Sudha Murthy to receive Justice K.S. Hegde Award 2025
Ms. Murthy, founder of the Infosys Foundation and Chairperson of the Murthy Trust, is celebrated for her contributions to education, healthcare, and literature.
The award, named after former Lok Sabha Speaker Justice K.S. Hegde, honours individuals who exemplify justice, integrity, and public service.
Dignitaries including Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Dr. M. Shantharam Shetty will attend. Past recipients include Dr. Manmohan Singh, Medha Patkar, and Dr. Prakash Amte and Dr. Mandakini Amte.
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NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Nagaland Governor La Ganesan Dies At 80, PM Modi Calls Him "Devout Nationalist"
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed grief over the death of Tamil Nadu Governor La. Ganesan who passed away in Chennai at the age of 80. Taking to X, the Prime Minister wrote: "Pained by the passing of Nagaland Governor Thiru La. Ganesan Ji. He will be remembered as a devout nationalist, who dedicated his life to service and nation-building. He worked hard to expand the BJP across Tamil Nadu. He was deeply passionate about Tamil culture too. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti." La. Ganesan, a former Rajya Sabha MP, passed away in Chennai on Friday evening at the age of 80. He had been undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospitals for a serious head injury sustained after a fall at his residence at T. Nagar in Chennai on August 8. Despite intensive medical care and surgery, he breathed his last at 6.23 p.m. According to hospital sources, La Ganesan was found unconscious at home and rushed to the ICU. Doctors detected internal injuries caused by the fall, and although surgery was performed, his condition remained critical. Over the past week, his health continued to deteriorate until he succumbed to his injuries. Born in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, La. Ganesan began his political journey through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. Known for his organisational skills and unwavering loyalty to the party, he rose to become the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP and later represented Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha. Over the decades, he was actively involved in strengthening the BJP's base, especially in southern India, and was respected for his straightforward and disciplined approach. In August 2021, he was appointed Governor of Manipur, a post he held until February 2023. During this period, he was also entrusted with additional charge as the Governor of West Bengal between July and November 2022. On February 20, 2023, Ganesan assumed office as the 19th Governor of Nagaland, where he continued to serve until his demise. Throughout his gubernatorial assignments, Ganesan was seen as a steady Constitutional authority, maintaining cordial ties with state governments while upholding the Centre's directives. His tenure in Nagaland was marked by engagement with various stakeholders on developmental issues, and he was appreciated for his approachable demeanour.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Nagaland Governor La Ganesan Passes Away In Chennai At 80
Last Updated: Nagaland Governor La Ganesan died at 80 after a severe head injury. PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed condolences. Nagaland Governor La Ganesan passed away on Friday at the age of 80. He was undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in Chennai after sustaining a severe head injury reportedly by falling at his residence on August 8. After falling, Ganesan was rushed to the hospital, where doctors admitted him to the ICU to undergo intensive monitoring and treatment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of Ganesan and said that he would be remembered as a devout nationalist. 'Pained by the passing of Nagaland Governor Thiru La. Ganesan Ji. He will be remembered as a devout nationalist, who dedicated his life to service and nation-building. He worked hard to expand the BJP across Tamil Nadu. He was deeply passionate about Tamil culture too. My thoughts are with his family and admirers," PM Modi said in a post on X. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed grief over passing away of the BJP leader. 'Deeply anguished by the demise of Nagaland Governor Thiru La. Ganesan. He was deeply committed to public service and welfare of the people. La. Ganesan ji dedicated his life to expanding the BJP's footprint in Tamil Nadu. His contributions to the party and the public life will be always be remembered. My thoughts are with his family members, friends, and followers. Om Shanti!" he added. Who Was G Ganesan? A veteran politician, Ganesan held several key positions in the Bharatiya Janata Party during his long career, including serving as the Tamil Nadu BJP president. He was known for his organisational skills, grassroots connect, and steadfast loyalty to the party. Appointed as the Governor of Nagaland in February 2023, Ganesan had earlier served as the Governor of Manipur and held additional charge of West Bengal for a brief period. In 2017, Ganesan was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, following the appointment of the then MP, Najma Heptulla, as the Governor of Manipur. A native of Thanjavur district, Ganesan was a passionate admirer of Carnatic music and made it a point of attending the annual Thyagaraja Aradhana in Thiruvaiyaru. His association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) began in his school days, with his family being closely connected to the organisation, reported the Hindu. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Location : Nagaland, India, India First Published: News india Nagaland Governor La Ganesan Passes Away In Chennai At 80
India Today
9 hours ago
- India Today
Vice-president poll: How Modi's playbook defies pundits, past precedence
On a humid August morning in New Delhi, the usually business-like National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting ended with a consequential decision. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J.P. Nadda—who, as leader of the house in the Rajya Sabha, is central to the government's legislative strategy—were unanimously authorised to choose the alliance's nominee for the post of India's election, to be held on September 9, will be one of the rare instances wherein MPs from both houses of Parliament will vote together. Numbers matter in such contests, but in the current scenario, the NDA's advantage is so comfortable that the real exercise lies less in outmanoeuvring the Opposition and more in calibrating the BJP's political messaging—balancing region, caste, ideological roots and coalition arithmetic, and above all, shaping the upcoming election has been necessitated by the abrupt exit of Jagdeep Dhankhar as vice-president, citing health reasons. This mid-term vice-presidential poll will be only the second such instance in Indian NDA's combined strength in Parliament leaves little doubt about the outcome. In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP holds 102 seats, and along with allies—JD(U), AIADMK, TDP, NPF and others—commands around 132 of the 239 filled seats. Seven nominated members in the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote, further cementing the NDA's dominance. In the Lok Sabha, the BJP's 240 members and allies' 53-odd seats take the NDA tally to about 293 out of the current 542. When the two Houses vote together, the NDA crosses the simple majority threshold by a wide Opposition INDIA bloc, led by the Congress with 99 Lok Sabha MPs and supported by the likes of DMK, Trinamool Congress and the Left, would struggle to make a dent even with full numerical cushion allows Modi and Nadda to think beyond pure electoral calculus. The vice-president is the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, a role that demands both parliamentary authority and the ability to manage an often-fractious exit sparked speculation about whether he had been asked to leave for purportedly seeking to leverage his influence beyond the chair's remit. He has neither confirmed nor denied such Modi government is cautious about who now occupies this high chair, a position both constitutionally significant and politically sensitive. There is no precedent or rule mandating that the vice-president be chosen from among politicians, governors or cabinet ministers; past holders of the office have come from diverse craftIn the past decade, the BJP has used such appointments to expand its footprint into newer regions or communities. In 2017, when the party chose Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit from Uttar Pradesh, as the president of India, it paired him with M. Venkaiah Naidu from Andhra Pradesh as vice-president, symbolically marrying the North and the 2022, the elevation of Odisha's tribal leader Droupadi Murmu to the presidency was matched by Jagdeep Dhankhar, a Jat leader from Rajasthan, as vice-president. This rotation logic, covering different geographies, castes and communities, has become an unwritten rule. But this time, the situation is more complex since the BJP is also preparing to choose a new national president and overhaul its organisational BJP's experience with Dhankhar—an outsider to the Sangh Parivar ranks—and earlier with the late Satya Pal Malik, a governor who turned sharply critical after his tenure, has strengthened the view within a section of the party that such constitutional posts should go to insiders with proven ideological loyalty. This lobby argues that the new vice-president should be a consensus-builder, but firmly rooted in the BJP-RSS reasoning weakens the case for Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan, whose supporters argue that his elevation could appeal to moderate Muslims. It also complicates the prospects of Harivansh Narayan Singh, the JD(U) MP from Bihar and current deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha. A seasoned journalist-turned-parliamentarian, Singh enjoys cordial relations across party lines and has shown skill in running the Upper 2022, when Nitish Kumar quit the NDA and pressured Harivansh Singh to follow suit, he refused. When Nitish rejoined the NDA in 2024, Singh played a pivotal role in smoothing the transition. His candidacy would please Nitish, but Bihar's placement in the East—already represented in recent years by Kovind and Murmu—weakens Singh's case. Besides, Singh lacks an RSS background and the BJP has had mixed experiences with other names under serious consideration carry long association with the Sangh Parivar. C.P. Radhakrishnan, the governor of Maharashtra, is a veteran from Tamil Nadu who has served as prant sanghchalak of the RSS from 1993 to 1998. He twice represented Coimbatore in the Lok Sabha, has been president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, and belongs to the OBC Gounder elevation would strengthen the BJP's southern outreach—a region where it has been investing heavily—and provide symbolic representation to a backward caste group in the Dravidian politics-dominated Tamil Nadu. However, his long gubernatorial stint away from Parliament means he would need to reacquaint himself quickly with the procedural demands of chairing the Rajya Chand Gehlot, currently governor of Karnataka, is another RSS-bred leader with deep roots in the BJP organisation. A senior Dalit leader from Madhya Pradesh, Gehlot served multiple terms in the Lok Sabha before moving to the Rajya Sabha, where he was leader of the house, and has been a cabinet minister in the Modi government. Administrative experience, legislative acumen and community background make him an attractive candidate, particularly for consolidating Dalit support in the Hindi heartland. Gehlot's main drawback is his age—at 77, the leadership may consider whether a younger figure could better serve a full term and connect with emerging at your own riskPredicting the prime minister's choice is always a fraught exercise. Modi's playbook is marked by surprise, picking candidates who defy conventional arithmetic, overturning pundits' expectations and reframing the debate on his own terms. In the past, appointments that seemed obvious from a numbers or alliance perspective have been bypassed in favour of names that better serve a longer-term strategic unpredictability is part of Modi's political craft, ensuring both his allies and adversaries remain second-guessing. There had been conversation of bringing in women candidates from within the NDA, especially from the Union cabinet. However, with the country already having a woman president in Murmu, the idea fizzled is no set precedent as to who can be nominated to be elected to the vice-presidential office; it could be someone with experience as a governor, Union minister, a professional or academic of repute or even an ex-diplomat. This flexibility allows Modi to think and position the ideological pivot for the looming element of surprise also means reading too much into any probable shortlist could be misleading. What appears to be a choice between alliance management, ideological consolidation or geographic outreach could be masking an entirely different has repeatedly shown that he values signalling—not just to Parliament or party cadre but to the electorate at large—and that the symbolism of an appointment can be as important as its operational utility. The only difference this time could be that he would have to take the Sangh's aspirations into of narrativesIn weighing these options, the BJP faces a choice between alliance management and organisational consolidation, geographic outreach and ideological loyalty. Harivansh Singh would underscore coalition stability; Radhakrishnan would boost the party's southern push; Gehlot would reaffirm Dalit representation and seasoned parliamentary leadership. The decision will be read not just as a personal choice but as a reflection of Modi's broader political had been pushing for more representations for the marginal communities, women, farmers, OBCs, tribals and Dalits; his choices for the top offices often came with these combinations. Radhakrishan comes from the South Indian OBC community of Gounders. The party tried heavily to win over the community with K. Annamalai. The push halted after the BJP decided to go for an alliance with the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-led AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. Palaniswami incidentally belongs to the same Opposition will most certainly field a candidate, aiming to build on a narrative to corner the NDA's politics. The INDIA bloc is reportedly looking to announce its candidate after the NDA does. But given the NDA's numbers, the contest will be ceremonial. The BJP's pick will speak volumes about its strategy, future ambitions and the balance it seeks between ideology, outreach and control. The country will soon know who will wrestle for the second highest office in the country. And what Modi's choice to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
