While BJP & DMK are rivals in terms of ideologies, political watchers say the parties have been covertly maintaining their friendship, even though they would never join hands electorally.
At event to commemorate Stalin’s late father, TN CM warmly called out to state BJP chief Annamalai to join him near Karunanidhi’s memorial. Modi & Rajnath heaped praise on late leader.
Annamalai was at helm of party’s campaign in Tamil Nadu for Lok Sabha polls, but BJP did not win any seats. He himself failed to secure win in Coimbatore, considered a BJP stronghold.
AIADMK has opted out of contest in stronghold in apparent olive branch to NDA ally PMK, say observers. But PMK asserts that coalition is intact & it’ll pick allies closer to state polls.
NDA pushed AIADMK-led alliance to 3rd place in 11 seats & 4th place in one. EPS-led party also lost deposits in 7 seats, 5 of them in southern TN where it lost traditional OBC voters.
BJP workers say Coimbatore would've been a cakewalk had they been in an alliance with AIADMK. The seat where BJP state chief Annamalai is in fray will go to polls in the 1st phase.
Dravidian parties are said to be unsure how Modi’s persona & developmental pitch would boost BJP’s decades-long endeavour to break its image in Tamil Nadu of a ‘Brahmin party’.
As EPS embarks on his first solo general election campaign, AIADMK workers draw parallels between him & Jayalalithaa, from selecting candidates to hitting it out at both DMK & BJP.
BJP is believed to be targeting seats where chances of victory are high, is using electoral might for own candidates & not allies. Modi will be in Tamil Nadu for 4 days starting 9 April.
Fauja Singh, 114, died after being hit by a speeding car. His death renews questions about India’s deadly roads, rising accidents, and poor traffic discipline.
Mini deal will likely see no cut in 10% baseline tariff on Indian exports announced by Trump on 2 April, it is learnt, but additional 26% tariffs are set to be reduced.
India-Russia JV is also racing to deliver 7,000 more AK-203 assault rifles by 15 Aug. These are currently being made with 50% indigenisation and this will surge to 100% by 31 December.
Public, loud, upfront, filled with impropriety and high praise sometimes laced with insults. This is what we call Trumplomacy. But the larger objective is the same: American supremacy.
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