SENTHIL KUMAR

Friday, April 4, 2014

NDTV Opinion Poll on Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa's the big player, the DMK takes a hit, and the Congress plunges, according to NDTV's opinion poll. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's AIADMK gets 25 of the state's 39 parliamentary seats, that's 16 more than it got in the last election. M Karunanidhi's DMK gets 11, that's eight less than 2009.

The BJP gains two to get three seats. And the Congress gets none at all, that's down eight from 2009, when it contested the election in alliance with the DMK.

NDTV opinion poll

Thursday, April 3, 2014

No woman in Tamil Nadu NDA list

In a huge embarrassment for the BJP, the “rainbow alliance” that it has sewn together in Tamil Nadu has failed to nominate even a single woman candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. The development has come as an ironic twist to the party which had in the past accused the Congress of dilly-dallying with the Women Reservation Bill in Parliament.

BJP announced candidates for the final two seats on its list—Vellore and Thanjavur— shutting the door for women from contesting on its ticket. But more startling is the fact that none of the NDA constituents in the State — MDMK, DMDK, PMK, IJK and NJP — have given tickets to women for all their hue and cry for women’s rights.

In fact, sources said women leaders in the BJP are quite upset at the development. Though national secretary Tamilisai Soundarajan was expected to contest from Vellore, the constituency has been allotted to A.C. Shanmugam of the New Justice Party. In Thanjavur, the party has fielded ‘Karuppu’ Muruganandam despite opposition to him.

Paid holiday on polling day: IT firms not exempted

Making it clear that companies in the information technology sector will have to declare a paid holiday on the day of polling (April 24, 2014 in Tamil Nadu), Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Kumar on said he would discuss with State IT secretary (T.K. Ramachandran) the matter of ensuring IT companies fall in line with the Election Commission’s directive.

Responding to a reporter’s observation that some IT firms might not grant a holiday on the day of polling, the CEO said the office of the Labour Commissioner had already issued an instruction to all firms and establishments to declare a paid holiday.

Provisions of several laws such as the Representation of People Act, Negotiable Instruments Act and Factories Act could be invoked in this regard. Those who had not given a paid holiday could be booked under Section 135 –B of the RP Act, which stipulates the levy of a fine of Rs. 500.