Daily wrap: CSK to take on MI; chowkidars on Twitter mull suing Time magazine

Over 10 cr people to cast votes in phase 6 of LS polls; 979 nominees in fray

India goes to penultimate 6th phase of polling on May 12. Voters from 59 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across seven states will be casting their ballots by pressing the EVM buttons. BJP would be facing toughest battle in this round as it had 46 of these seats along with its allies in 2014 parliamentary polls and retaining them is going to be an uphill task. In this phase, Delhi and Haryana are joining Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, who would be polling for their respective remaining seats.

CSK to take on MI in final match of IPL 12 today

CSK and Mumbai Indians will meet in the IPL for their 27th game and fourth final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday (May 12). In IPL 12, Chennai have played 14 games, losing only five. Of those five, three losses came against Mumbai. Out of those three losses, two came at the Chepauk where the only team Chennai has lost to this season is Mumbai. The ‘blue army’ has conquered the Chepauk fortress every year for the past six years. Beyond stats and match results, what equates this rivalry to India vs Pakistan of international cricket is that the two teams have produced some of the best performances and exciting finishes.

Chowkidars on Twitter mull suing Time magazine for ‘maligning’ Modi

Karuna Gopal, an advisor to India’s ambitious 100 Smart Cities Mission, on Saturday (May 11) announced that she would sue Time magazine for “maligning” Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The article “India’s Divider in Chief” is written by Aatish Taseer, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer. While the extensive coverage has become a major talking point in India — which is in the midst of a highly polarised general elections — pro-BJP social media users have unleashed a vitriolic campaign on social media against Time. Right-leaning Indian publications too have joined the chorus.

ITC Chairman Y C Deveshwar passes away

Noted industry leader and ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar passed away on Saturday (May 11) after a brief illness. He transformed the cigarette major into a diversified player with interests in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), hospitality, IT and other sectors. Deveshwar, 72, who stepped down from executive role as chairman and CEO in 2017 but remained non-executive chairman, breathed his last at a private hospital in Gurugram. “We deeply mourn the passing of Y C Deveshwar, Chairman ITC,” said ITC managing director Sanjiv Puri in a statement.

Vedanta gets Centre’s nod to hold assessment for TN hydrocarbon project

In a new development, the Centre granted terms of reference (TOR) to Vedanta Limited, to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment for a hydrocarbon project in the areas spread across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, on Saturday (May 11). In 2018, the Centre signed a contract with Vedanta and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), to carry out hydrocarbon exploration in the Cauvery delta region. The government gave permission to Vedanta to dig 274 exploration wells, and an approval of 67 wells for ONGC. The project has been facing stiff opposition, ever since the proposal became public in 2017.

Tejashwi Yadav makes the going tough for NDA in Bihar

Tejashwi Yadav, the 29-year-old leader from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has been posing a huge challenge for a quintet of mighty politicians — from Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar to Ram Vilas Paswan and Sushil Kumar Modi — all seasoned and heavyweights. Much to everyone’s surprise, Tejashwi has now turned the adversity into an opportunity with his brilliant poll strategy and selection of poll issues. His strategy has cornered the rivals in the poll arena. Armed with Modi government’s notifications and newspaper clippings, Tejashwi has been describing Modi as a huge threat to the reservation rights of the poor. Such has been the impact of his campaign that NDA leaders from Modi to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar have been forced to give an explanation.

On the heels of another murder, PMK rakes up ‘fake love’ again

The gruesome murder of Thilagavathi, from Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, has put the Pattali Makkal Katchi’s (PMK) allegation of ‘fake love’ in the spotlight for the second time in the state. After the incident, Ramadoss, founder of PMK, called it another event in a series of nadaga kadhal or ‘fake love’ episodes in the state. He claimed in a statement that the girl was a vanniyar and that the boy is a dalit. Ramadoss brought up ‘fake love’ for the first time during Dharmapuri’s Ilavarasan – Divya love affair in 2012. He claims that in such cases, dalit boys – pretending to be rich and affluent – “lured” girls into love affairs. This time, he added that the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a dalit party, protects these type of “criminals”.

Mahesh Babu’s ‘Maharshi’ hits headlines for reasons other than content

Actor Mahesh Babu’s much-awaited “Maharshi” hit screens on Thursday (May 9), amid controversy. Seeking to cash in on the craze surrounding the high-budget flick, single screen theatres have jacked up ticket prices across the state. This has irked the government which has threatened to take legal action against the exhibitors and producers. Theatre owners have justified the hike in ticket prices by over 20%, citing an interim order issued by the Hyderabad High Court in January last year allowing them to increase the prices until the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh decided on fixing the rates. “It has been brought to my notice that 79 theatres have hiked the ticket prices. The government did not give any direction to film producers or theatre owners to this effect. A few theatres claimed to have increased prices on their own, as per High Court orders earlier. We will take legal action against them,” said Telangana cinematography minister T Srinivas Yadav.