BJP's First-Ever MLA In Tamil Nadu C Velayutham Passes Away

by Hemanta Pande

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Former MLA from Tamil Nadu C Velayutham, who was the "first-ever assembly candidate" elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed away on Wednesday.

New Delhi, May 8: Former MLA from Tamil Nadu C Velayutham, who was the "first-ever assembly candidate" elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) passed away on Wednesday.

BJP president JP Nadda paid homage to Velayutham who won from Tamil Nadu's Padmanabhapuram constituency in the 1996 Assembly elections.

"Deeply saddened by the passing away of former MLA and social worker C. Velayutham ji. He was the first-ever assembly candidate elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the BJP, representing the Padmanabhapuram constituency in the 1996 elections. His commitment and dedication to the party and to society will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to his family and supporters in this difficult time. Om Shanti!" Nadda said in a post on 'X' on Wednesday.

Offering his condolences to Velayuthan's bereaved family, BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai said, "The news of the passing away of Mr. C. Velayuthan, the first legislator of Tamil Nadu BJP and one of the pioneers of the party, is deeply saddening. He is devoted to the development of the party. He was a man of principled and worked hard. He sowed hope for the growth of BJP in Tamil Nadu." (ANI)

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Voting Begins In Fifth Phase Of Lok Sabha Polls, Several Bigwigs In Fray

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

New Delhi, May 20: Voters in 49 Lok Sabha seats in eight states/UTs, spanning Ladakh to Odisha, and UP's Awadh and Bundelkhand to bustling Mumbai and its surroundings, began heading to polling stations on Monday to exercise their franchise in the fifth phase.

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh (Lucknow), Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), and Smriti Irani (Amethi), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (Raebareli) and National Conference's Omar Abdullah (Baramulla) are among the 695 candidates in the fray.

The seats in the fifth phase include five each in Bihar and Odisha, three in Jharkhand, 13 in Maharashtra, 14 in UP, seven in West Bengal, and one each in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Voting for 35 seats of the Odisha Assembly will also be held in the state's second phase of simultaneous polling.

According to the Election Commission, around 9.47 lakh polling officials have been deployed to facilitate balloting by 8.95 crore voters - 4.69 crore males, 4.26 crore females and 5,409 third-gender - across 94,732 polling stations.

"Polling stations are ready to welcome the voters with ample shade, drinking water, ramps, toilets and other basic facilities to ensure that polling takes place in a comfortable and secure environment. The concerned CEOs/DEOs and State machineries have been advised to take adequate measures to manage hot weather conditions in areas, where it is forecast," the EC said in a statement.

While the fifth phase has the least number of seats in all the phases, most of these are high-profile seats from where top Union Ministers and leaders of national and regional parties are contesting.

Other prominent leaders in this phase are Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, from Kalyan, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's son Karan Bhushan Singh in UP's Kaiserganj, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya against BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran, Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas chief Chirag Paswan fighting from his father's bastion, Hajipur-SC (both Bihar), and Trinamool Congress candidate and TV anchor Rachna Banerjee versus actress-turned-politician Locket Chatterjee of the BJP in West Bengal's Hooghly.

(IANS)

Horoscope May 20: Taurus To Meet An Important Person, Cancer To Be Emotional Over Relationship

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Horoscope May 20: Taurus to meet an important person, Cancer to be emotional over relationship

Aries
Your efforts in the workplace will yield fruits and you will start a new career. You are likely to get a gift from a friend. You are likely to be praised in the social sector. You will have more happiness and prosperity. Students will secure goon numbers and pass exams. You may plan to buy new vehicles.
Favourable colour- Red
Favourable number- 9
Remedy - Chant Mantra of Maa Dattatreya

Taurus
You may meet an eminent person today. You may disagree with colleagues in the workplace. People's support may decrease for politicians. Students will repent for neglecting their studies.
Favourable colour- White,
Favourable number- 6
Remedy- Worship Lord Parshuram.

Gemini
Family life will be disturbed as you will remain busy in the workplace. Problems in business, commerce, art and literature sectors will be resolved. You will be praised for giving good pieces of advice to colleagues. Political life will be full of struggle.
Favourable colour- Green
Favourable number- 5
Remedy– Recite the Mantra of Dattatreya.

Cancer
You may be emotional over a relationship. You will be forced to spend more time in the workplace and try to strengthen your position. You may work hard to meet your goal. Students will have to work hard to raise self-confidence.
Favourable colour- White
Favourable number- 2
Remedy– Worship Lord Ganesh with Mantra.

Leo
Despite problems in the family, you will successfully do your work today. Problems in business may increase and get complicated. You may not do some work properly as you will remain busy in other sectors. Despite having a financial crunch, you will manage expenditures relating to your children's studies.
Favourable colours– Orange
Favourable number – 1
Remedy – Worship Lord Vishnu

Virgo
You are likely to do pending work. You may participate in an auspicious event. You will remain healthy. A third man will benefit from a dispute between two persons over parental properties. Politicians may discharge an important responsibility.
Favourable Colour- Green,
Favourable Number- 5
Remedy- Worship Lord Vishnu

Libra
Family members will agree with your opinion. A comfortable day for civil engineers. Your office work will be done on time. Children will enjoy playing. Politicians may need to take an important step.
Favourable colour- White
Favourable Number- 6
Remedy- Chant Mantra of Shukra.

Scorpio
Family life will be comfortable. Fortune will favour you and you will benefit from business. You will garner more experience in the education sector. Some issues may be raised over properties.

Favourable colour- red
Favourable Number- 9
Remedy – Worship Lord Nrusingha with Mantra

Sagittarius

Though you will earn more money today, you are unlikely to save some money due to an increase in expenditure. Marriage proposals may come for unmarried boys and girls. You may find an article lost by you many days ago. You may plan to buy a piece of land. You may establish a foreign trade link.
Favourable Colour- Yellow
Favourable Number- 3
Remedy- Recite Mantra of Maa Tara

Capricorn
Lovers may memorise past happenings. You may join in a social event. Students are unlikely to concentrate on their studies. New ideas may come to your mind.
Favourable Colour- Blue
Favourable Number-8
Remedy- Pay obeisance to Mahadev.

Aquarius
You may spend time based on your capability and energy. Your family problems will end. You may grow financially and get an opportunity to repay a loan. You may have a dispute with your brother over a vehicle.
Favourable colour- Blue
Favourable number- 8
Remedy- Wear blue colour dresses.

Pisces
A relative may misbehave with you. Your daily work may be disturbed. Your environment will be blissful. Politicians may take important steps. Students will be more efficient and experienced.
Favourable colour- Yellow
Favourable number- 3
Remedy – Worship Lord Krishna

PM Modi Reaches Puri, To Visit Shreemandir and Then To Hold Road Show

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Bhubaneswar, May 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on an Odisha visit, reached Puri this morning to have Darshan of Lord Jagannath in Shreemandir and subsequently to hold a massive road show on the Bada Danda (Grand Road).

According to the information, the Prime Minister landed at the Talabania helipad and moved to Shreemandir in a carcade.

It may be mentioned that the PM arrived here on a two-day Odisha visit last evening. After his arrival, he went straight to the BJP State office where he convened a meeting of party leaders and election managers.

The Prime Minister spent about 30 minutes at the party office before moving to the Raj Bhawan where he spent the night.
After having Darshan of Lord Jagannath and His siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, he would hold a mega rally on the Bada Danda (Grand Road) in the pilgrim city.