Sasikala’s proxy, Palaniswami, may be sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM today

February 16, 2017

Chennai, Feb 16: After a long period of political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu, it now seems that Governor Vidyasagar Rao may swear in the new Chief Minister of the state on Thursday. Reports say that E Palanisamy, who was nominated by disproportionate assets-convict AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala Natarajan, will take oath as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Thursday.

E-Palanisamy

Palanisamy met Governor Rao late on Wednesday evening and claimed the support of 124 AIADMK MLAs. This came after the Governor asked him to get the signatures of more than 118 MLAs from the AIADMK to form the government in the state. He has now been asked to verify the signatures.

Soon after Palanisamy, members from the O Panneerselvam camp also arrived to meet the Governor. Panneerselvam has been claiming that he has very little support right now as many of his supporters had been kept captive in the Golden Bay Resort by Sasikala.

Meanwhile, Sasikala Natarajan spent her first night in the Parappana Agrahara jail on Wednesday. Report say she slept on the floor in a cell with two other inmates. Sasikala has been given a normal cell and is getting no VIP treatment in the jail.

Sasikala surrendered before the Bengaluru court on Wednesday after the Supreme Court refused to give her any relief. The court ordered her to surrender and go to Bengaluru jail immediately.

“You know the meaning of the word immediately,” Supreme Court judge asked Sasikala’s team. “We do not intend to pass any order on this. We are not going to change anything in the judgement,” the Supreme Court said.

This came after Sasikala sought more time to surrender citing health reasons. Reports say that Sasikala’s lawyer had requested the Bengaluru court not to issue an arrest warrant against the leader while confirming that the AIADMK General Secretary will surrender by Wednesday evening.

Sasikala was convicted on Tuesday by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case and was ordered to surrender immediately to serve a four year jail term. The order, however, resulted in the cancellation of her bid to be the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Before leaving for Bengaluru on Wednesday morning, Sasikala visited the memorials of late J Jayalalithaa and MGR. On Tuesday, Sasikala had expelled acting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and four other ‘rebel’ MLAs from the AIADMK after appointing loyalist Edappadi Palanisamy as the new Legislature Party Leader of AIADMK.

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March 16,2024

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Budget carrier Air India Express has launched a new fare family, offering travelers the option to save on flight tickets by traveling light, with an increased baggage allowance of up to 40kg or no check-in luggage at all.

The new fare categories, applicable to flights to and from the UAE and other international destinations, are:

•    Xpress Lite
•    Xpress Value
•    Xpress Flex
•    Xpress Biz

Xpress Lite offers cabin baggage-only fares, making it the most economical option for passengers traveling with the airline.

Xpress Value fare includes 15 kg check-in bag fares, while Xpress Flex offers unlimited changes with no change fees. Xpress Biz features business class seats, complimentary meals, and priority services.

A subsidiary of Air India and a part of Tata Group, the airline introduced Xpress Lite on February 20 for UAE passengers who prefer traveling without check-in baggage.

Xpress Biz fares are accessible on all the new Air India Express Boeing 737-8 aircraft. Travelers can benefit from increased baggage allowances of 25kg for domestic flights and 40kg for international flights when booking Xpress Biz fares. This fare offers priority check-in, baggage, and boarding services.

Air India Express is already operating aircraft with Biz seats across 70-plus routes in India.

In a previous interview with a news channel Aloke Singh, managing director of Air India Express, stated that the carrier was looking to increase capacity to the Gulf region, including the UAE, as well as to provide better connectivity to Gulf travelers.
 

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March 22,2024

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday produced Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal before the Rouse Avenue court and sought a 10-day custody in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. "Kejriwal was the kingpin of the scam," the ED reportedly told the court after the AAP chief was produced before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja around 2 pm amid tight security. 

ASG S V Raju was appearing for the agency, while Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Kejriwal. 

Raju in his argument said Kejriwal was "directly involved in formulation of the (liquor) policy... he was involved in handling of proceeds of crime as well in the Goa election campaign."

"The expert committee was constituted but it was a sham committee. The policy was made in such a manner that it would enable the taking of bribes and recoupment of people who gave the bribes," the ED counsel said. 

Kejriwal was produced in the trial court shortly after he withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal's counsel said he would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and then come back to the apex court with another petition.

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March 15,2024

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Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi would formally kickstart the BJP's Lok Sabha election campaign in Karnataka on Saturday from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's home turf— Kalaburagi.

He is scheduled to address a mega public meeting at the district headquarters town's N V Ground at 2 pm.

Kharge, who had represented Kalaburagi (Gulbarga Lok Sabha segment) twice in the past, lost to BJP's Umesh Jadhav by a margin of 95,452 votes in the 2019 general elections here— the octogenarian leader's first electoral loss in his political life spanning several decades.

BJP has once again fielded Jadhav from the segment.

Speculations are rife that the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, who has the role of managing the party nationally and coordinating with the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, may not contest the coming polls and, instead, the Congress is likely to field his son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani, a businessman, who also manages educational institutions.

On March 18, Modi will be in Shivamogga, the home district of veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, and is scheduled to address a huge public meeting at 2 pm.

Yediyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is the sitting MP from Shivamogga and has been re-nominated by the party. Yediyurappa's other son B Y Vijayendra, who represents Shikaripura assembly constituency in the district, is the state BJP President.

BJP has announced candidates for 20 seats in the State, which has a total of 28 constituencies.

After being ousted from power by the Congress in the 2023 Assembly polls, the BJP now is making a strong bid to regain the lost ground in Karnataka.

The BJP won 25 out of total 28 seats in the previous elections, and had ensured the win of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya. The then ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance had come a cropper winning just one seat each.

It is a role reversal of sorts for JD(S), which joined the NDA last September and has forged an electoral alliance with the BJP. The regional party is expected to contest in three seats— Mandya, Hassan and Kolar.

Sharing details of Modi's visit, state BJP General Secretary Sunil Kumar on Wednesday said BJP National President J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath along with other leaders will visit different Lok Sabha constituencies for campaigning in the coming days.

Speaking about the party's poll preparations, he said: "We have divided 28 Lok Sabha constituencies into eight clusters for Lok Sabha elections. Keeping in view the local political and geographical background, programmes and strategies are being worked out in those eight clusters."

Several senior leaders including Shah and Nadda have already visited one of these clusters, Kumar said, adding, "Workers' convention, well-wishers' contacts have been made and election preparations are on in all these eight clusters. In the second phase, large public meetings will be held."

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