Laloo’s Paan…err Pun
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently shared the stage with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at a rally in Patna for the first time since their “infamous” encounter at a similar congregation in Ludhiana in 2009. Then, Modi had raised the hand of the reluctant Bihar strongman to kick up a storm within the alliance. This time, it was all hunky-dory, though. Party leaders called the rally a huge success but the opposition did not miss the chance to recall what had happened a decade ago. Jailed RJD patriarch Laloo Yadav took a dig at the rally on Twitter, saying even his casual stopovers at paan shops in the past used to draw more crowds than what the Modi-Nitish duo was able to attract at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan.
Heirs In A Hurry
DMK’s Kanimozhi is not the only political heir readying to contest the Lok Sabha elections. The two-time Rajya Sabha member filed her request to contest from the Thoothokudi LS seat. The move is seen as positioning herself for a bigger role in party affairs after winning popular support through a direct election. Also wanting to enter the fray is senior DMK leader Durai Murugan’s son Kathir Ananth (44) from Vellore. On the AIADMK’s side, Raveendranath Kumar, one of the sons of deputy chief minister O. Paneerselvam, has already filed his application for the Theni seat. Fisheries minister D. Jayakumar’s son Jayavardhan, presently MP from South Chennai, is also looking for re-election, refusing to give up the seat for the BJP. A more confident Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram, is also said to be ready to try his luck from Sivaganga, having finished fourth in 2014.
Poll Position
While all the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are unanimous in their demand for early elections in the state, they claim that Governor Satya Pal Malik is insisting that assembly elections should be held after the Lok Sabha polls. They claim that the Governor is enjoying his innings and the limelight that comes with it. On March 4, when a poll panel team visited Srinagar, representatives of all state parties pressed for state elections along with LS polls and compared the Governor’s rule with the Emergency. To their surprise, the Governor stepped in, claiming he has no problems with early elections. The parties have taken it with a pinch of salt as he has apparently said something else to the Centre.
