Kerala Assembly

The Palakkad assembly constituency, which saw a high octane campaign that gave rise to scores of controversies, saw a voter turnout of 70.01 per cent till 6.49 pm on Wednesday after voting in the bypoll concluded in over 86 per cent of the polling booths. This was a decline from the 73.83 per cent turnout recorded in the assembly polls held in the state in 2021. When polling started at 7 am, it proceeded slowly with a low turnout of only 1.11 per cent at 8 am, according to figures released by the Election Commission (EC). By noon, five hours after voting commenced, the turnout reached 30.48 per cent. It took another three hours after that for the turnout to cross the 50 per cent mark. At 6.49 pm, the turnout reached 70.01 per cent after voting concluded in 159 of the 184 polling booths in the constituency, the EC said. It said that this was not the final figure as in the remaining booths, people were waiting in line to cast their votes. There were long queues outside many booths

The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution against the proposed amendment to the Wakf Act by the Centre. State Minister for Minority Welfare, Wakf and Hajj Pilgrimage, V Abdurahiman presented the resolution for the government, alleging that the proposed amendments by the union government are against the values and rights ensured in the country's Constitution and a gross violation of the federalist principles. The resolution alleged that the proposed bill, which is now under the consideration of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, violates the fundamental rights, right to belief, federalism, secularism, and democracy. The proposed bill also aimed at seizing the powers of the states in enacting laws related to the Wakf and violates the federal principles of the Indian Constitution, it said. "The move to omit democratically elected members from the Board and to include only nominated members and a chairman nominated by the nominated members would be completely again

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Friday claimed the Left government in Kerala was on the "defensive" about the incidents of sexual harassment and abuse mentioned in the Justice K Hema Committee report and that is why it was not being discussed in the state Assembly. The opposition allegation came after Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission to a notice moved by the UDF MLAs to adjourn the House and discuss the issue of alleged lack of further probe in connection with findings in the report. Shamseer said that permission was being denied as the issue was under the active consideration of the Kerala High Court. Raising strong protest against the Speaker's decision, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, claimed the notice was moved as Shamseer himself had said the issue should not be raised as a question in the House and to move a submission or something else. "It is an insult to the House if we do not discuss this issue which concerns women. We are strongly protestin

The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the day on Monday after a protest on the floor of the House following an intense verbal spat between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan who traded charges. Angry opposition members climbed the podium of Speaker A N Shamseer who tried to conduct the business amid the ruckus, and even held a black banner preventing the House from seeing his face. The heated war of words between the CM and the LoP escalated after Vijayan strongly criticised the latter for attacking the chair. The controversy began when Satheesan announced the boycott of question hour, protesting the conversion of 49 starred questions into non-starred ones. Watch and Ward personnel had to forcibly push MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan (Congress) away when he tried to enter the Speaker's dias amidst the melee. A visibly angry CM rose and said blocking the Speaker's sight with banners cannot be allowed in the House at any cost. The slogans in the banner, .

The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the day on Monday after a protest on the floor of the House following an intense verbal duel between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. Raising slogans against the CM, members of the opposition UDF allegedly climbed the podium of Speaker A N Shamseer and held up a banner, preventing the House from seeing his face. This prompted Vijayan to condemn the opposition's actions. As the protest and sloganeering escalated, and the Congress-led UDF members were reluctant to return to their seats despite repeated requests, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. The government decision to discuss the opposition's adjournment notice regarding the controversial remarks allegedly made by the Chief Minister about Malappuram was withdrawn. The second day of the session commenced on a stormy note with the enraged opposition expressing displeasure to Speaker Shamseer over the altering of 49 starred questions into ...

Search operations started early Saturday with more than 1,300 rescuers, heavy machinery and sophisticated equipment being deployed to look for survivors from the ravages of the landslides that have killed more than 200 people. Private companies specialising in the field of search and rescue, and volunteers have also joined the operations led by the army, police and emergency service units. However, huge boulders and logs brought by landslides and deposited in the residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala are posing a significant challenge to rescue efforts to locate people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble. As many as 210 people have died and 273 were injured in the massive landslides that hit Wayanad district in the wee hours of July 30. Around 300 people are suspected to be missing and rescue operators are battling adverse conditions, including waterlogged soil, as they search through destroyed homes and buildings. The district administration had on Friday divided t

Military personnel on Wednesday intensified search and rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad district where landslides have claimed more than 160 lives, with the Army saying that it recovered over 80 bodies and rescued nearly 1,000 people. Extremely heavy rain triggered the landslides in the hilly areas of Wayanad early on Tuesday, leaving at least 167 people dead and more than 200 injured. Another 191 people were missing. The Army has set up a Command and Control Centre headed by Maj Gen VT Mathew, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, along with Brig Arjun Segan at Kozhikode for coordinating Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, a senior official said. Brig Segan carried out a reconnaissance of the affected areas in the early hours of Wednesday and guided the Army columns for further conduct of the rescue operation. The troops are conducting rescue operations along a six-kilometre stretch of landslide-affected areas. The troops forming

The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state's name to Keralam'. The Assembly passed the resolution for the second time because the Union Home Ministry, which reviewed the first resolution, suggested some technical changes. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, wanted the union government to change the southern state's name from "Kerala" to "Keralam" in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of the country. Moving the resolution, the CM said the state was called Keralam' in Malayalam and that the demand to form a united Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities had strongly emerged since the time of the national freedom struggle. But the name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as Keralam'

The BJP in Kerala on Tuesday continued to mock the Congress party's decision to field Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad, which was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, and said the grand old party may consider her husband Robert Vadra in the upcoming by-poll in Palakkad assembly segment. BJP state chief K Surendran and senior leader V Muraleedharan criticised the Congress leadership over their decision and alleged that they had cheated the people of Wayanad. Surendran, who had contested against Rahul Gandhi in the April 26 Lok Sabha polls in the hill constituency, said it is once again proven beyond doubt that the Congress is the only "tool" for the so-called Nehru-Gandhi family to serve their family's interests. In a post on 'X', he said: "Mr @RahulGandhi claimed that Wayanad is his family. Now he has decided the candidature of his own sister claimed that Wayanad is his family. Now he has decided the candidature of his own sister @priyankagandhi to the upcoming by-election in Wayanad. Hope that Mr ..

The Kerala government on Thursday said it will provide Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the families of the people from the state who died in the Kuwait fire tragedy that claimed 49 lives and left 50 others injured. The decision was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning, a statement issued by his office said. According to information received by the government, 19 people from Kerala died in the incident, the statement said. The cabinet also decided to provide Rs one lakh financial assistance to those injured in the incident, it said. A decision was taken to immediately send state Health Minister Veena George to Kuwait to coordinate the efforts to provide treatment to those injured and bring back the bodies of those who died in the tragedy, it further said. The statement also said prominent businessmen M A Yusuff Ali and Ravi Pillai have informed the CM that they will provide Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, to each o

The Left government in Kerala has achieved a record revenue increase from Rs 47,000 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 77,000 crore in 2023-24, helping to mitigate financial challenges posed by the BJP-ruled Centre, according to state Finance Minister K N Balagopal. "We've managed a record increase in the state's own revenue even as the Centre financially squeezes us. The state's own tax revenue rose from Rs 47,000 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 77,000 crore in 2023-24," Balagopal said. He pointed out that this represents a 60 per cent increase in the state's own tax revenue over just three years. "Without this increase, Kerala's economy would have collapsed due to the central government's anti-state policies." The minister also noted that the state government is doing everything it can to handle the crisis caused by the Centre's reduction in tax allocations and debt limits. Balagopal, who is also a senior CPI(M) leader, said that Kerala successfully brought national attention to the Centre's alleged

A day after polling concluded for the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the Congress on Saturday alleged that voters were harassed and the election machinery was hijacked by the ruling CPI(M) in the state with an aim to bring down the turnout percentage. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the alleged hijacking of the election machinery by the ruling CPI(M) was one of the reasons for the decrease in polling percentage this year as compared to the turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Despite heightened political fervour and anticipation about the general elections for the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the process concluded with a notable decrease in voter turnout, as the figure stood at 70.22 per cent at 8pm yesterday. This figure, while significant, was quite a drop from the polling percentage of 77.84 per cent registered in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Venugopal claimed that there were glitches in electronic voting machines (EVMs) in three to five per cent of the polling booths in

In an unusual move, the Kerala government has petitioned the Supreme Court against President Droupadi Murmu withholding assent to four bills passed by the state assembly. It has requested that the President not granting assent to the bills -- University Laws (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2021; the Kerala Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022; the University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022; and the University Laws (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill, 2022 -- without stating any reason be declared unconstitutional. The CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has made the Union government, the Secretary to the President of India, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and his additional secretary parties to the case. Besides several other reliefs, the state government has also sought direction to declare illegal Governor Khan reserving a total of seven bills, including these four, for the consideration of the President. "The conduct of the Governor in keeping Bills pending for long and ...

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hit out at the CPI on Tuesday, saying that it is ironic that the Left party which complains about Rahul Gandhi's candidature in Wayanad is "playing the BJP's game" in Thiruvananthapuram. The Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram said the only effect of the CPI's campaign against him in the constituency is to divide the anti-BJP vote, "and they preach alliance dharma in Wayanad". Tharoor, who has been representing Thiruvananthapuram for the past 15 years in the Lok Sabha, is eyeing a record fourth term. He is facing BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Electronics and Information Technology. The CPI has fielded Pannian Raveendran in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat. In a post on X, Tharoor said, "It's ironic that the same @cpofindia that complains about @RahulGandhi's candidature in Wayanad is playing the BJP's game in Thiruvananthapuram." "The only effect of the CPI's

The budget has estimated the revenue for the financial year at Rs 1,38,655 crore and expenditure of Rs 1,84,327 crore

The Supreme Court on Wednesday noted that Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has taken decisions on eight bills and asked him to meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan along with the minister concerned to discuss the bills, saying let us hope that some political sagacity takes over. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the submissions of Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the office of the governor, that out of eight Bills, seven have been reserved for consideration by the President, while one has been assented by Khan. The top court, meanwhile, permitted the state government to amend its plea to seek issuance of guidelines for the governors on grant or decline of assent to the bills passed by the assembly in a time-bound manner. We will record that the governor will discuss the matter with both the chief minister and the minister in charge and related to the Bill..., the bench said. Let us hope that some political sagacity takes over the state an

A court here on Saturday dismissed a plea seeking vigilance inquiry against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter and others in connection with alleged financial transactions between a private mineral company and her IT firm. The Special Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha dismissed the petition filed by social activist Gireesh Babu, for want of evidence, sources said. The petition sought an investigation into the "illegal financial transactions, coming under the ambit of bribery, carried out between the accused persons," in connection with mining and other "business interests" of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). Apart from Veena T and Vijayan, the petition had also arraigned former leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and senior Congress leader, Ramesh Chennithala, Indian Union Muslim League leaders P K Kunhalikutty and V K Ibrahimkunju, Veena's IT firm, CMRL and others. A controversy had erupted recently over certain financial transactions between CMRL and the Chi

The upcoming Kerala Assembly session will commence from Monday by paying tributes to Congress stalwart and MLA Oommen Chandy who died in Bengaluru last month. This will be the first session of the House in more than five decades when Chandy is not a member of the legislative assembly. He had represented Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kottayam district for the past 53 years. The session will commence with an obituary reference on the demise of Chandy. During its 10-day long sitting, the House would be considering various bills including the one to substitute the ordinance issued by the government for the safety and security of those working in the healthcare sector. The House is also likely to witness heated discussions, debates and even protests on a variety of issues concerning the Left administration, including the financial crisis the state is in. The controversial remarks by Speaker A N Shamseer, the police action over a brief malfunctioning of a microphone when Kerala C

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, top Malayalam movie stars and senior politicians cutting across party lines paid tributes to former state Chief minister Oommen Chandy after his mortal remains reached Kottayam on Thursday. Movie stars Mammootty, Suresh Gopi and Dileep paid tributes to the mortal remains of the Congress stalwart here. After paying tribute to Chandy, Governor Khan spent some time with his family members. Meanwhile, award-winning Malayalam actor Vinayakan landed in trouble for his alleged unpleasant remarks against the late Chandy. A Congress activist lodged a police complaint against the actor's comments on the departed political leader, even as his "who is this Oommen Chandy?" remarks did not go down well with many. At Kottayam, the police and Seva Dal workers of Congress as well as its leaders could barely control the sea of people who vied with each other to get a final glimpse of Chandy, who died in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Besides the thousands inside the ..