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Disclaimer: The following is my view on the present political scenario in Tamil nadu. It might not be in conformance with actual ground realities. So, beware :)

Will Vaiyapuri's joining Komalavalli change anything this time in Tamil nadu's assembly elections? Wondering who Vaiyapuri and Komalavalli are? Ofcourse I am talking about our dear Vaiko and Jayalalitha. It was a little while ago that I came to know their real names. My view: Nothing might have changed with respect to poll arithmetic, but it has had an effect on the enthusiasm and confidence levels on either side. It is a little hard to digest that Vaiko can join hands with someone who put him behind bars for almost 18 months. But then, this is politics and in the words of a wise man - "Arasiyal-la idhellam sagajamappa" ( Things like this happen in Politics).

I feel that AIADMK alliance started the campaign with a distinct edge over the DMK alliance. With Vaiko's fiery speeches and Jaya's development plank, their campaign seemed to be reaching the people. But being the shrewd and wise man that he is, Karunanidhi came up with the Rs.2 rice and color TV scheme. Impractical as it may sound, people started to take notice. And the AIADMK camp couldn't ignore this fact. This led to a slew of concessions from each side with Jayalalithaa announcing 10 kgs of free rice and Vijayakanth announcing 15 kgs of free rice through the PDS. It didnt stop there. Vijayakanth has announced a free cow to each household and also Rs. 500 every month to every house-wife. At that point, I felt that the AIADMK alliance was loosing out on the advantage that it held. The DMK alliance seemed to be catching up.

But, in the last 2 days, something else has come up. The news about Dayanidhi Maran allegedly pressuring the Tatas to give Sun TV a stake in the DTH venture that they have started in alliance with the Star network. The newspaper reports say that Maran had blackmailed the Tatas to give up a 33% stake or face consequences. This is a serious charge and as expected Jayalalithaa is bound to exploit this situation. Let's see if this could really change anything.

This election is going to be nail-biter and both the alliances are going to fight to the finish. Let's see what happens. Personally, I am in favor of a 3rd term for Jayalalithaa this time. Let' see....

Vote for ... (1)

Its election time back home in Tamil nadu. Its that time of the year when people will get to see someone they will not see for another five years (Hehehe .. Ofcourse, I was referring to the MLAs).

To me elections are as interesting as the World Cup cricket matches. I'm hooked on to the TV news, newspapers, talk shows and any other source of election news. Many years back, the duo of Pranoy Roy and Vinod Dua would host the election special programmes. They would come up with Pie-charts and statistics interspersed with interviews with politicians. I dont know why and how, but I was somehow very fascinated by all this and the fascination continues to date.

I remember my first experience of voting in an election. There were no voter ID cards at that time. I dont even remember if they asked us for identification. I voted for the DMK and they won. Sadly, that was the last time I voted too. I have been out of Coimbatore ever since.

Elections are a season of surprises and promises. And this election is no different. We have seen some parties walk across alliances like they had a pedestrian crossing between them. Not much effort is needed for people to jump from one side to another. Then, there's the mud slinging among the politicians. If you've ever been to a road side election meeting, you will know what I am talking about. The speakers (mostly ward or block level leaders or sometimes even 'professional speakers') reserve the choicest of words to describe their opponents. And promises... dont even get me started on that. Parties and candidates will promise you the moon. They do it election after election and always seem to get away with it.

Sadly, many people dont care about elections and simply dont vote because they have lost faith in the entire process. To them, the elections are just a farce and feel that it wouldnt really change anything. For many others, its the payback time. They try to get as much out of a candidate in forms of gifts (which range from Biriyani packets to liquor to utensils and clothes). This is their way of getting something out of the candidates who end up robbing them for the next five years.

To be contd... (Have to run now.. Been invited to dinner somewhere :))

Sleepless in Seattle..

How much I tried not to use this title!! I knew that it would be the most banal and hackneyed expression that one could use when living in Seattle. But, I simply couldn't resist it. So, forgive me for that. (Quick update: In the past 6 non-blogging months of my life, I completed my Masters degree, found myself a job with Microsoft and moved to Seattle.)

So, I'm lying in my bed at 1:53 AM on a Thursday morning (technically) and suddenly it occurs to me to write a blog. And here I am. I know for sure that I should be sleeping now and that I'll regret this decision tomorrow when my alarm goes off at 7:30am. A little voice inside me would say-"Couldnt you have slept a little earlier?? Now, your eyes are red, you are going to be sleepy all day and unproductive at work. So, why dont you just sleep for 5 more minutes and then I'll wake you up myself. Dont worry about resetting the alarm, its only 5 minutes, I will wake you up".

And the foolish me will agree and say "Only 5 minutes, okay? Not a minute more". After a extended 5 minute period that happened to last for almost an hour, I would jump out of the bed, curse myself and rush to the bathroom, skip my morning coffee (these days its back to bournvita) and reach work at little after 9:00AM. As I drive to work, I would promise myself that I will be early to bed and early to rise the next day. Nowadays, even I dont believe that when I say it to myself :))

Lotsa things to blog about. Will be back here again soon..


PS: BTW, is anyone still visiting this page?? Guess I'll find out soon :))