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Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
P.V. Anvar jumps into fray in Kerala's Nilambur bypoll - as Trinamool Congress candidate
Making the contest in Kerala's Nilambur bypoll multi-cornered, its former MLA P.V. Anvar again jumped into the fray - as the candidate of the Trinamool Congress. West Bengal's ruling Trinamool on Sunday announced the name of Anvar as its candidate for the bypoll slated to be held on June 19. Anvar is a two-time former Left Democratic Front-backed Independent candidate from the same constituency, whose resignation prompted the bypoll. "Under the inspiration and guidance of Hon'ble Chairperson Smt. Mamata Banerjee, we are pleased to announce the All India Trinamool Congress candidate for the impending Kerala Legislative By-election scheduled for 19th June, 2025," the Trinamool said in a statement. In October last year, Anvar severed his ties with the Left Front Democratic Front after a heated spat with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and floated a new political party christened the Democratic Movement of Kerala. Later, the new political outfit merged with the Trinamool, and Anvar also resigned as a legislator. The announcement puts an end to days of political speculation over Anvar, who had also approached the Congress-led United Democratic Front, but an agreement could not be reached. Anvar's candidacy has stirred interest in Kerala's political circles, particularly after his earlier statement on Saturday declaring that he would not enter the fray. Citing financial constraints, Anvar remarked that he lacked the crores of rupees typically needed for an election campaign and had no plans to contest. He also dismissed any political ties with the UDF. However, in a surprising shift later the same day, Anvar appeared to reconsider his decision. 'What can I do if so many common workers come to visit me with Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, pleading with me to contest?' he said, suggesting mounting grassroots pressure had influenced his change of heart. Adding intrigue to the unfolding developments, Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkoottathil paid a late-night visit to Anvar's residence in Malappuram on Saturday. While the content of their discussion remains undisclosed, confirmation of Anvar's candidacy surfaced within hours of their meeting, fuelling speculation about behind-the-scenes political negotiations. Anvar has also been engaged in earlier talks with the UDF regarding the Trinamool's potential inclusion in the alliance. Although Congress leaders reportedly offered the Trinamool associate membership status, Anvar rejected the offer, insisting instead on full membership for his party. The stalemate over this demand had cast uncertainty over his political direction -- until now. Anvar, known for his unpredictability and populist appeal, appears poised for a high-stakes return to electoral politics in Nilambur. With the Trinamool banking on his local clout and grassroots connect, the Nilambur by-election is likely to witness a keenly watched political battle. The Congress has fielded Aryadan Shoukath, whose father Aryadan Mohammed had represented the seat for a record eight terms till 2016 when he announced his retirement. However, Shoukath had lost the seat to Anvar in 2016. The CPI-M candidate is state Secretariat member M. Swaraj, and the BJP has fielded Mohan George. With Anvar's candidature, the Trinamool will be contesting from two of the five Assembly constituencies in four states that will be going for bypolls on June 19, one being Nilambur and the other being Kaliganj in Nadia district of West Bengal. In Kaliganj, it has fielded Alifa Ahmed, the daughter of the sitting party legislator, Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose sudden demise in February this year necessitated the bypolls. The three other assembly constituencies where by-polls will be held on June 19 are Kadi and Visavdar in Gujarat and Ludhiana West in Punjab. The Trinamool Congress had earlier made attempts to expand the party's base outside West Bengal, and then the party leadership mainly concentrated on states in the northeast like Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya. However, the electoral results were disastrous for the party.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Singapore Open 2025: Sindhu enters second round; Prannoy beats Gemke
P.V. Sindhu entered the second round of the Singapore Open 2025 after beating Wen Yu Zhang in the opener on Tuesday. The two-time Olympic medallist defeated her Canadian opponent 21-14, 21-9 in just 31 minutes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. In men's singles, HS Prannoy got the better of Denmark's Rasmus Gemke 19-21, 21-16, 21-14, to enter the round of 16. Anmol Kharb faced a tough first-round draw against Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Chen Yu Fei. She fought hard in the second game but lost 11-21, 22-24. Malvika Bansod took the first game against Supanida Katethong but couldn't hold on, eventually losing 21-14, 18-21, 11-21. Rakshitha Ramraj was beaten by Kodai Naraoka in straight games, 14-21, 8-21, in a 30-minute encounter. The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Krasto was knocked out in the first round by China's Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi, losing 18-21, 13-21. Another Indian mixed doubles team, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, lost to Japan's Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara 11-21, 17-21. Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George also failed to reach the second round. Kiran lost in straight games to Weng Hong Yang 19-21, 17-21. Priyanshu took the first game against Japan's Kodai Naraoka, but Naraoka rallied to win 14-21, 21-10, 21-14. In women's doubles, Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam were brushed aside by South Korea's Baek Ha-na and Lee So Hee, 4-21, 9-21.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- The Hindu
CSR funds scam: HC directs accused to approach SPC to club cases
The Kerala High Court has asked K.N. Ananda Kumar, accused in the CSR funds scam cases, to submit a representation to the State Police Chief (SPC) within two weeks seeking to club various cheating cases registered against him in various parts of the State and tag all of them with the one registered at the Karamana police station in Thiruvananthapuram. Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan also directed the SPC to take steps on the representation in accordance with the law within a month of receiving it. The court passed the order on Tuesday on a petition filed by the accused seeking to tag all cases with the case registered in Thiruvananthapuram. The accused also sought a directive to the investigating officer to remand the accused through videoconferencing. According to him, several cases are registered against the petitioner and other accused at different parts of the State in connection with the CSR funds scam. The petitioner is aged 70 years. He is in jail now. In fact, the allegation against the petitioner in all the cases is one and the same.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Letters to The Editor — May 21, 2025
NEET-UG and conduct I write this letter as a former Director of Entrance Exams and Admission, Anna University, Chennai. The NEET-UG 2025 has had fewer 'irregularities' this time when compared to its earlier editions, especially last year. Question paper leaks, impersonation and outsourcing of the key from outside an exam hall are some of the malpractices. Anna University Chennai, which admitted students to all of its programmes after an entrance test, eliminated all such malpractices. The question papers were objective type, with four answers for each question (one correct answer and three distractors). The so-called jumbling of questions was done most effectively. The jumbling (changing the order of occurrence) of questions in NEET-UG is of two stages: jumbling the sections of the paper, and jumbling the questions within each section. In total, four versions of the question paper are used. During my tenure at Anna University, there were at least five versions of question papers. The candidate was not told which version he/she was using. Electronically, the version would be captured from the serial number of the question booklet and the OMR sheet. When it comes to the jumbling of questions, not only were the questions jumbled but even the answers were too. The National Testing Agency (NTA) can consider the jumbling of answers in the next NEET-UG. P.V. Navaneethakrishnan, Chennai
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Over 2,600 uncertified hand blenders worth ₹77 lakh seized in Hyderabad
The officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Hyderabad branch, carried out a search and seizure operation at a factory outlet in Basheerbagh on Tuesday, unearthing a violation of safety and certification norms. During the raid, BIS officials seized 2,635 hand-held blenders valued at approximately ₹77 lakh. The products were being stored and offered for sale without the mandatory BIS certification and ISI mark, a clear breach of the BIS Act, 2016. The seized blenders fall under the scope of IS 302 (Part 2/Section 14), a standard made compulsory through a Quality Control Order (QCO) issued by the Government of India effective May 1, 2019. The regulation ensures the safety of electric kitchen appliances used in households, said a release. 'This is not just a legal violation but a serious safety risk for consumers,' said P.V. Srikanth, Director and Head of BIS Hyderabad. He added that selling uncertified electrical appliances undermines public trust and endangers lives.
