meanwhile, political observers viewed that this might make Mamata rethink since seat sharing in other states with Congress might help TMC gain the national party recognition.
In an attempt to go all out on the target of gaining 35 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit West Bengal to kick off the 2024 Lok Sabha Election campaign. He will be addressing a rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district on March 1. Arambagh is BJP’s stronghold but it lost the seat in 2019 to TMC’s Aparupa Poddar. Notable, the Hooghly seat is held by BJP MP Locket Chatterjee. Followed by Arambagh, the PM is likely to hold a rally in Krishnanagar on March 2 which was helmed by TMC MP Mahua Moitra before being expelled from Parliament over ‘cash-for-query’ case. While BJP has been accused of vendetta politics in the removal of Moitra from Parliament, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has already announced her re-nomination for this seat. Modi’s last meeting in this first leg of campaigning is likely to be held at Barasat, on one of TMC’s strongest turf in South Bengal on March 6. Significantly, Didi has begun a series of district-to-district tours announcing a slew of projects. Meanwhile, BJP insiders said that the meeting at Kachhari Maidan in Barasat on March 6, Modi is likely to meet the ‘victims’ of Sandeshkhali. They are likely to be brought from Sandeshkhali under the leadership of BJP state president Sukanta Majumder. Political observers said that since the state BJP has not succeeded in countering Didi, bringing Modi from the beginning of the poll campaign is nothing but a clear attempt of challenging the ruling party ahead of the polls.
India took the field for the fourth Test against England in Ranchi without its best bowler in the series, Jasprit Bumrah. The BCCI explained that Bumrah has been rested taking into account the “duration of the series” and the workload he has taken in recent times. It takes some guts to keep a player, nay a match-winner in many ways in the previous two Tests in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot, out of a winning combination. England would not be disappointed with the decision taken by the Indian team, selectors and the BCCI. With India leading 2-1 in the five-Test series the “rest Bumrah” call has not gone down well with former India left-arm seamer Karsan Ghavri. “When you are getting a chance to play for India, keep playing. The series is in a vital stage and to rest a key player in the middle of a series is not a wise call” said Ghavri who has taken 100 plus Test wickets. Beset with injuries to key players, India has been handicapped to field a full-strength team in the last three years. The national team’s head coach Rahul Dravid pointed out this aspect after winning the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Ghavri added: “Bumrah could have taken a break after the fate of the series is decided, as much as he wants.” India may win the fourth Test in Ranchi and thereby the series, but England thinks it can win the series 3-2. So was it the right call to rest Bumrah for the Ranchi Test?
It is happening…ancient Indian ethos and its myriad mythologies are mined for breathtaking cinema, to combine scale, complex story plots, heroism, venality and religious fervour into spectacular cinematic art. Most would agree that after Lord Rama, Karna is the most recalled warrior hero. Bollywood director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has zeroed in on this epic character, Karna and plans to create a pan India screen extravaganza at a cost of 500 crore. Popular Tamil hero Suriya has been signed for the same. Suriya is now striding the pan India scene with his about to release Kanguva, another period drama. Sudha Kongara of the Surarai Pottru fame is directing Suriya in Purananuru.. Suriya’s leading lady in Karna is late Sridevi’s daughter Janhavi Kapoor, a choice that is bound to add value to this Kapoor who is yet to snag that super hit status her mother repeated in many films. Karna is a character with a gold mine potential to explore his many facets …a first born whose mother Kunti does not acknowledge him, his five Pandava brothers who are unaware of Karna’s blood bond, and a warrior who stands by Duryodhan for all the wrong life decisions, and how Lord Krishna cajoles him to part with his life guarding Kavach appealing to Karna’s legendary largesse. Even the most cynical audience is bound to be moved by his charisma. A hero like Karna and a talent like Suriya’s ….waiting to happen.
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The entry of one ex-chief minister Ashok Chavan into the BJP fold seems to have landed another ex-CM, Narayan Rane on a sticky wicket. It has upset Rane’s plan to take the easier option of taking the Rajya Sabha route to Parliament. Instead, he is now forced to contest for Lok Sabha elections from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency, from where his elder son Nilesh Rane lost twice in a row in 2014 and 2019 to Uddhav Sena’s Vinayak Raut. Raut has now developed a strong local base and presents a formidable challenge here. The Rane’s continue to share bitter relations with the Uddhav’s Sena. Elder son, Nilesh Rane recently, issued threats to Uddhav’s legislator Bhaskar Jadhav from the dais of a public rally following a riotous situation between warring party workers with stone pelting leading and police lathi-charging and tear gases being used. Also, the Uddhav Sena faction has not forgiven Rane for his rebellion in 2005 and is gunning to defeat him. Rane, who is a party hopper, having moved on from the Shiv Sena to the Congress before joining the BJP with his two sons, is facing competition for his ticket from his own alliance partners. His constituency is being eyed by Eknath Shinde supporter, industries minister Uday Samant for his brother Kiran Samant, who has already started campaigning there. The Konkan belt had always been a Shiv Sena stronghold which the BJP is keen to get Rane to spearhead its party into the region.
Action hero Vidyut Jammwal who has completed 13 years in the film industry with 24 films to his credit has turned a producer with his latest film Crakk. The 43-year old model turned actor, a rank outsider, has a loyal band of followers due to his own dedication and martial art skills. He is a keen practitioner of Kalaripayattu, a form of martial arts popular in Kerala. Vidyut made his debut with John Abraham in Force in 2011. The turning point of his life was Vipul Shah casting him in the successful franchisee Commando. One of the fittest actors Vidyut built his loyalty like south actors. As a trade expert said, “His films are a safe bet as he has a loyal audience that watches his films both in cinemas and TV. His IB 71 was a well appreciated film. His film Crakk with co-star Arjun Rampal is on the lines of Mission Impossible. The day is not far away where we will see Vidyut taking the crown of the best action hero of Bollywood.” Girish Wankhede, Movie Trade Analyst says, “With movies like Commando he carved a niche for himself as an action star and created his own fan following. I personally believe that he has got a great potential as a star but to achieve Stardom he needs to work on his diction and hone his acting skills further.” The actor who hasn’t worked in any multi-starrers turned producer to focus on the action genre. Vidyut who has managed to keep himself out of controversy was engaged to fashion designer Nandita Mahtani but things didn’t work out.
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The healthcare and IT employers in the UK and EU are facing critical staff shortages and to address their problems, the UK-based TERN Group, a recruitment platform provides a full-stack solution for sourcing, upskilling, and placing top-tier medical and IT talent from India. Founding members Avinav Nigam and Dr. Anjali Nigam have chalked out plans to tap this huge UK market by hiring doctors from India. In this journey, they have tied up with BAPIO Training Academy, a prominent educational UK headquartered academy with innovative learning modules. TERN and BTA Partnership plans to bring 1,000 senior Indian doctors to the UK by the end of 2025. As part of this partnership, the BTA will offer an exclusive fast-track training programme for Consultant and Registrar level doctors to meet UK requirements and be eligible to work in the UK. TERN’s partnership with BTA and the Indian government’s National Skills Development Council will allow the National Health Services, UK to access thousands of fully trained doctors from India that the UK so desperately needs. Dr Prof Parag Singhal, Chief Executive at the BTA stated that the partnership aims to promote healthcare excellence, foster collaborations, and implement initiatives across both nations. This alliance will open big opportunities for Indian healthcare providers but ironically, even India faces acute shortages of doctors, nurses, and health workers.
BJP’s 2019 ‘Political Decade Policy’ empowering cadre, gen-next portends ill for more famous leaders two tenures old and over 75 years old. Brahmin Medha Kulkarni, RSS ‘Karsevak’ Ajit Gopchade secured Rajya Sabha nominations since Kulkarni relinquished her Pune assembly seat for Chandrakant Patil in 2019, while Gopchade’s prominence rose after 1992 Babri mosque demolition. BJP spokesperson Atul Shah says, “Mega party BJP always emphasises generation next and is always widening our political horizon. While Maratha leader (newbie) Ashok Chavan secured Rajya Sabha, two BJP workers got nominations too.” Maharashtra BJP Executive Committee member Mahendra Jain notes, “Kulkarni sacrificed her Pune constituency so, her RS nomination satiates Pune’s Brahmin community. Clear political message is that famous leaders may not take their Lok Sabha candidatures for granted.” BJP’s policy saw Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar moved to Madhya Pradesh assembly as speaker earlier. Union minister Parshottam Rupala may not get Lok Sabha seat to set right Gujarat caste dynamics, unreasonable pressure from Patels. Rajnath Singh (73) may still secure candidature, Shivrajsingh Chauhan asked to prove election mettle after being sidelined for MP CM ship just like Vasundhara Raje. Narayan Rane is unlikely over health issues although his son may be fielded. Similarly, Chandrakant Dada Patil and Pankaja Munde may lose out. “No decision till now on holding simultaneous polls for Maha assemblies with general polls but, PM Modi who keeps plans close to chest, may still spring a surprise.” BJP will contest 28/30 Maharashtra parliamentary seats itself while also fielding candidates from Eknath Shinde’s party (like Milind Deora got Rajya Sabha). Shinde won’t seek many parliamentary seats, lacking worthy winning candidates,” the source added. Will Vinod Tawde be BJP’s Konkan face in ensuing polls?
After a political split in the family of veteran leader Sharad Pawar, there is repayment in the same coin as NCP splinter group leader Sunil Tatkare’s elder brother Anil has declared his allegiance to Pawar. The announcement of Anil’s decision is considered a part of Pawar’s strategy to defeat his one-time confidant Sunil in the coming Lok Sabha election from Raigad. It is the first development of this kind since so far, the incoming was towards either the BJP or the Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde. The Pawar clan is already feeling elated since one of the nephews of Ajit Pawar has decided to work for the grandfather. The political greenhorn, Yugendra, was abroad for several years. His entry in the fight for Baramati Lok Sabha constituency will intensify the family dissensions, it is felt, as Ajit’s wife Sunetra is likely to be the candidate from his party. Similarly, Anil’s decision to work for elder Pawar is designed to breach Sunil’s vote bank, which the family has built up over the years. Once a fiefdom of the Congress party, Raigad district was ruled by Peasants & Workers Party (PWP) for a while. After Sharad Pawar formed the NCP in 1999, Sunil Tatkare had become the face of the party in Konkan region. Pawar is determined to wrest the LS seat back by roping in Anil against Sunil, who enjoys immense public support.
Cement is not just what we all perceive. For a long time, it has been viewed as a commodity. This perception has changed. In the world of intense competition, cement has now become a crucial component of building solutions. So much so, branding has become an inevitable part of cement marketing. After consolidation of cement capacity, top players are shifting focus to position their brands strongly by roping in celebrities and sports stars. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is the brand ambassador for industry leader, Ultratech. Not to be outdone, Damia Cement signed up another Bollywood star, Ranveer Singh, as its brand ambassador. A few years ago, JSW Cement brought on board former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and captain of India’s national football team Sunil Chhetri as its brand ambassadors. The India Cements, headed by industry veteran N Srinivasan, launched conkrete super king (CSK) as a game-changing cement. It was endorsed and powered by CSK’s iconic captain M S Dhoni’s Power of 7. Dhoni cement, as is called by dealers and influencers, CSK cement has become a hit in the last one year. With the construction activity at its peak on the eve of Lok Sabha elections, there is bound to be intense competition among top cement players to garner more volume and market share . Not just the power of the brands but also the ability of the ambassadors to pull business will be under test now.
Even as farmers in Punjab and elsewhere are flexing their muscles to force the government to fulfil their various demands, their counterparts in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are seeing a tenfold increase in their mean annual income per acre, thanks to the interventions of a Parli, Marathwada-based NGO working in agricultural development. An independent impact assessment study by the Centre for Excellence in CSR of the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has found that 1248 surveyed farmers’ average income had jumped from Rs 38,723 to Rs3,93,986 because of the initiatives of the Global Vikas Trust (GVT). The comprehensive report has been prepared by TISS based on a meticulous survey of these farmers, who represent 15% of a total of 8299 farmers in eight clusters within GVT’s operational domains in the two states. The focal point of the analysis was to assess the tangible effects of the NGO’s work among the farmers. Nearly two in every three of these farmers — 63.9% — had incomes below Rs 25,000, far lower than the average. Covering the project locations of Palghar, Nanded, Beed, Solapur, Osmanabad (Dharashiv) and Jalgaon in Maharashtra and Burhanpur and Dhar/Barwani in Madhya Pradesh, the study was conducted with the specific objective of evaluating the impact of agriculture development initiatives on the rural communities, analysing the stakeholders’ engagement with communities in the areas, and suggesting measures for the effective implementation of GVT’s activities in the focus areas. As the GVT tagline says: “India can wait no more!”
Decision of the Siddaramaiah Government in Karnataka to disburse Rs 15 lakhs in “compensation” to a deceased individual from Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad constituency in Kerala, attributing his death to elephant trampling, claiming that the wild animal belonged to Karnataka has raised political storm of sorts in the southern state. Opposition BJP has questioned how could the state government divert funds “amidst severe drought and distress in Karnataka with over 600 farmers ending their own lives”. It wanted to know how the Congress government, facing severe fiscal deficits and resource shortages for vital development, was diverting “taxpayer’s money” to appease Rahul Gandhi. All the tell-tale signs to this controversy was contained in Karnataka’s Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s letter to Rahul Gandhi where he acknowledged that as per Rahul Gandhi’s advice to AICC leader KC Venugopal and the phone conversation he had with the Kerala leader, his government had announced compensation to the person killed by the tusker Makna. Khandre admits that Makna was captured near Belur, radio collared and released into Bandipora Tiger reserve in November 2023. “Two months later he was sighted in Wayanad area of Kerala and attacked Mr Ajeesh, leading to his death, which is an unfortunate incident.” Khandre also put on record how his state had the highest number of elephants — 6395 — in the country and declining forest cover was posing threat to the tuskers in the region.
Skipper Rohit Sharma held back his assessment of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s spectacular display with the bat in the third Test against England at Rajkot. “I won’t say anything on Jaiswal. Everyone is talking about him. Let him play. He is playing well, it’s good for us and he is in good form. I am not going to say much more than that. Itna bas hai abhi ke liye (this should be enough for now). Seven Test matches is only a small sample to pass judgment on a player, but Jaiswal has played seven Test matches without a break and has already won admirers from the cricket world. The Mumbai left-hander Jaiswal began with a century on debut against the West Indies in last July, was put through the wringer in South Africa by its fast bowlers and in the home series, he has taken apart the English bowling. It’s not the question of hitting the World’s greatest swing and seam bowler Jimmy Anderson for three sixes in an over and much more, it’s the manner of his batting that has seen him take the centre stage. A natural striker of the ball, Jaiswal has flayed England’s top pacers Anderson and Mark Wood and the inexperienced spinners. A double century each in the Visakhapatnam Test and another one in Rajkot has earned him kudos, but the skipper who has seen Jaiswal score 171, 209 and 214, chose to be guarded.
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Coming to power after a 10-year hiatus has taught the DMK about unique, multiple dimensions of appealing to the electorate. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has imprinted his distinctive stamp on the DMK’s playbook. So before finalising the party’s election manifesto, teams led by party leaders have undertaken surveys to find out what people want in the DMK manifesto. Party supremo MK Stalin is dinning into his party generals, “Fixing your targets firmly is the first step to victory”. Kanimozhi’s team has already completed the survey. What is overtly and covertly evident is the master stroke of involving her…leaving no room for doubt …backroom gripe is ruled out. Her team has surveyed 20 districts, 10,000 direct responders, received 4000 responses, apart from harvesting suggestions and demands from 18,000 phone calls and social media responses. February 25 is the deadline for such suggestions to reach the DMK citadel, Arivalayam. The dovetailing of the TN budget presented by Thangam Thennarasu is an amazing alchemy of populist schemes poured into a shiny chalice of Tamil rhetoric …it covers education, healthcare, roads improvement…in fact it showcases the Ram Rajya golden orb in a Dravidian gift wrap. And Stalin’s Assembly motivation speech left its imprint. “A budget in Tamil is Nidhi arikkai…but we have made it a Needhi Arikkai. Social justice to all, with speed in implementation. TN is second in GDP with a growth rate of 8.19%.” The bugle has sounded …it’s left for the cadres and leaders to drum up a resounding victory.
Indian arthouse filmmaker Anurag Kashyap criticised present-day Bengali cinema content citing that remakes of South Indian movies led to this downfall. In a one-on-one conversation with Kashyap during the inauguration of maiden French Film Festival in Kolkata and screening of his movie Kennedy, he was categorical in stating that Bengali content doesn’t attract him anymore. His last watched Bengali movie remains cerebral filmmaker Mrinal Sen’s Padatik. According to him, deterioration in Bollywood is not as evident as in Bengali cinema since it used to be class apart because of the maestros like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwick Ghatak. Kashyap mentioned that he could only recollect quality work from Bengali filmmaker Srijit Mukherji’s Autograph and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Antaheen which was essayed by actor Radhika Apte and Rahul Bose. Talking about the ongoing controversy of director Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s film Animal, Kashyap mentioned misogynistic themes, and glorification of toxic masculinity had always been there in Bollywood — but viewers were less aware. Commenting on being targeted by a section of film as well as the political sphere for his provocative works, Kashyap said that everyone in today’s world is provoking in some way or other including the media. Citing the example of Ray who was targeted as selling poverty like porn in his films, he added that it does not affect him anymore.
The vexed reservation of the Maratha community, which the Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde was hoping to capitalise on, doesn’t seem to have gone well. Not only did it fail to halt the fast by Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil, it further upset him and he stated that the community had felt let down by the CM. “It clearly shows that the government doesn’t care much for the demands of the Maratha community,” he rued before announcing further intensification of his hunger strike and refusing treatment. The reservation issue has already been creating much unrest in the Marathwada region with bandhs and protests being part of the agitations playing out there. Analysts view the Maratha reservation issue as a box of false promises brought out before every election to woo the 28% Maratha electorate that is spread across all political parties. This was the third attempt by the Maharashtra government to promise reservations for the Maratha community, with earlier attempts being made by the Devendra Fadnavis government in 2018 and the Prithviraj Chauhan government in 2014. Each time the decisions were stuck down by the courts. Even Shinde is aware of this challenge and kept emphasising that this time, it should stand legal scrutiny, backed up as it was with data from an empirical survey from 1,58,20,264 households using computer assisted personal interviews. Even Jarange Patil is not convinced if it will stand in courts, and this fear could actually boomerang in the Lok Sabha polls.
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Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
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If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.