Tamil Nadu SIR: Special focus on VIPs | Powertrip #126

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, and Pooja Prasanna.In this edition, we tell you how and why the Election Commission of India is focusing on VVIPs and VIPs for the SIR in Tamil Nadu. In the second story, we bring you details about how the leadership change in the Karnataka government is panning out.Read the full newsletter for all the details. For those who can’t access the full newsletter, subscribe to TNM and get Powertrip in your inbox directly every Tuesday. .Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.SIR in TN: VVIPs and VIPs firstThe Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Tamil Nadu has faced stiff opposition from the ruling DMK and its allies. But on the ground, it is the Election Commission officials in the state who are struggling to handle the scale of the exercise.Officials say there are no clear instructions from the top on what needs to be done, and the directions keep changing every day. The main instruction, they say, seems to be: “Don’t miss any VIP”, as headlines about a VIP’s vote being deleted will not augur well for the commission. A special list prepared by the Election Commission has been given to the BLOs to ensure that the VVIPs and VIPs are included. Since the beginning of the exercise, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been visiting constituencies in Chennai with this VIP list. The authorities have also sought the help of local police to prepare a list of VVIPs and VIPs in their respective jurisdictions.Apart from avoiding embarrassment if a VIP’s name is removed, officials say there is another reason for the hyper-focus on VVIPs and VIPs. It is to ensure photo opportunities and project that despite opposition from political parties the EC’s controversial SIR is being received well in Tamil Nadu..Musical chair – on or off?The political temperature in Karnataka is rising, and all eyes are on November 14. The results from Bihar are expected that day, and within the Congress in Karnataka, leaders are reading those results as a signal for what could come next.For months now, the DK Shivakumar camp has been confidently saying that there will be a leadership change in the state soon after the Bihar polls. Their argument is simple: the party leadership had promised power rotation and they believe that time has come. People close to DKS say he fully expects the Congress high command to make him the next chief minister. Such is the confidence that he has reportedly stopped engaging with leaders who are voicing doubts or trying to position themselves as critics of a leadership shift.But that certainty does not reflect across the party. Speak to Siddaramaiah’s supporters and the message is different. For them, the question is not only whether Siddaramaiah should step aside, but also who the alternative should be. Names being floated include MB Patil and even Krishnabyregowda, whose supporters are pushing the idea of a Vokkaliga chief minister without committing to DK Shivakumar.Meanwhile in Delhi, senior Congress sources say the final word will rest with Rahul Gandhi.The high command wants a Cabinet reshuffle but DKS has been insisting that if that were to happen, the CM too should be changed.If Rahul conveys the decision, Siddaramaiah will not oppose it. For now, we hear Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, is throwing his weight behind DKS but if Rahul Gandhi decided otherwise, he too could back down.What is unclear is the timeline. There is talk that Rahul may travel after the Bihar election, which could push any leadership change into the end of 2025 or early 2026.The wait, for now, continues..Zero HourA political story of public importance.The most divisive Indian by Ramachandra Guha.It was LK Advani who showed the way for his junior colleagues in the BJP to win elections and form governments by setting Hindus against Muslims..PowermovesTop 5 political storiesAyodhya of the South – A timeline of ‘time immemorial’‘Hold Preamble, not lathi’: How the RSS is facing a new challenge in north KarnatakaCooperative scam allegations rock BJP in Kerala ahead of local body pollsPawan Kalyan warns of ‘Operation Kagar-like clampdown’ on red sanders smugglersBJP’s Bandi Sanjay calls Jubilee Hills bye-poll a ‘war’ between Hindus and Muslims

Tamil Nadu SIR: Special focus on VIPs | Powertrip #126

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