This is a decisive mandate in favour of Pinarayi Vijayan and his CPM-led government. It’s imp should be viewed in the context that no sitting CM in Kerala was able to get such a result in last four decades.
In fact, so confident was him that he had started work on his swearing-in ceremony yesterday itself. Vijayan 2.0 should take this as a mandate to provide a strong govt. His calculation, but, on the new alliance power by bringing Jose K Mani to the fold failed. Mani is trailing
Biggest loser candidate is perhaps BJP Kerala President K Surendran. By choosing to contest from two seats, he is facing a double-whammy by trailing in both seats. In one of them, Konni (the seat of Sabarimala) he is likely to end up as third. It underscores his standing.
Congress is routed, like Napoleon out of Moscow.
In seats where the competition was a direct fight btw Congress and CPM, the latter has done extremely well. Like Wadakkanchery in Thrissur where CPM has won only twice in 40 years and where CPM, CPM is winning with 10k+ margin.
Nearly all glamorous candidates of Congress are seen struggling. Even Oommen Chandy, its face& former CM, who has not lost an election in 50 yrs, is facing a slump in lead. It is, but, saved by the strike rate of Muslim League. Where’s the political presence of Congress?
BJP’s two leading candidates are instructive. They are ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan in Palakkad& actor Suresh Gopi Thrissur. Both are in a way political outsiders and were able to get votes beyond the party’s core base. BJP might also win Nemom, its sitting seat, under Kummanam.
The red wave has regional variations. Jose K Mani, the newest alliance partner of the CPM is defeated. Double whammy for him since he resigned as Rajya Sabha MP. His opponent couldn’t have done this w/o support from Mani Congress supporters. What’s his future going to be?
BJP is now leading in only one seat: E Sreedharan from Palakkad.
They weaponised Sabarimala, but forgot to earn the respect of the voter.
E Sreedharan, the lone BJP leader who was leading for sometime is now trailing against Congress’ sitting MLA Shafi Parambil. Shafi is expected to continue the lead in the pockets that are to be counted next.
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Raghuram Rajan (in a webinar today): Young people without jobs can be diverted to be this and that for a little while. But they are going to come to the streets if we don’t create jobs. We can use social media, fake news to divert things. But eventually, it is going to fail
On Atmanirbhar Bharat: I don’t know what it is... I want to believe it is the variation of the same (Make In India) theme... (But) if the focus is on import substitution by erecting tariffs then I think it is a direction we have tried before and failed.
On Rating agencies: We can’t be wedded to rating.. I’m not someone who dismisses them.. Part of the prob is we are very good at overspending money in good times...What's the worst if rating agencies downgrade us.. Our prob is money coming in, not money going out..
We see that YouTube, FB etc have created a place for misogyny to hide and thrive. We name it. But we don't stop it. Three women in Kerala are done with being polite. Ystdy, they barged into a lodge from where a man was posting vids like "do feminists wear underwear"& punched him.
The women are on the pg 1 of probably every newspaper in Kerala today: dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi, activists and former Bigg Boss contestants Diya Sana& Sreelakshmi Arackal. They threw ink& itching powder at him, and created a spectacle by live-streaming the whole thing on FB.
Kerala's social media is split on these bold women& their unchecked rage. But it for sure made a point agnst the unchecked violence by men. Better than watching 'Social Dilemma' on Netflix?
Meanwhile, they now face probe under unbailable charges based on the complaint by the man
PR Krishnakumar of Coimbatore AryaVaidya Pharmacy has passed away. We shared a puzzling bond; one that had no reason to exist other than his curiosity to connect with young people. It also belied my youthful rage that all great men are ego-maniacs. This is how we met: Thread
My father used to have a low-profile work under him in the Coimbatore AVP temple. Once, dad spotted Michel Danino's name in the temple premises and told someone that he had seen this name in a book on my table. Krishnakumar overheard my dad. He asked to meet me.
To be honest, in my youthful zest, I had hated this. Felt like the Padma Shri recipient is throwing his weight around by kind of summoning me. I was in college, all of 18 or 19 then. Still, on my dad's prodding, I boarded a train from our hometown Calicut to Coimbatore.
S.India's small factories are struggling to unlock w/o migrant workers.
Employers are doing everything they can to return migrants.
Some are booking flights. Many are booking buses. Everybody is praying for the return of the trains. livemint.com/companies/news…
I spoke to southern small-biz employers— from Perumbavoor to Tirupur to Peenya—who spent Rs.6k-10k to return their workers from North& North-Eastern states. They offered free flights, buses, accommodation& food.
Shows the hidden costs of not having a public transport.
Unfortunately this news has nothing to do with #RheaChakraborty, otherwise perhaps the news channels would've told us how these workers are coping up w/o work 🤷🏾♂️
#AirIndiacrash: 17 dead, rescue operation completed, says #Kozhikode collector Sambasiva Rao: "Rescue operation is completed and all the passengers are taken into safe custody. Out of 190, 110 people are admitted into 7 hospitals in Kozhikode. In that, 11 deaths occurred." 1/4
Collector: Remaining 80 people are admitted in Malappuram hospitals. In that, 6 deaths occurred. (the patients are being admitted to 13 hospitals). Most of those in the front rows seem to be severely injured... (Of the patients) there are a few serious cases also
2/4
Collector: Within one and half hours we have rescued everyone. We received more than a hundred ambulances from different districts from Kannur to Thrissur, in addition to Malappuram and Kozhikode
An Air India Express evacuation flight from Dubai with nearly 150 passengers skidded off on the runway while landing at Calicut International Airport, according to initial reports.
180 passengers, say some other reports. No official confirmation on causality or injured yet
174 passengers and 10 kids and six cabin crew members as per initial reports, according to Kondotty MLA Ibrahim. Injured are being admitted to private hospital in nearby Kondotty town, he said. Ambulances and police officials being rushed to the site from Malappuram and Kozhikode