ELECTIONS

A few months ago, on my other blog, I wrote a post about Donald Trump, making less-than-gentle fun of the man. At the time, he didn't seem like much of a threat. I was fairly confident that Donald Trump had about as much chance of becoming president as a lemur had of learning to fly an aeroplane. It looks, however, as though it may be time to invent seatbelts for lemurs, though, because The Donald is looking like a serious presidential candidate. After several years of threats, Donald Trump has finally decided to run for presidential election. I don't know…

In the May 2016 elections, while Tamil Nadu recorded a polling percent of 73.85%, Chennai recorded only 60.5%. The pattern was similar in other metro cities. It was around 54% in Mumbai (2014) and Bangalore (2015), roughly 12-13% lower than the state average. The media, analyst and activists put the blame on urban citizens. But should we really judge by these figures? And even where turnout is in fact low, what are the real reasons behind the phenomenon? The problem of duplicate entries Vote Smart, a Bangalore based NGO run by PG Bhat, analyzed the electoral rolls using software. They…

Newly elected Mayor G Padmavathi is congratulated by fellow-corporators after she was elected as the Mayor. Pic: Akshatha M The BBMP council elected its 50th Mayor and Deputy Mayor amidst high-drama on September 28, 2016. (Wednesday). G Padmavathi (56), Congress corporator from Prakash Nagar ward was elected as the Mayor of Bengaluru and JD(S) corporator M Anand (53) from Radhakrishna Temple ward was unanimously elected as the Deputy Mayor. With it, the Congress and JD(S) coalition continues to rule the BBMP for one more year. In the backdrop of coalition of the two parties that continued in this election, it…

Initially, this piece had nothing to do with Donald Trump. It had nothing to with American politics whatsoever. I set out to write about my experience visiting an office and a local university in Bengaluru. I thought, maybe I will discuss outsourcing or the importance of community journalism. But once I started writing, what I needed to say became clear. I needed to write about Donald Trump. Last week I visited an American company whose Indian staff generates lecture and homework content for American universities. I talked with a group of employees. They asked how I was adjusting to life…

This election season, Citizen Matters Chennai conducted a survey to analyse the state of the affairs in various neighborhoods of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC),  which has thrown light on some interesting facts about the residents’ perception of local governance. The survey conducted by AskByPoll for Citizen Matters, was to understand the view of Chennaiites on public policy, local body representatives, quality of local governance, performance of MLAs, and important civic issues. Over 100 respondents from different parts of Chennai took part in the survey, out of which 15 percent were from the  extended areas  of the GCC. Around 68 percent…

Even as the AIADMK government assumed office with a historic second consecutive victory in the Assembly Elections, DMK swept Chennai, by winning 10 out of 16 seats. Another factor was anti-incumbency - except for Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, Kolathur, Royapuram, and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, none of the other constituencies in Chennai district saw the reelection of sitting MLAs. Was this expected? Yes, it was, for at least some poll analysts. Many constituencies in Chennai were not so happy with their MLAs’ performance during the last tenure. This was projected in a survey done in February by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/37594a1fa5d0467ebf72d714d23ee31e Chepauk-Triplicane constituency was formed by the merging of Chepauk and Triplicane- two localities in Central Chennai- as part of the delimitation process in 2008. Erstwhile Chepauk constituency was represented by DMK MLAs since 1977; whereas erstwhile Triplicane elected  DMK candidates in six out of nine elections. DMK President M. Karunanidhi was elected from here in 1996, 2001 and 2006 Assembly Elections.  J. Anbazhagan (DMK) is the incumbent MLA of this DMK stronghold. This constituency has over 2.5 lakh voters. Minority votes play a crucial role in this constituency, as over 25 per cent of voters belong…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/af8dc36ebe81deb00e29bc2e96947aae. Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar (R.K. Nagar) was with the DMK from 1977-89, but  has been a stronghold of AIADMK since 2001.The constituency has around 2.5 lakh voters, majority of them belonging to the lower income groups. RK Nagar constituency includes Korukkupet, Tondiarpet, New Washermenpet, Jeeva Nagar, Cherian Nagar, Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, and Kumarasamy Nagar. Despite all the buzz about being a high-profile constituency, civic issues including drinking water supply, healthcare, pollution, and sanitation remain the  main concerns of residents in RK Nagar. Candidates Jayalalithaa. J. (AIADMK) Shimla Muthuchozan (DMK) Agnes P. (PMK) Raja M.N (BJP) Vasanthi Devi…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/3a35085d38f71f53fc61c2c4a31bf3e7  Anna Nagar was a stronghold of DMK till the last elections. DMK was elected here in seven out of nine Assembly Elections since 1977, and M. Karunanidhi was the MLA of this constituency from 1977-84. This has changed since the last elections with the victory of AIADMK’s S.Gokul Indira, Minister for Handlooms and Textiles, by a margin of 35,000 votes. DMK is campaigning hard to win Anna Nagar back whereas AIADMK’s campaign focuses on J.Jayalalitha’s achievements in an attempt to retain the constituency. There are  around 2.83 lakh voters in Anna Nagar constituency this year.…