Chennai Mar 28 PTI Buses run by state run transport corporations remained off the roads in most parts of Tamil Nadu hitting normalcy on Monday the first day of the two-day nationwide strike by central trade unions In view of unavailability of buses people were put to inconvenience and students in several places could be seen hitchhiking to schools and colleges and tourists in hill stations like Ooty had a tough time in finding other modes of transport services Private buses autorickshaws and share autorickshaws were crammed in several regions including Pudukottai and Dindigul and several complained of a steep increase in fares Operations in public sector banks were affected barring the State Bank of India and the Indian Overseas Bank according to an All India Bank Officers Association office-bearer Also a section of workers of a couple of scheduled private banks also took part in the strike he told PTI The strike was marked by demonstrations by workers and bank employees affiliated to various unions at various parts of the state In Chennai people flocked to suburban train stations Metrorail and Mass Rapid Transit System MRTS train stations to reach their destinations Only state-run buses are allowed here unlike several other parts of the state Barring a single route that connects suburban Poonamallee private buses are not operational here A joint forum of central trade unions had given a call for a nationwide strike on March 28 and 29 to protest against the government policies affecting workers farmers and people Their demands include the scrapping of the labour codes no privatisation in any form scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline NMP increased allocation of wages under MNREGA Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act and regularisation of contract workers among others PTI VGN SA SA

Chennai Feb 22 PTI The ruling DMK and its allies notched a huge electoral victory in the just concluded urban civic polls winning over two-thirds of the 12800 plus ward member posts and bagging all the 21 municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu for which results were declared on Tuesday DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin said the win is proof of peoples endorsement of the Dravidian Model of governance and added that he would slog to uphold the faith reposed by the people on him He thanked the people for bestowing his party and allies with victory A significant aspect of the poll result is the DMK wresting the western region from arch rival AIADMK On victory in this region which includes Coimbatore among others Stalin recalled his pledge made after 2021 Assembly election win to work for all sections of people and regions including for those who have not voted for the DMK Such complete dedication to ensure peoples welfare has led to the DMK capturing even the western Kongu region considered a fortress of the AIADMK the Chief Minister said The DMK has won a majority in all the 21 municipal corporations including the Greater Chennai Corporation and also came out victorious in most of the 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayats The ruling party has won 946 wards in corporations 2360 in municipalities and 4388 in town panchayats which includes local bodies in the home turf of AIADMK leaders including former Chief Ministers K Palaniswami Edappadi Salem district and O Panneerselvam Periyakulam Theni district The main opposition AIADMK which came a distant second winning over 2000 ward member posts thanked voters who chose the party and said it would continue in peoples work with full commitment AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam said the party has bagged great victories following such poll defeats Dharma would win eventually and evidencing it a democratic opportunity shall ensure that peoples true state of mind aspirations are reflected On that day peoples power will win AIADMK will win again as per peoples wishes This will happen for sure Panneerselvam said in a statement Actor Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam drew a blank failing to win any seats in municipal corporations municipalities or town panchayats The BJP which fought the polls alone won 22 seats in municipal corporations 56 in municipalities and 230 in town panchayats However it could not win a majority on its own in any local body The saffron partys victory though relatively marginal is noteworthy It has outperformed regional outfits-- the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam PMK Naam Tamizhar Katchi and the Vijayakanth-led Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam DMDK Its vigorous campaign was unmistakable despite being targeted by a host of parties and outfits including the ruling DMK on many issues including the NEET The BJPs victory also covers many regions of the state and it is scattered all across Tamil Nadu The big win in the urban polls is the latest in the DMKs winning streak that began with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls Soon it edged past the AIADMK in the 2019 December rural civic polls won last years Assembly election and the recent local body polls in 9 reconstituted districts The Pattali Makkal Katchi won 73 wards in town panchayats 48 in municipalities and 5 in corporations and the party said it is a honourable victory The PMK blamed use of money power and repressive measures Filmmaker turned politician Seeman-led Naam Tamizhar Katchi bagged 6 seats in town panchayats The TTV Dhinakaran-led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam won 3 corporation wards 33 in municipalities and 66 in town panchayats The DMDK has won 12 seats in municipalities and 23 in town panchayats Among the DMK allies the Congress won 73 corporation seats 151 municipal wards and 368 town panchayat seats Similarly other allies including the Left parties the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi and Indiya Jananayaga Katchi have also won pushing the DMK fronts tally beyond the two-thirds mark Indirect elections would be held soon to pick Mayors for corporations chairpersons for municipalities and town panchayats As many as 57778 candidates contested for 12607 posts of ward members in 648 urban local bodiesPolls were announced last month by the TN State Election Commission for a total of 12838 ward member posts in 649 urban civic bodies The 649 urban local bodies are 21 municipal corporations 138 municipalities and 490 town panchayatsSubsequently polls for all the 12 wards in Kadambur town panchayat in Thoothukudi district were cancelled for violations For a town panchayat ward --Kanadukathan-- in Sivaganga district no nominations were filed In total 218 candidates were elected unopposed PTI VGN SA SA

Chennai Feb 22 PTI The DMK is clearly on its way to make a clean sweep of the urban civic polls in Tamil Nadu and has wrested the western region convincingly considered a bastion of the main opposition AIADMK Buoyed by one more huge electoral win DMK workers celebrated the victory across the state by bursting fire crackers distributing sweets and hailing party chief M K Stalins leadership Though the DMK won the 2021 Assembly election and formed the government its arch rival AIADMK had won all the 10 Assembly seats in Coimbatore region and for a long time western Tamil Nadu is seen as a fortress of the AIADMK As per results available and trends for this region the DMKs victory score in urban civic polls has crossed about 75 per cent here Right after the last years Assembly win the DMK has been focussing on the western areas and the party appointed Minister V Senthil Balaji hailing from the Karur in the region as party in-charge for Coimbatore Many of Balajis supporters in social media hailed the victory lauding him for the turnaround in DMKs prospects in this part of the state Notably the DMK has also won in Thondamuthur town panchayat the home turf of former AIADMK Minister S P Velumani considered a heavy weight in the region After decades the ruling party has captured the Gobichettypalayam municipality the native of another AIADMK stalwart KA Sengottaiyan Stalin who had asserted that victory is sure and duty and responsibility is more said that the win in urban civic polls reflected the faith people have on the DMK government Out of the total 1374 wards in corporations the DMK has so far won 425 and the AIADMK 75 In municipalities of the 3843 ward member seats the DMK till now has won 1832 and the AIADMK 494 As regards town panchayats the ruling party emerged victorious in 4261 seats out of the total 7621 The AIADMK has got 1178 town panchayat seats The declaration of results is underway and the counting of votes started at 8 AM today As more and more results of victory poured in from municipal corporation areas municipalities and town panchayats DMK veteran and party general secretary Duraimurugan called on Stalin here and greeted him on the partys continuing winning streak DMK MPs A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were among others who visited Stalin Maran tweeted We wholeheartedly thank all the voters for their immense faith and trust In yet another monumental victory the people of Tamil Nadu have voted overwhelmingly in support of the DMK in the LocalBodyElections2022 Under the visionary leadership of the Honble CM Thiru mkstalin let us work towards taking TN to greater heights glory DMKwins Maran said in another tweet PTI VGN SA SA

Chennai Feb 21 PTI Hours after Chief Minister M K Stalin asserted on Monday that law would take its own course over the humiliation of a DMK functionary here on the day of urban civic polls police arrested AIADMK leader and former Minister D Jayakumar Earlier Stalin slammed the former state minister Jayakumar for taking law into his own hands and humiliating a DMK office-bearer here by removing his shirt on February 19 The Chief Minister asserted that the law will take its own course and that the DMK would face the matter legally Hours after his remark police arrested Jayakumar from his Fore Shore Estate residence and took him to a police station A case has been slapped against him and others in connection with the incident on the day of civic polls and several sections of the IPC have been invoked against them As soon as he was taken into custody AIADMK cadres assembled before the police station and some of them also staged a road roko Stalin remarked that impartial action was taken in respect of all incidents related to the urban civic polls Urban local body polls were held on February 19 and counting would be held on Tuesday The crux of the allegation against Jayakumar and his party colleagues is that they removed the shirt of a DMK functionary paraded him half naked on the north Chennai streets The DMK was humiliated According to the AIADMK they only nabbed a person who was involved in false voting He was promptly handed over to the police for action In connection with this incident complaint and a counter plaint have been filed by both sides and FIR registered by police Immediately after Stalins remark on Jayakumar senior AIADMK leader K Palaniswami asked if the Chief Minister considered handing over to police a person who attempted to cast a false vote wrong Jayakumar only handed this man to police the former Chief Minister said defending his senior party colleague Writing to party cadres Stalin in an open letter said the DMK faced the urban civic polls based on the faith people reposed on the government and the party did not consider elections as a political battle The DMK regimes achievements were showcased and the partys victory became pretty evident during the campaign he said The opposition parties unleashed libel and false propaganda during campaign and on the day of polls too against the DMK to hide their debacle Stalin said Pointing to a poll war room that was set up in DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam here to coordinate with party workers on the day of polls he said appropriate legal steps were advised on election-related matters Impartial action was taken even if there were allegations of some minor violations by DMK workers in one or two places he said However as regards the opposition they went beyond their limit and this was exposed by the media including on television channels and social media the Chief Minister said Targeting Jayakumar for humiliating the DMK functionary Stalin said the ruling party would face this matter legally and the opposition party would be exposed when this happens Hitting out at the AIADMK for excesses during civic polls held in 2001 here the Chief Minister said the DMK should pursue peaceful methods and continue to win peoples confidence even if the former followed it now Regarding the incident former chief minister Palaniswami asked if it was a crime to hand over a culprit to police Speaking to reporters in Salem the AIADMK leader said instead of taking action against culprits a case has been instead registered by police against Jayakumar and about 40 others who were with the former minister at the time This is the prize given by the Chief Minister he said After the DMK assumed office last year the law and order situation has deteriorated completely and the Chief Minister himself supporting the culprits is amusing Palaniswami said The AIADMK is ready to face anything legally he said Oral instructions have been given to officials to declare as defeated the AIADMK nominees if they win on February 22 when votes would be taken up for counting Palaniswami alleged This must be scuttled by complying with a ruling of the Madras High Court in this regard and postal votes should be counted first and then the EVMs and results should be declared promptly as per rules the AIADMK Joint Coordinator said In a joint statement AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam and Palaniswami alleged that their party colleagues arrest was a precursor to the murder of democracy to be staged by the ruling party on Tuesday during the counting of votes polled in the civic polls They recalled the High Court reprimand of the then ruling DMK over murder of democracy over alleged electoral irregularities in the 2006 civic polls in the city and said people have not forgotten the subsequent re-polling They said Jayakumar only caught red-handed the man who had come to cast a false vote and rather protected him from getting beaten up and directing that he be handed over to the police CM Stalin in his letter told cadres Though the March 4 election for the post of mayors and chairpersons of municipalities and town panchayats would be indirect we have to be transparent The Chief Minister expressed complete confidence that DMK would emerge victorious and local bodies too shall witness good governance PTI VGN SA SA

Chennai Feb 21 PTI Hours after Chief Minister M K Stalin asserted on Monday that law would take its own course over the humiliation of a DMK functionary here on the day of urban civic polls police arrested AIADMK leader and former Minister D Jayakumar Earlier Stalin slammed the former state minister Jayakumar for taking law into his own hands and humiliating a DMK office-bearer here by removing his shirt on February 19 The Chief Minister asserted that the law will take its own course and that the DMK would face the matter legally Hours after his remark police arrested Jayakumar from his Fore Shore Estate residence and took him to a police station A case has been slapped against him and others in connection with the incident on the day of civic polls and several sections of the IPC have been invoked against them As soon as he was taken into custody AIADMK cadres assembled before the police station and some of them also staged a road roko Stalin remarked that impartial action was taken in respect of all incidents related to the urban civic polls Urban local body polls were held on February 19 and counting would be held on Tuesday The crux of the allegation against Jayakumar and his party colleagues is that they removed the shirt of a DMK functionary paraded him half naked on the north Chennai streets The DMK was humiliated According to the AIADMK they only nabbed a person who was involved in false voting He was promptly handed over to the police for action In connection with this incident complaint and a counter plaint have been filed by both sides and FIR registered by police Immediately after Stalins remark on Jayakumar senior AIADMK leader K Palaniswami asked if the Chief Minister considered handing over to police a person who attempted to cast a false vote wrong Jayakumar only handed this man to police the former Chief Minister said defending his senior party colleague Writing to party cadres Stalin in an open letter said the DMK faced the urban civic polls based on the faith people reposed on the government and the party did not consider elections as a political battle The DMK regimes achievements were showcased and the partys victory became pretty evident during the campaign he said The opposition parties unleashed libel and false propaganda during campaign and on the day of polls too against the DMK to hide their debacle Stalin said Pointing to a poll war room that was set up in DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam here to coordinate with party workers on the day of polls he said appropriate legal steps were advised on election-related matters Impartial action was taken even if there were allegations of some minor violations by DMK workers in one or two places he said However as regards the opposition they went beyond their limit and this was exposed by the media including on television channels and social media the Chief Minister said Targeting Jayakumar for humiliating the DMK functionary Stalin said the ruling party would face this matter legally and the opposition party would be exposed when this happens Hitting out at the AIADMK for excesses during civic polls held in 2001 here the Chief Minister said the DMK should pursue peaceful methods and continue to win peoples confidence even if the former followed it now Regarding the incident former chief minister Palaniswami asked if it was a crime to hand over a culprit to police Speaking to reporters in Salem the AIADMK leader said instead of taking action against culprits a case has been instead registered by police against Jayakumar and about 40 others who were with the former minister at the time This is the prize given by the Chief Minister he said After the DMK assumed office last year the law and order situation has deteriorated completely and the Chief Minister himself supporting the culprits is amusing Palaniswami said The AIADMK is ready to face anything legally he said Oral instructions have been given to officials to declare as defeated the AIADMK nominees if they win on February 22 when votes would be taken up for counting Palaniswami alleged This must be scuttled by complying with a ruling of the Madras High Court in this regard and postal votes should be counted first and then the EVMs and results should be declared promptly as per rules the AIADMK Joint Coordinator said In a joint statement AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam and Palaniswami alleged that their party colleagues arrest was a precursor to the murder of democracy to be staged by the ruling party on Tuesday during the counting of votes polled in the civic polls They recalled the High Court reprimand of the then ruling DMK over murder of democracy over alleged electoral irregularities in the 2006 civic polls in the city and said people have not forgotten the subsequent re-polling They said Jayakumar only caught red-handed the man who had come to cast a false vote and rather protected him from getting beaten up and directing that he be handed over to the police BJP state president K Annamalai hit out at the arrest of Jayakumar alleging it was a result of political vendetta CM Stalin in his letter told cadres Though the March 4 election for the post of mayors and chairpersons of municipalities and town panchayats would be indirect we have to be transparent The Chief Minister expressed complete confidence that DMK would emerge victorious and local bodies too shall witness good governance PTI VGN SA SA

Chennai Dec 23 PTI The DMK storming back to power after a decade in opposition and the scary spectacle of countless ambulances waiting before hospitals that grappled with oxygen shortage and absence of space for the newly infected during the covid-19 second wave turned out to be the defining moments for Tamil Nadu in 2021 The AIADMK though electorally battered emerged as the principal opposition party with 66 MLAs and along with its allies won a total of 75 seats out of the 234 in the Assembly election held in April For the main opposition the year that would soon pass by also has been a period of challenge as a number of its leaders were slapped with cases by the vigilance wing which the party dubbed as political vendetta Rain gods were more than kind to Tamil Nadu as the state received a bounty during the monsoon leading to brimming reservoirs and lakes while Chennai received one of its most intense spells of rains in 200 years crossing the 100 cm mark in November the fourth time in two centuries Two years ago the citys drought-like situation had even garnered international attention After a gap of 10 years the DMK snatched the reins of power from arch rival AIADMK with its president M K Stalin leading the party to a stellar performance and in the process helming the state as Chief Minister for the first time The DMKs 133 nominees won and together with partners including the Congress grabbed the lions share of 159 seats Since 2019 the DMK has been journeying on a path of resurgence bagging 38 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats that year and winning the lone Theni Parliamentary seat was too little to offer solace for the AIADMK The DMK continued its winning streak with its big win in 2021 rural civic polls in 9 reconstituted districts a sequel to it establishing a clear edge over the AIADMK in 2019 December rural polls The ruling party is gearing up to sustain the momentum in the urban local body polls expected to be held next year Taking a firm step superstar Rajinikanth disbanded his Rajini Makkal Mandram Rajini Peoples Forum launched to facilitate his political entry and strongly reiterated that he would not enter politics The covid-19 second wave turned out to be first biggest challenge for the DMK government when it assumed power in May and cases peaked during the corresponding period with over 36000 plus fresh cases on 21st of that month The new regime strained every nerve to tackle the pandemic that assumed alarming proportions in view of shortage of oxygen and the anti-viral Remdesivir and to top it all there were no vacant beds in hospitals to treat the newly infected The result was something never seen before with innumerable ambulances lining up before hospitals to admit patients as the kin of the infected stood in queues for days together to get the anti-viral that proved to be life saving for many The new government enforced lockdowns focused on better vaccination coverage and gradually fresh cases too began declining towards the end of May and from June restrictions were eased in a phased manner Marking initiation of fulfillment of its poll promises the DMK government after assuming power distributed Rs 4000 covid-19 assistance to beneficiaries made travel fare-free for women in town buses and days ago Stalin said his government has fulfilled 300 plus pre-poll assurances out of the over 500 promises All along the AIADMK which faced criticism for being a meek opposition party began to train guns on the DMK regime with a state-wide protest demanding the ruling party to fulfill its poll assurances As if the poll debacles were not enough the AIADMK faced challenge from V K Sasikala the former aide of late chief minister and party supremo J Jayalalithaa who returned to Tamil Nadu in February after serving a four year sentence in a Bengaluru prison in a disproportionate assets case Initially signalling that she would stay away from politics she began making definitive moves to gain control of the AIADMK leadership and has designated herself as general secretary the top post till the Jaya era A case filed by Sasikala in a city court challenging the 2017 decisions of the general council including one that eased her out from the party is pending and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran heading a separate outfit is working in tandem with her The AIADMK though quietly amended bylaws empowering cadres again to elect the leadership and unanimously elected O Panneerselvam OPS and Edappadi K Palaniswami EPS as top leaders even as hints thrown by OPS to suggest willingness to accommodate Sasikala back into the party have been cold-shouldered by the dominant EPS camp After the DMK came to power cases of disproportionate assets were filed against former AIADMK Ministers C Vijayabaskar K C Veeramani M R Vijayabaskar and P Thangamani and a Salem based functionary R Elangovan considered to be close to former chief minister Palaniswami Another former Minister S P Velumani faces a case of corruption The AIADMK has condemned all such cases as nothing but political vendetta With the police initating probe again into the 2017 Kodanadu estate murder and heist case AIADMK co-coordinator and leader of opposition Palaniswami made a dramtic allegation that the DMK government was attempting to get him and a few of his party men framed in the sensational case Since the estate in the Nilgiris District was used on and off by Jayalalithaa as her camp office-cum-residence it gained popularity and importance The police also reopened the road accident case of Kanagaraj Jayalalithaas car driver who died days after the April 2017 heist at the Kodanadu estate Vivek a popular Tamil comedian passed away in April and actor-politician Kamal Haasan recovered from mild covid-19 following hospitalisation Rajinikanth underwent a procedure to restore blood supply to the brain in October and the box office performance of his action flick Annaatthe Deepavali release is still a matter of debate among fans according to an entertainment industry tracker The state witnessed torrential downpour during the northeast monsoon with heavy rains lashing various parts of the state during November with authorities resorting to repeated releasing of excess water including from reservoirs that feed the capital city besides the famous Mettur dam in Salem On November 27 Stalin said that in the past 200 years this is the fourth time Chennai recorded 1000 MM 100 CM rainfall in a single month He quoted experts For the common man who is looking forward to 2022 for a complete return to pre-COVID times the Omicron variant is a cause of real concern PTI VGN SA SA