TMC MPs give notices in LS, RS to discuss 'voter disenfranchisement'
New Delhi (PTI): Trinamool Congress MPs have given notices in both Houses of Parliament to discuss "voter disenfranchisement", sources said on Monday.
In the Lok Sabha, senior party leader Saugata Roy has submitted an adjournment motion notice demanding a debate on the issue. In the Rajya Sabha, MPs Nadimul Haque and Saket Gokhale have given notices under Rule 267, sources said.
The move comes as the opposition cries foul over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five states -- including West Bengal -- that are heading to Assembly elections.
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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been vocal in its opposition to the manner in which the SIR exercise is being carried out.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been sitting on a dharna in Kolkata since Friday to protest against the SIR campaign.
According to official data released on February 28, as many as 63.66 lakh names, or around 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted since the SIR process began in West Bengal in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
In addition, over 60.06 lakh electors have been placed under the "under adjudication" category, which means their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.
The second half of the Budget session of Parliament is set for a stormy start on Monday, with the Lok Sabha scheduled to take up an opposition-sponsored resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.
The ongoing conflict in West Asia is also likely to figure prominently as the opposition is already attacking the government over its stance towards Iran, and the US "waiver" on India's Russian oil purchase, among other issues.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement in the Lok Sabha regarding the "Situation in West Asia", according to a revised list of business of the Lower House for March 9 circulated on Sunday evening.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
