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The Supreme Court reinstating the earlier conviction of Ms. Sasikala and two other co-accused in the Disproportionate Assets Case of 1996, may have cleared the hurdle for the Tamil Nadu Governor to invite waiting Mr.O S Panneerselvam or a new Sasikala nominee. Mr E. Palaniswami to prove majority to form a new AIADMK Government.

While the US President Donald Trump is yet to make a significant move towards giving more strength to the friendly bilateral relations and dispelling apprehensions about his approach towards India, the Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has been feeling blissful and striving to build upon tremendous progress in bilateral defence cooperation made in recent years with the USA.

On February 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will complete 1000 days in office. This is indeed a time not only to look back and also look forward. What is his progress report? Has he passed with distinction as the BJP would have us believe or has he failed as the Congress- led opposition claims? The truth is that he has achieved much but there is much more to do if he bids for power for a second time in 2019.

All political lives end in failure, said the British conservative politician, Enoch Powell. Sadly for Sasikala, she failed even before her political “life” could begin. The abrupt end to her incipient career terminates her energetic foray into a field for which she must have been secretly preparing all through her days as former chief minister Jayalalithaa’s companion.

LUCKNOW: Second phase polling in Uttar Pradesh on February 15 is the real test of Muslim card which plays very important role in 67 assembly constituency in 11 districts. This is going to be show of strength for CM Akhilesh-Rahul Gandhi team on one hand and BSP supremo Mayawati on the other for muslim votes. PM Narendra Modi’s banking on hindu polarization.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In politics, timing is as important as perception. If your timing goes awry, you end up paying a heavy penalty in terms of credibility and erosion of ground support. Likewise, it is of utmost importance that you create the right perception among the public at large. On both counts, the CPI(M), which heads the Left Democratic Front(LDF) Government in Kerala, suffered a loss of face by its clumsy handling of the Law Academy Law College issue.

Some elections acquire unusual significance. February 4 Punjab Assembly election was one of them for a number of reasons. Its outcome will decide the political future of the 90-year-old five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, as his age factor may act against his contesting 2022 poll.

The massive push for digital transactions and less-cash society ostensibly to fight black money menace may soon have few takers as digital payments have started dropping after their initial rise in November and December, following selective demonetization of high-value currencies. If the latest representative Reserve Bank data is any indication, the government’s campaign for digital transfers is not cutting much ice with the general public. The easing cash supply situation is slowing down digital transactions. The RBI data showed digital payments, last month, were 10.2 per cent lower in volume and seven per cent lower in value compared to December. The number of digital transactions reportedly dropped from 102.8. crore in December to 99.3 crore in January. In terms of value, the number declined from Rs. 105.4 lakh crore in December to Rs. 98 lakh crore, last month. The data included transactions on debit and credit cards, electronic fund transfers, digital wallets and mobile banking transactions. The RBI data is representative of payment systems on a daily basis since December 2, capturing card transactions of four large banks, prepaid instruments from eight non-banking firms and mobile banking figures from five banks to represent a trend.

In West Bengal, the ongoing political battle between the ruling Trinamool Congress(TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party just got uglier, following the arrest on a corruption charge of Mr Jaiprakash Majumdar, the state BJP vice president. He has just been given bail by the court.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Parliament, ridiculing his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh, wasn’t just for voters in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He was setting the agenda for 2019. On February 19, the Modi government completes 1,000 days in office. The milestone may be only statistically symbolic but comes in a period of intense and defining political significance. On March 11, the verdict in five state elections, particularly the large state of UP, will be known. Immediately after the negotiations for next vice-president and president will begin.