<!--QuoteBegin-Viren+May 12 2006, 03:31 AM-->QUOTE(Viren @ May 12 2006, 03:31 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Arresting Seer, encouraging missionary failed to help Jaya. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Why Jayalalithaa lost
In this long list, the Seer arrest is missing? Anyone from TN who can comment on this?
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Added to this was the fact that all the accused in the 1998 Coimbatore blasts -- including many innocent people -- are still in prison. The minority community thinks they will get speedier justice under the DMK.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Speedier <b>justice</b> ??? They mean speedier release of the culprits?
I heard that DMDK of Vijay Kant became the third largest party in TN with 8% votes. Can somebody from TN post the details including, list of regions which supported DMDK largely and demography of those regions. After talking to couple of my friends, the impression I gathered is that many Hindus who are not influenced by dravidian politics are in favour Vijay Kant, especially youngsters. Religion is not the reason for this though. Can somebody shed more light on this?
Another thing about Kerala election is that many big leaders of IUML were lost to communists or INL (Indian National League - a break away faction of IUML) aligned with communists. However, it must be noted that communists had open support of NDF (the militant islamic party) and Jamat-e-islami.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Politicians made more news for their promised 'free gifts' than anything else.
Free rice. Free clothes. Free gold. Free land. Free colour televisions. Free gas stoves. Free bank loans that needn't be repaid -- free this, free that and free what not.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The DMK couldn't have thought of a more original gift since Karunanidhi's family via his grandnephew Kalanidhi Maran (Union IT MInister Dayanidhi Maran's elder brother) owns the Sun TV network, Tamil Nadu's dominant television channel.
Tamil Nadu, a state that holds great affection for filmstars-turned-politicians, has the distinction of having television channels owned by arch political rivals Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa, who owns Jaya TV.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Electricity is a sop politicians absolutely love. God alone knows how they think they will pull this off but don't they all dangle this promise in election after election in state after state?
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Karunanidhi has decided to relieve them of this work of gathering firewood. He is going to give them gas stoves instead.
But his electorate will have to buy the gas cylinders themselves. A gas cylinder costs Rs 2,000 and the gas Rs 320 which is going to increase by a whopping Rs 50.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->This is not the first time Karunanidhi has anounced such a scheme. When he became chief minister in 1996 he announced Rs 10,000 for a girl's marriage.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->All you wise people of the DMK, can you please tell us where are you going to get these two acres of land from?
More importantly, who is going to pay for this?
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- Could you please comment on Shyams comments ?
- More details on Vijaykanth would be nice too. What was the film Captain Prabhakaran about ? Is it about LTTE chief ? Did it come out after Rajiv Gandhi assasination ?
- Is it true that the margins were pretty narrow ?
- Jaya seems to have made inroads in Chennai but somehow the christians seems to have opposed Jaya - does it mean the most missionary influence is in rural areas ? How strong are missionaries a factor in TN elections ?
- If I were to conclude that the trend seems to be that the 'dravidian' influence has waned a little bit in the current election in TN would it be accurate ?
The rest of the elections didnt spring a surprise. Correct ? Sorry I have not had the time to follow this as keenly as I would liked to have.. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The extent of the Congress support for this landslide CPIM win in West bengal can be seen from the voting percentages:
Party voting percentages in 2001 voting percentages in 2006
Left Front 50.4 47
Trinomul Congress 44 44
+ Congress+ BJP
Congress share in 2006 is 19.7%. The voting percentage shows that Left vote has dropped in 2006 compared to 2001. So there was a large and visible effect due to Election Commission's crackdown on left vote rigging. Then why is that Left front seat strength increased in 2006 compared to 2001? The answer is that Congress party leadership made sure that no anti-left front vote is possible in west bengal. This cost the ant-left about 100 seats.
<!--QuoteBegin-ashyam+May 11 2006, 05:09 PM-->QUOTE(ashyam @ May 11 2006, 05:09 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Another thing about Kerala election is that many big leaders of IUML were lost to communists or INL (Indian National League - a break away faction of IUML) aligned with communists. However, it must be noted that communists had open support of NDF (the militant islamic party) and Jamat-e-islami.
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IUML admits defeat, but says it is not forever
Staff Reporter
Kunhalikutty to examine his rout and make corrections
MALAPPURAM: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty has said that the landslide victory of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the State is the people's mandate against the UDF Government.
At a joint press conference with Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer, the IUML leader admitted his party's defeat but said that would not be the end of the world.
"We admit failure. But no failure is forever. We will spring back with renewed verve," they said. Mr. Kunhalikutty said the party would make a thorough introspection for the humiliating defeat it suffered. He said the party would take the failure seriously, despite risking its top leaders in crucial seats.
"We took risk for the party," he said, adding that party, not a personal victory or loss, was the foremost concern for him.
They said the party had learned a lot from the Manjeri shock it got in the last general elections. It was that lesson that helped the Indian Union Muslim League to maintain its supremacy in all Assembly seats except Beypore under the Manjeri Lok Sabha constituency, they pointed out. They said giving a setback to the ruling Government was part of an ongoing trend in the State. "But no victory or defeat is permanent," they said.
Mr. Kunhalikutty said that his defeat in Kuttippuram too was part of that trend that favoured the LDF.
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LDF wave batters IUML citadel</b>
Abdul Latheef Naha
Kunhalikutty, Muneer, Basheer suffer defeat
MALAPPURAM: The `anti-Government' wave that swept across the State in the 13th Assembly elections did not spare Malappuram district too. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) wrested five seats in the district, registering its biggest victory ever in the citadel of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The constituencies won by the LDF were Mankada, Perinthalmanna, Kuttippuram, Tirur and Ponnani. More than the victory of five LDF candidates, including its convener Paloli Mohammed Kutty in Ponnani, what shook the district was the mighty fall of three IUML bigwigs â P.K. Kunhalikutty, M.K. Muneer and E.T. Mohammed Basheer.
IUML State general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty was defeated in Kuttippuram by the expelled Youth League leader K.T. Jaleel by a margin of 8,781 votes. Mr. Jaleel polled 64,207 votes while Mr. Kunhalikutty secured only 55,426 votes.
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The election at Kuttippuram was keenly watched by Keralites across the world.
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This was the first-ever triumph of the LDF in Kuttippuram. In Mankada, which witnessed one of the toughest fights, LDF's Independent MLA Manjalamkuzhi Ali defeated IUML's Minister for Public Works M.K. Muneer by 5,073 votes.
Mr. Ali polled 79,613 votes. Dr. Muneer had to be content with 74,540 votes. Mr. Ali had defeated IUML district general secretary K.P.A. Majeed by 3,058 votes in 2001.
The third mighty fall was that of Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer in Tirur. CPI(M)'s area secretary P.P. Abdullakutty humbled Mr. Basheer by 8,680 votes in the first-ever victory of the LDF in Tirur.
LDF's V. Sasikumar defeated IUML's P. Abdul Hameed in Perinthalmanna by 14,003 votes. While Mr. Sasikumar polled 76,059 votes, Mr. Hameed got only 62,056 votes. It was the first LDF victory in Perinthalmanna in 35 years.
The most shining victory for the LDF was that of its convener Paloli Mohammedkutty in Ponnani, where he trounced DIC(K)'s M.P. Gangadharan by a record margin of 28,347 votes. Ponnani had so far registered a highest margin of 14,000 votes.
The LDF's victory in five constituencies took the sheen off the UDF victories in seven seats in the district.
Congress candidate and Minister for Power Aryadan Mohammed retained Nilambur by a margin of 18,070 votes and Minister for Cultural Affairs A.P. Anil Kumar won for the second time from Wandoor by 17,161 votes.
However, the victory margins of both the Ministers came down from that in 2001. Mr. Anil Kumar had a lead of 28,225 votes and Mr. Mohammed 21,620 votes in the last Assembly elections from Wandoor and Nilambur respectively.
The IUML's hold in Malappuram has come down from eight seats to five. Its Minister for Local Administration, Kutty Ahamed Kutty, defeated CPI's K. Moideen Koya by 16,123 votes in Tirurangadi.
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IUML's current MLA P.K. Abdu Rabb won the Manjeri constituency by 15,372 votes against Indian National League's A.P. Abdul Wahab. Mr. Rabb secured 76,646 votes as against Mr. Wahab's 61,274 votes.
Three IUML debutants won from Tanur, Malappuram and Kondotty constituencies. Abdurahman Randathani defeated LDF-backed independent P.K. Mohammedkutty by 11,170 votes in Tanur.
K. Mohammdunni Haji of the IUML defeated CPI(M) area secretary T.P. Mohammedkutty by 14,972 votes in Kondotty.</b>
In Malappuram, one of the few standing bulwarks of the IUML, former district panchayat president M. Ummer defeated Janata Dal(S)'s P.M. Safarulla by 30,657 votes, the third biggest victory margin in the State for any candidate in this elections.
When the results were available by 12.30 p.m., it was 7-5 for the UDF.
There was no smile on UDF faces. And no victory procession either.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Against Left, for Left Front
Among the more intriguing theories that were proffered in Kolkata to explain the Left Front's conclusive seventh-term victory last Thursday, one struck me as quite prescient. "It is actually a victory of Chicago", argued a venerable Bengali notable who has been rooting enthusiastically for Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for the past four years.
The Chicago he spoke about was not some obscure allusion to Al Capone or even the Tammany Hall tradition perfected by former Mayor Daley. In intellectual circles, Chicago has long been the shorthand for the aggressive, free-market economics personified by Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman-thinkers who, at various times, have influenced leaders as diverse as Britain's Margaret Thatcher and Chile's General Pinochet.
As yet, there is no compelling evidence to suggest that the Comrades in Alimuddin Street have intellectually reconciled themselves to the superiority of market forces over the State. Nor is there any reason to conclude that CPI(M) is on the verge of admitting that liberal capitalism is a more wholesome and civilised system than the brutal inefficiencies of Stalinist regimentation. Yet, there is a window of opportunity that arises from Bhattacharjee's admission a few months ago that he had to work within the parameters of a Capitalist economy.
At his victory Press conference in the party office, Bhattacharjee allayed the fears of the faithful by proclaiming his belief in the superiority and inevitability of socialism. Fortunately, it was an exercise in abstraction and akin to the assertion that in the long run we are dead and destined to go to a heavenly paradise. As long as the CPI(M) is satisfied proclaiming the virtues of their utopia, India has no reason to either worry or object. Preoccupation with the after-life has, after all, been central to most religious thought.
For the moment, the issue before the Left Front is: What needs to be done here and now? By accepting the parameters of capitalism, Bhattacharjee has done what India's self-proclaimed Stalinists don't usually do - admit that socialism doesn't happen by securing political power. European socialists had discarded Soviet-style socialism from their agenda some 25 years ago when it became obvious that economics was beyond the ken of party-run bureaucracies.
Today, the West Bengal Chief Minister has cautiously bowed to reality. It doesn't matter whether or not he accepts that the virtues of the market economy are a kaliyuga inevitability; what matters is that he understands its logic and plays by its rules.
The incremental vote the Left Front secured this election was on account of Bhattacharjee's commitment to take West Bengal out of the orbit of disruption and decay. At a time when Mamata Banerjee donned the garb of the ultra-Left, Bhattacharjee emerged as a voice of sanity, respectability and, above all, hope.
The magnitude of the Left Front's victory in the freest and fairest election ever witnessed in the state was on account of the new direction promised by the Chief Minister. And that new direction is not what is stated in some minimum programme agreed by all the constituents of the Left Front, but something more daring. West Bengal voted to get back to serious Capitalism.
Had the people of the State been exposed only to the buffoonery of the party bosses like Biman Basu and the archaic rhetoric of leaders who mirror the <b>sloganeering of V S Achuthanandan in Kerala, Comrades Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri would not have been strutting about Delhi so imperiously. "I do not understand what you mean by the reforms of the West Bengal Government", an irritated Karat told the media last Thursday. </b>Ironically, two days earlier, Siddhartha Shankar Ray asked on TV: <b>Is the CPI(M) faithful to Marxism? He could well have been insisting that all Muslims practise jihad.</b>
What's in a name? That's the message of Ratan Tata greeting a Red victory in Bengal with an announcement of a Rs 1,000 crore investment in manufacturing. All over India there are squirming Reds who can't get over the paradox of the Bengal verdict: A vote against the Left, for the Left Front.
 http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp...t&writer=swapan<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+May 12 2006, 11:07 PM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ May 12 2006, 11:07 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Chandramoulee or anybody studying TN elections..
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Tamilnad Elections
The over all result is that the Tamils are yet to come out of the Dravidian spell cast by Macauley,Max Mueller,Abbe Dubois, Bishop Caldwell and others.
Even the new party of the Captain(Vijaykanth) has appended the word 'Dravidian' to its name calling itself the Desiya DRAVIDA Munnetra Kazhagam(or national DMK!)
The present position is as follows:
Parties Seats Contested Seats won Vote %
DMK 132(incl Indian
Union Muslim League) 96 26.40
Cong 48 34 8.38
PMK 31 18 5.55
CPI(M) 13 9 2.54
CPI 10 6 1.60
ADMK 182 61 32.52
MDMK 35 6 5.97
VC(Freedom panth 9 2 1.29
ers)
DMDK(captain's) 232 1 8.34
Independent(?) 1
The rest is made up by BJP, Lok Paritran,etc., who did not win any seat.
Though short of a majority by some margin DMK has formed the Government all by itself. It has been assured support by all its allies.
Though beaten at the hustings, ADMK boasts of 'victory' by scoring a better percentage of the votes polled and becoming the largest opposition party ever in the state of TN
A noteworthy feature is of a Tamil Blogger who was providing 'hot' updates constantly and was rightly acclaimed for his diligence and industry.
<i>
(The statistics are copied from Dinamalar)</i>
Desiya(national)Murpokku (forward-looking;progressive)Dravida(you know the fixation of most Tamils to this word) Kazhagam(group;establishment;party) i.e.,
D M D K
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+May 19 2006, 08:58 PM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ May 19 2006, 08:58 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Chandramoulee have you seen the "captain prabhakaran" movie ?
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No sir.
In fact I have not seen <i>any</i> of the pictures in which the Captain was featured.
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