Articles by Laasya Shekhar

Kameela Nasser is an eloquent woman. A contestant from Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), Kameela’s confidence and firm grip over grassroots level issues are rare in a newcomer to politics. Contesting from Chennai Central Parliamentary constituency, Kameela is fighting it out against big names: PMK (alliance with AIADMK)’s Sam Paul and DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran. A film producer, and wife of character artist Nasser, Kameela has been part of Kamal Hassan’s MNM for over eight months now. In a detailed interview with Citizen Matters Chennai, Kameela talks about her life before politics, the campaign trial and the pressing concerns in the constituency of…

Alagaapuram R Mohanraj, contesting from Chennai North Parliamentary constituency on a DMDK ticket, is optimistic: he feels all is well in the constituency. With barely six days left for the constituency to vote in the Lok Sabha elections, Mohanraj is on the streets for more than 13 hours a day, and the success of schemes implemented by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are a frequent refrain in his campaign speeches. The DMDK is part of the mega alliance with parties such as AIADMK, BJP and PMK. In a freewheeling interview, Mohanraj, a former Salem MLA,…

Chennai Central Parliamentary constituency is comprised of six assembly constituencies -- Villivakkam, Egmore (SC), Harbour, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Thousand Lights and Anna Nagar.   Chennai Central is a constituency of extremes: it has some of the city's richest localities such as Central and Anna Nagar, and within a few metres are the slum pockets of GH quarters and Aminjikarai. There is cultural diversity as well as the constituency sizeable Hindi and Urdu speaking population, apart from Telugus and Malayalis.  It also has a significant Muslim population of over 2 lakhs in Chepauk - Triplicane and Egmore assembly constituencies. Contestants therefore must come…

A second time MP, Dr Naramalli Sivaprasad is a versatile personality. A theatre-artist, actor, film producer and two-time MP from the Chittoor Constituency, Sivaprasad is known for dressing up as various characters in Parliament to draw attention to issues. Dressed on various occasions as characters as diverse as Adolf Hitler, Chatrapathi Shivaji and MG Ramachandran, the MP staged protests demanding special packages for Andhra Pradesh. While his appearances as a theatre artist have hogged headlines, his recorded attendance and engagement as Member of Parliament on the floor of the House leave much to be desired.  In the 2014 elections, Sivaprasad…

Dr Naramalli Sivaprasad, two-time Member of Parliament from Chittoor constituency is seeking a third term. A theatre artist turned politician, Dr Siva Prasad of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is more famous for his costumes and theatrics in Parliament, as he has been seen dressed up as various mythological and historical characters. His whirlwind campaign across Chittoor district drew a significant crowd, which both applauded and criticised his theatrics in Parliament. At the end of one such crowd pulling campaign, we met MP Sivaprasad for a chat on his plans for Chittoor city and where he wants to see it…

With a red and black shawl over her shoulders and a warm smile, Thamizhachi Thangapandian walks the streets of Medavakkam on Tuesday, April 2 2019. She initiates a friendly conversation with the women, tastes the Kara Kuzhambu in one of the houses and listens attentively to their  problems. She assures that she will transform the locality if elected to power. A writer, poet and academician, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) camdidate Thamizhachi Thangapandian is fighting her first Lok Sabha election from Chennai South. She is campaigning vigorously -- both online and offline; her Facebook page is filled with updates about her…

Chennai South Parliamentary constituency comprises six assembly constituencies: Mylapore, Saidapet, Virugambakkam, Velachery, Sholinganallur and Theagaraya Nagar. It is a diverse constituency, with many contrasts: it has high-profile localities such as Sholinganallur, the IT hub of the state and lower socio-economic localities such as Nochikuppam in Mylapore assembly constituency. A total of 40 candidates are contesting from various political parties and as independents from Chennai South. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected 27 applications for the constituency, while two of them withdrew after filing the nominations. According to the ECI website, the constituency has a total of 19,73315 voters:…

A first time Lok Sabha MP representing Chennai Central constituency, S R Vijaya Kumar is known for his impeccable record in Parliament. Chennai Central constituency consists of six assembly constituencies -- Villivakkam, Harbour, Egmore, Anna Nagar, Thousand Lights and Chepauk - Thiruvallikeni. S R Vijaya Kumar, 44 is an Advocate at the Madras High Court. He is an economics graduate from Kandaswamy Naidu College (1993-96). After completing a degree in Law from Dr Ambedkar Government Law College in 2001, Vijaya Kumar started practising at the Madras High Court.  In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Vijay Kumar (AIADMK) defeated Dayanidhi (DMK)…

In the financial year 2016 -17, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC), a liquor entity owned by the state government had a turnover of Rs 31, 247.53 Crore and earned a profit of Rs 25.23 crores as mentioned in its annual report. This was after temporarily closing 3321 TASMAC outlets following the Supreme Court’s order of relocating the shops, situated within a distance of 220 meters from the highways. But while the government that is reaping crores of rupees in profits from liquor sales, is it doing quite enough to rehabilitate addicts? Tamil Nadu is among the top…

On World Water Day, conservation is the buzzword. The Internet is flooded with tips on how to conserve water and the need to focus on water as a scarce resource. Many resident welfare associations in Chennai are organising awareness sessions to educate people about water economics. But, ironically perhaps, World Water Day this year has come just a day after Holi, exposing the huge gaps in awareness and responsibility among many sections of the people, still. Just a day ago, the city celebrated Holi in a grand manner, but wasted gallons of water in the process, creating artificial rain. “The…