Kolkata: The fate of over 23 lakh voters, who were excluded from electoral rolls after SIR in Bengal, hangs in balance as tribunals to adjudicate appeals remained non-functional till Saturday. Monday is the last day for voters to take their decision in 152 constituencies where the first phase of voting took place. The tribunals are the last hope for these voters after their first appeal was rejected during the judicial review process.The first phase of elections is scheduled for April 23, with the deadline for submitting nominations ending at 3 pm on April 6. Under Election Commission rules, the voter list can be published till the last date for filing nominations. Therefore, the voter list of constituencies which will go to polls on April 23 will be frozen till 3 pm on Monday.According to a senior Election Commission official, as of Thursday, about 52 lakh of the more than 60 lakh cases marked as ‘pending’ had been disposed of. “More than 700 judicial officers have been appointed to dispose of 60,06,475 doubtful and pending cases marked ‘undertrial’ in the voter list. They began work on February 24 and around 52 lakh cases have been disposed of by April 2. 55% of the cases processed so far have been cleared, and those names have been added to the voter list. 45% of the rejected cases have been delisted, and they can appeal online or offline to the appellate tribunal within 15 days against the orders passed by judicial authorities,” an EC official said.Considering the rejection rate of 45%, so far 23.4 lakh persons have lost their voting rights in the adjudication process and are eligible to appeal to the Appellate Tribunal. However, the necessary infrastructure for retired judges – who are expected to preside over tribunal proceedings – has not yet been established. This has raised doubts over whether the decision process can begin within the stipulated time frame, raising concerns over the fate of 23.4 lakh voters.Although there is uncertainty over whether tribunals will be functional by Monday, the rush to government offices to file appeals continued on Saturday. However, many were turned away and asked to return with the documents already submitted during the enumeration phase of the SIR.On Friday, officials had cited “government holiday” and “other election-related duties” for not accepting the appeal. On Saturday, voters were reportedly told that their requests could not be processed as they had not brought supporting documents with the formal application.This comes after senior Election Commission officials had said last month that no additional documents would be required for those submitting offline appeals.Meanwhile, in a release on Saturday, the CEO office said that around 8,000 appeals under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act were submitted to it, which were forwarded to the concerned district magistrates for necessary action.

New Delhi: Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, actor Vijay Thalapathy has presented himself as an alternative to the people in the state where politics, for too long, has revolved around the . DMK and this AIADMK.With its ideological differences with the NDA and political tussle with the DMK, the TVK has emerged as a third option for Tamil voters by fielding candidates on all 234 seats.So, will this experiment live up to Vijay’s expectations? Well, there’s a chance for a fight.Why has Vijay got a chance? tamilnadu electionsOver the past few years, the contest has essentially been between the DMK and AIADMK-led fronts. Since 1967, these two parties have governed alternately, keeping other parties in their respective coalitions.However, the upcoming election looks set to turn into a trifecta, as a large section of voters have chosen not to ally with any of the Dravidian parties over the past few years.In the 2016 assembly elections, AIADMK won 134 seats and secured more than 40 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, DMK won 89 seats with 32.1 per cent vote share. This indicates that around 20 per cent of the votes were distributed between the BJP and other parties including the Left.A similar pattern emerged in the 2021 elections also. The AIADMK-BJP alliance got 39.71 percent votes, while the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance got about 45 percent votes.In both elections, about a fifth of the electorate voted for parties outside the two major coalitions. These unaligned votes – roughly equivalent to 15-20 per cent – ​​remain crucial to the emergence of the Third Front.However, this does not mean that this large share of votes will necessarily go in favor of TVK.Will TVK succeed?As part of this strategy, Vijay announced several populist welfare promises for women in his party’s manifesto.Key assurances include cash assistance of Rs 2,500 per month to female heads of households up to the age of 60 years, while Rs 1,000 is currently provided to eligible female heads of households meeting certain socio-economic criteria under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) scheme.Vijay said that women working in state and central governments will not be eligible for the assistance.Other schemes include six free LPG cylinders under the ‘Annapurnani Super Six Scheme’, free bus travel for women in all government buses under the ‘Vetri Payanam Scheme’, assistance of Rs 15,000 per year to mothers or guardians of children to ensure zero dropouts in schools under the ‘Kamarajar Kalvi Uruthi Scheme’, eight grams of gold along with a silk saree for women marrying under the ‘Annan Seer Scheme’ and one gold coin with a child. Ring included. Welcome kit for every newborn baby.

Meanwhile, Vijay and his party have also reached out to the Christian minority votes. He also introduced himself as Joseph Vijay and made a clarion call to minority voters.Furthermore, TVK has been successful in drawing crowds. In October 2024, TVK attracted over 8 lakh people during its first state conference in Vikravandi. Thousands of people come to Vijay’s rallies to listen to him or get a glimpse of him.The superstar has supporters from every class, gender and age group in different areas of Tamil Nadu. Unlike many film stars, Vijay’s supporters are organized and politically active. In the 2021 local body elections, his “fan club” candidates won 115 of the 169 seats they contested.Their fan clubs have also played the role of foot soldiers on social media and regularly organize blood donation camps, free medical checkups, education assistance drives and disaster relief operations.“TVK’s social media army is the largest in India – not just our claim, but what others are saying after seeing it. You are no longer just a fan on social media; You are the virtual warriors of TVK,” he had said.Yet, Tamil Nadu’s electoral history shows that crowd mobilization does not automatically translate into seat changes.Booth-level organisation, caste arithmetic and coalition mathematics have been playing decisive roles – factors that even popular actors have struggled to master in their first electoral innings.Vijay stardom: boon or curseFilm stars in Tamil Nadu often enjoy almost divine status, with fans performing rituals such as pouring milk on large cut-outs before film releases. Some even have temples dedicated to them throughout the state.Yet, this immense popularity has not always translated into electoral success.Kamal Haasan entered politics with the launch of Makkal Needhi Maiam in February 2018, presenting it as a centrist alternative to both the DMK and AIADMK. However, the party failed to win any seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Haasan contested from Coimbatore South but lost, with the party garnering just over 2.6 per cent of the total vote share.

Rajinikanth had also generated huge excitement by announcing plans to launch a political party and contest all 234 assembly seats. But he later reversed his decision citing health concerns and decided not to enter active politics.Once, opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami had remarked that “Vijay may be a good actor but not a leader.”Similarly, the TVK founder has also been targeted in the September 27, 2025 tragedy in which 41 people died and many were injured.The CBI is also questioning Vijay in the stampede case, wasting a large part of his time, which could otherwise have been used for pre-poll strategy or campaigning.Furthermore, critics argue that Vijay has no experience in politics. Its heavy reliance on Vijay’s personal charisma raises questions about depth and scalability.The lack of governance experience and second line of leadership increases skepticism among voters, especially in rural areas. Candidate selection, which is largely dependent on newcomers, may also affect electoral credibility. The Central Investigation Agency has interrogated the TVK chief several times.Politically, the impact of the investigation remains unclear. While rival parties have tried to present the stampede as evidence of administrative inexperience, some in Vijay’s supporting base see the investigation as pressure politics – a story that could either erode trust or strengthen sympathy, depending on how the case unfolds closer to voting.How DMK and AIADMK plan to take on TVKTo counter the wastage of votes, both the fronts have expanded their alliance by including more parties. The DMK has included parties like the DMDK, while the NDA includes TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK.Meanwhile, leaders like Seeman and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) are also in the race to break the ceiling of relevance.NTK’s support largely remains vote share without securing seats. NTK got 6.6% vote share in the 2021 elections, which is more than BJP and Congress. The central question this time is whether that support will ultimately translate into seats.Voting for 234 seats of Tamil Nadu Assembly will be held on April 23 and the counting of votes will take place on May 4.

New Delhi: Iran’s Ambassador to India Dr. Mohammad Fatahli spoke amid the ongoing tension. times of India on war narratives, on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and clarified Iran’s maritime approach during the war. He stressed that the conflict is an “illegal war” imposed on Iran. Reflecting on his diplomatic tenure, he highlighted public solidarity and deepening of bilateral ties, and called India a “true friend in difficult times”. Part: