All stories by N Sathiya Moorthy
Can the EC fight Tamil Nadu's 'cash-for-votes' frenzy?
Rediff.com27 Apr 2016The EC's actions remain to be seen on 'money-hoarding and transportation' for poll-time use. The question remains if the polity in the state would push the EC so far as to use the countermanding option. Even then EC would have to push its constitutional powers to find a way to prevent 'money-power' in the state's elections, says N Sathiya Moorthy
Coalition conundrum cuts into candidates' campaign time in TN
Rediff.com17 Mar 2016The deadlock over finalising alliances has had a deleterious effect on the candidates of every party. The delay in alliance conclusion has also sent out confusing signals to the grass-roots who are unsure who will be their party candidate, or which party within an alliance will be allotted a particular constituency, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Pan-Tamil issues have long since outlived their electoral utility
Rediff.com8 Mar 2016As political rivals clamour to retain their pan-Tamil credentials, the BJP may use the 'nationalist' card to even the odds in its favour, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
TN may have the answer for fishermen issue, but what about funds?
Rediff.com22 Feb 2016It maybe time for the Centre to take a closer look at Chief Minister Jayalalitha's innovative' solution to a long-pending problem, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Was there a strategy behind Modi's silence on Dravida parties in Coimbatore?
Rediff.com5 Feb 2016Modi's non-reference could also imply that the BJP may be keeping its alliance options open vis--vis the AIADMK. It could also imply that the BJP's national leadership had not given up on the DMK returning to power in the state post-poll, and the Centre having to do business with a new government in Fort St George, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
SC will have to grapple with ticklish socio-political issues over jallikattu
Rediff.com20 Jan 2016The situation is unlike any other legislation/ordinance that governments at the Centre and states had passed on earlier occasions after the higher judiciary had held certain laws, orders or decisions ultra vires of the Constitution, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Swing voter' mood will guide alliance decisions in Tamil Nadu
Rediff.com13 Jan 2016Tamil Nadu has around 30 per cent or more of 'swing voters', and it is this segment that will swing the pre-poll alliance decision, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Will the floods muddy TN's water row?
Rediff.com17 Dec 2015N Sathiya Moorthy explains how the recent floods may complicate the Cauvery issue among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala
When Chennai floods forced Chief Minister MGR to shift homes
Rediff.com8 Dec 2015For all the blame-game over the flood preparedness in Chennai and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, this is not the first of its kind. Nor would it be the last, given the nature of the north-east monsoon, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
DMK and the Rising Son, version 2.0
Rediff.com1 Oct 2015Stalin has started campaigning in the name of father Karunanidhi as the party's CM's candidate, but does not seem to have given up hope.
Who will benefit from a BJP-DMDK tieup in TN polls
Rediff.com16 Sep 2015Subramanian Swamy stole the BJP thunder in Tamil Nadu by meeting DMDK's Vijaykanth in Chennai, and his efforts seem to have paid off, at least in the interim, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Early polls likely for TN assembly?
Rediff.com25 Aug 2015Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK may choose to capitalise on the confusion within opposition ranks and hope to ride to power on Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's popularity, writes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rajapaksa concedes battle again, but the war may still remain
Rediff.com18 Aug 2015Unlike in the presidential polls, victory might not have been complete, at least as yet, for Mahinda Rajapaksa's electoral rivals. While his one-time aide and confidant, Maithripala Sirisena, became president without any issues after defeating him, incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who again may not command an absolute majority in the 225-member parliament, would have to count on his 'national government' concept to carry the day and the nation with him, this time round, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Will BJP go the Congress way in Tamil Nadu?
Rediff.com12 Aug 2015Narendra Modi's meeting with J Jayalalithaa in Chennai has set the rumour mills abuzz. Will the Tamil Nadu chief minister ally with the BJP ahead of the 2016 polls, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Gandhian's death puts prohibition firmly on TN political agenda
Rediff.com5 Aug 2015Protester Sasi Perumal's death has given a new fillip to the pro-prohibition movement, which was beginning to draw attention across Tamil Nadu after different political parties began to make it a part of their poll manifesto for next year, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Why 'prohibition' could be the buzzword in Tamil Nadu's assembly polls
Rediff.com22 Jul 2015The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam might have been pushed into a corner to come up with a prohibition policy of its own, if only to create the right atmosphere for talking about an Opposition coalition in the state, says N Sathiya Moorthy
Assets case: SC may yet create problems for Jaya
Rediff.com23 Jun 2015A case that J Jayalalitha 'does not want' is back and in the Supreme Court. N Sathiya Moorthy reports on the possible repercussions of the disproportionate assets case on Tamil Nadu politics.
BJP remains ambivalent as Jaya awaits runaway victory in by-poll
Rediff.com11 Jun 2015Even as political parties in TN have decided not to field a candidate against CM Jayalalithaa in the assembly by-election, the BJP's ambivalence has shown up once again.
Can Karnataka's decision to move SC against acquittal thwart Jaya's plans?
Rediff.com1 Jun 2015Karnataka's SLP against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's acquittal has as much for the legal community across the country, as its electoral fallout may have for the political fraternity, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
For Jayalalithaa, the ball is in Karnataka's court
Rediff.com23 May 2015The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's celebrations on amma's return are peppered with possibilities, probabilities and problems of one kind or the other, says N Sathiya Moorthy