The politics of forming India's next government could come down to how many seats a 1960s matinee siren can wrest from a rival named Stalin.
At stake are 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu, a southern state known for its ancient Hindu temples, its modern auto industry - and a history of electoral landslides.
With pollsters predicting that no party will win a majority in the 543-seat parliament, the caucus returned by India's sixth-largest state could hold the key to forming a government after the five-week general election that starts on April 7.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram - or 'Jaya' to her fans - is riding a wave of popularity that could take her AIADMK party's seat count to 27, according to one survey, potentially casting her in a new role as national powerbroker.
Her party is one of many regional groups whose proliferation over the past two decades has made it impossible for national parties to rule alone in India. Two more are led by female firebrands, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh.
The portly, fair-skinned Jayalalithaa bears little resemblance to the singing, dancing heroine of 1960s Tamil cinema. But, at 68, she is probably more popular than she has ever been. Full story...
Related posts:
At stake are 39 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu, a southern state known for its ancient Hindu temples, its modern auto industry - and a history of electoral landslides.
With pollsters predicting that no party will win a majority in the 543-seat parliament, the caucus returned by India's sixth-largest state could hold the key to forming a government after the five-week general election that starts on April 7.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram - or 'Jaya' to her fans - is riding a wave of popularity that could take her AIADMK party's seat count to 27, according to one survey, potentially casting her in a new role as national powerbroker.
Her party is one of many regional groups whose proliferation over the past two decades has made it impossible for national parties to rule alone in India. Two more are led by female firebrands, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh.
The portly, fair-skinned Jayalalithaa bears little resemblance to the singing, dancing heroine of 1960s Tamil cinema. But, at 68, she is probably more popular than she has ever been. Full story...
Related posts:
- Why decision to free Rajiv Gandhi killers is a political masterstroke...
- After the big idli hit, Tamil Nadu's Jayalalithaa offers veggies, "Amma"
- Tamil Nadu's Jayalalitha dishes out free rice, free gold after election triumph...
- India and the illusion of democracy...
- Elections Bollywood style: India's chutney democracy...
No comments:
Post a Comment