The second opinion poll released by Kerala-based Asianet News showed gains for the Left and the BJP in Kerala at the expense of UDF, which continued to lead the tally. The new survey also predicted a defeat for Congress’ Shashi Tharoor at the hands of the BJP, a party that has never won a Lok […]
“The more it grows, the more it splinters; the more it splinters, the more it grows” – this is how KM Mani had described Kerala Congress, the third largest component of Congress-led United Democratic Front or UDF. He couldn’t have been more prescient. Kerala Congress’ existence through more than half-a-century has only served to underline […]
KM Mani, a stalwart of Kerala politics, passed away today. He was 86. Mani, who led the biggest faction of Kerala Congress, breathed his last at Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi. Mani was admitted to the hospital in the first week of April with a respiratory-related illness. A medical bulletin said that he had been suffering […]
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to field firebrand leader K Surendran, who rose to prominence in the wake of the recent Sabarimala protests, from the crucial Pathanamthitta constituency. Pathanamthitta is one of the two Lok Sabha constituencies where the BJP is projected to be on a strong wicket, not least because it is home […]
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan today said no devotee of Ayyappa feels offended by the way two women were ‘facilitated’ to enter the Sabarimala temple and that the protests being seen on the streets are politically motivated. “When news came out about entry of women into the shrine (yesterday), there was no spontaneous protests,” Vijayan […]
After waiting patiently for a breakthrough, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prayers in Kerala seem to have been finally answered in the form of a crucial development in the Sabarimala temple standoff with two women entering the temple at night under police protection. The BJP has already kicked off a massive campaign to exploit the emotional […]
With the Sabarimala issue on the boil again with a group of Tamil activists trying to enter the temple again, Malayalam actor Salim Kumar raised a note of dissent against the Supreme Court order. Participating in reality show Sell Me The Answer on Asianet, Salim Kumar seemed to object to the way the court overruled […]
The Kerala unit of the BJP has decided to suspend its ongoing protests and demonstrations at Sabarimala temple, even as these seem to have resulted in an unusual decline in the number of pilgrims who undertook the annual pilgrimage this year. As part of the decision, Yuva Morcha, the youth front of the BJP, canceled […]
The situation around the entry of women into Sabarimala temple has worsened into a major public relations and law and order challenge for the Kerala government, with fresh criticism from the Kerala High Court and the Congress Party. Kerala State Congress Chief Ramesh Chennithala today said the CPIM was trying to facilitate the growth of […]
Kadakampally Surendran, the Kerala minister in charge of Devaswom affairs, called the move by Hindu groups to confine Trupti Desai to the Cochin Airport ‘barbaric’ and wondered if it was part of a conspiracy by the Sangh Parivar. He said Desai is close to both the BJP and the Congress in Maharashtra, and that it […]
Adding to the headache of the Kerala state government in the Sabarimala matter, Pune-based women’s rights activist Trupti Desai said today that the she is planning to visit the shrine later this month. “The temple will open on 17 November. I will soon write a letter to the SP [of police] and the CM [chief […]
Kerala BJP state president Sreedharan Pillai has been shown bragging in a leaked video that the recent agitation by Ayyappa devotees in the temple courtyard was set off by a BJP worker, and that he considers the issue the ‘golden opportunity’ that the party has been waiting for in Kerala. Speaking at a convention of […]
The Kerala unit of the Congress Party today called on the BJP to issue an ordinance to give denominational status to Ayyappa devotees and reiterated its stand that it was against the entry of young women into the temple. Ramesh Chennithala, the leader of the Congress Party in the state legislative assembly, took aim at […]
Bhima Jewellers, one of the biggest gold retailing firms in Kerala, seems to have pulled its advertisements from Mathrubhumi due to ‘controversies’ over the printing of a novel by the publication group. “We give importance to public sentiments and wish to stay away from controversies of any kind. We have noted your concerns and have […]
Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress Party in Kerala have reason to worry from the results of Chengannur bye-election conducted on Sunday. With nearly all votes in — including those from areas considered strongholds of Congress and BJP — the Left Front candidate Saji Cherian was comfortably in the lead. The vote share […]
BJP President Amit Shah is not a very expressive person, but the relief and happiness on his face during the party’s regular press conference today was hard to miss. Among the questions asked of Shah was whether today marks the ‘golden period’ of the BJP in India. Though the question sounded like a compliment, it […]
Organizers said they were forced to cancel an event against superstitions and miracles in Kerala after members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the Popular Front of India, threatened to “level” those behind the event. “They tore our banner and threatened our light & sound provider,” said Suseel Kumar, […]
Hundreds of protestors turned out to seek justice for a 27-year-old boy allegedly killed by a team of Kerala policemen for getting romantically involved with a girl who was related to one of them. In a rare occurrence in Kerala — where protests not organized by political parties fail miserably — hundreds of people turned […]
The results of the bypoll held in Vengara assembly constituency in Kerala have confirmed the Congress-led UDF’s worries about losing support in the southern state. The results also showed that the BJP suffered a decline in popularity in Kerala in the last 18 months or so. The election, which comes a year-and-a-half after the last […]
Tensions are on the rise between the ruling CPI-M and the Social Democratic Party of India in Ambalapuzha in Kerala after Left activists were attacked, allegedly for arranging the wedding of a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl. The SDPI is second only to the Indian Union Muslim League in terms of its vote-share and […]
