1. TN Election Results: Nostalgia Doesn’t Help the AIADMK
Let me take you back to 2014. The Amma (Jayalalithaa) wave swept across Tamil Nadu with the AIADMK winning 37 of the 40 seats for the Lok Sabha elections. Today, the tables have turned, quite literally. This time it is DMK-Congress alliance which has won in 37 seats.
This victory is important as it was the first election under the complete leadership of DMK President M K Stalin, son of the veteran leader Karunanidhi. But when it comes to bypolls, DMK definitely hoped to win more than this. Though DMK is in the lead, AIADMK has a comfortable number of seats to continue the term.
(Source: The Quint)
2. Perambur Assembly Bypoll: Mix up of EVMs Halts Counting
Mix up of electronic voting machines (EVMs) during counting of votes polled for Perambur assembly by election resulted in a furore among the DMK and AIAMDK functionaries on Thursday. Counting was stopped twice, for almost four hours, after the AIADMK and DMK functionaries entered into an argument with the officials. Of the total 2.93 lakh votes, 1.88 lakh electorates exercised their franchises in the by-poll. DMK candidate R D R D Sekar was leading with a margin of more than 5,000 votes.
It all started during the fourth round of counting. The EVM used in ward no 48 in the assembly segment was taken for counting at 11.30am. When an EVM was opened at table no 6, agents raised an objection stating that there were 40 candidates in the fray and an option for NOTA. However, the EVM showed only 21 candidates.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Doctors in TN Cannot Advertise Their Services Online: TN Medical Council
Days after the Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) announced its stance against online consultation platforms, the Tamil Nadu Medical Council of India (TNMCI) has also made a similar decision. On Wednesday, the council issued an official statement stating that registered medical practitioners (RMPs) could not advertise their services online.
It further goes on to condemn the actions of anyone who engages in online advertising practices, which are not permitted by the rules. This has led to speculation within the medical community as to whether doctors will be allowed to list their practices on online consultation and appointment booking apps.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Woman Rides Bike with Male Friend, Son Kills Her
A 22-year-old man allegedly hacked his mother to death after he spotted her travelling on a motorbike with her male friend at Tambaram on Tuesday night. Police said that Bhavani, 40, was married to one Anbu and the couple had three children – two boys and a girl.
“Anbu died a few years ago and Bhavani lived along with her children in Kakkan Street in Tambaram and worked as a construction labourer. Recently, she had befriended one Raj Kumar from the same area. One of her sons Sampath was angered by this,” said a police officer. On Tuesday night, Sampath, who was riding his two-wheeler, spotted his mother travelling on a motorbike with Raj Kumar.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. New GST Regime May Hurt Builders, Says Expert
Real estate developers have to pay more taxes under Goods and Services Tax (GST) for residential projects, if they source a bulk of their inputs (like cement and capital goods) from unregistered dealers.
For residential projects started after 1 April 2019, the builder has to mandatorily charge customers a concessional rate of 5% or 1% (affordable residential apartments), as per the decision of the GST Council. For ongoing projects, they were given an option to choose between the old rate of 12% or 8% for affordable housing and the new rates by 20 May.
(Source: The Hindu)
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