The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rainfall across 10 states until October 16, with significant downpours expected particularly in South Peninsular India. An orange alert has been issued for Chennai and nearby districts, including Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, and Tiruvallur, forecasting rainfall between 6 cm and 20 cm on October 15.

Regions such as Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, and Mayiladuthurai are also anticipated to experience heavy rain, with the worst conditions expected in Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpet.

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Tamil Nadu government's preparedness

In preparation for the heavy rainfall, the Tamil Nadu government has activated an integrated command centre. Meteorological Department, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin introduced a 24/7 helpline, '1913' and encouraged residents to download the TN ALERT app for real-time rainfall updates.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/us-secretive-spaceplane-to-try-to-change-orbit-of-earth-will-it-impact-humans-767047">US secretive spaceplane to try to change its orbit using Earth's atmosphere</a>

With some areas potentially receiving over 20 cm of rain, the government prioritises safety measures. About 150 officials will manage the helpline, while rain-related information will be shared via social media.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-telescopes-have-evidence-of-aliens-will-reveal-it-next-month-claims-nasa-filmmaker-767016">Earth's telescopes have evidence of aliens, will reveal it next month, claims NASA filmmaker</a>

To aid in flood relief, 13,000 volunteers and 100 motor pumps are on standby, with relief camps set up across Chennai. Most stormwater drainage systems have been completed, and 356 pumping stations are equipped with backup generators, while super sucker and jet rodding machines are on standby to address potential flooding issues.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/two-indigo-flights-travelling-from-mumbai-to-west-asia-receive-bomb-threats-767182">Two IndiGo flights travelling from Mumbai to West Asia receive bomb threats</a>

Weather outlook for other regions

Delhi is expected to see clear weather until October 16, with temperatures around 35°C. The air quality index (AQI) is currently at 114, categorised as 'moderate,' while Mumbai reports an AQI of 57, classified as 'satisfactory' according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

(With inputs from agencies)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rainfall across 10 states until October 16, with significant downpours expected particularly in South Peninsular India.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy rainfall across 10 states until October 16, with significant downpours expected particularly in South Peninsular India. An orange alert has been issued for Chennai and nearby districts, including Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, and Tiruvallur, forecasting rainfall between 6 cm and 20 cm on October 15. Regions such as Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, and Mayiladuthurai are also anticipated to experience heavy rain, with the worst conditions expected in Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpet. Also read | Storm brewing in Bay of Bengal, extremely heavy rainfall warning for Chennai Tamil Nadu government's preparedness In preparation for the heavy rainfall, the Tamil Nadu government has activated an integrated command centre. Meteorological Department, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin introduced a 24/7 helpline, '1913' and encouraged residents to download the TN ALERT app for real-time rainfall updates. Also read | US secretive spaceplane to try to change its orbit using Earth's atmosphere With some areas potentially receiving over 20 cm of rain, the government prioritises safety measures. About 150 officials will manage the helpline, while rain-related information will be shared via social media. Also read | Earth's telescopes have evidence of aliens, will reveal it next month, claims NASA filmmaker To aid in flood relief, 13,000 volunteers and 100 motor pumps are on standby, with relief camps set up across Chennai. Most stormwater drainage systems have been completed, and 356 pumping stations are equipped with backup generators, while super sucker and jet rodding machines are on standby to address potential flooding issues. Also read | Two IndiGo flights travelling from Mumbai to West Asia receive bomb threats Weather outlook for other regions Delhi is expected to see clear weather until October 16, with temperatures around 35°C. The air quality index (AQI) is currently at 114, categorised as 'moderate,' while Mumbai reports an AQI of 57, classified as 'satisfactory' according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). (With inputs from agencies)

IMD warns of heavy rainfall in southern states, Chennai prepares for impact

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spectacular triumph in Karnataka in last month’s Lok Sabha elections has triggered a political turmoil in the state.&nbsp;

With the state Assembly in session, the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka is facing its biggest challenge ever. Both have come to realise the futility of trying to keep its folks under check. The faction-ridden Congress and the Janata Dal (S) have become sitting ducks for an aggressive BJP planning to expand its turf all over South India.

In Karnataka and Telangana, the BJP is on the ascendant. The Karnataka victory has exceeded the BJP’s own expectations. Improvement upon its 2014 tally of 17 by winning 26 out of a total of 28 Lok Sabha seats, has galvanised the party.

In 2018, Karnataka was the first state to be projected as a laboratory of the Stop Modi campaign. As part of that strategy, although the BJP had emerged as the largest single party with 105 seats, the Congress and JD (S) joined hands, with the chief ministership going to the decidedly junior JD (S) with 42 seats. HD Kumar Swamy was made chief minister with great fanfare with all top anti-BJP opposition leaders in attendance at the swearing-in ceremony, in Bangalore.&nbsp;

Naturally, the BJP is now looking at Karnataka as the springboard of its southward march. It would be interesting to examine how the Karnataka poll outcome is changing the face of politics in South India.

While in most states, the BJP and the NDA have maintained its tally of 2014, the one state – other than West Bengal – which has proven political pundits wrong is Karnataka, where the party has effectively won all but two Lok Sabha seats. &nbsp;Of these two, one is a BJP-backed independent. &nbsp;&nbsp;

BJP has witnessed a whirlwind journey in the Kannada-speaking state in the last two decades. From winning four seats in 1989, the party started growing in Karnataka in the early 1090s. In 2008, the BJP formed a government on its own, but lost power in 2013. In the May 2018 state Assembly elections, the party missed the half-way mark by a few seats, but it was enough for two arch rivals, Congress and JD(S), to join hands showing scant respect for the people’s mandate.&nbsp;

The fight for Karnataka in 2019 was unique. The party organisation, which saw a low in the 2013 state Assembly elections, was energised in the last four years. By 2018, it was ready for battle. &nbsp;

The BJP, which had witnessed splits when senior leaders like BS Yeddyurappa and B Sreeramulu had left in 2011-2012, succeeded in reviving a strong organisation.&nbsp;

The return of leaders like Yeddyurappa and Sreeramulu to the party and integration with the team was a huge challenge. However, the task was undertaken efficiently right up to the grassroot level, without compromising on the core integrity of the organisation. The credit for this goes to the party’s national president Amit Shah and Karnataka general secretary incharge P Muralidhar Rao.

The measures envisioned by Amit Shah were meticulously implemented. This included creating and strengthening booth committees, adding new members and their training, deploying vistaraks and reaching out to the beneficiaries of Modi government’s policies.

All organisation-strengthening programmes were undertaken sincerely by karyakartas from top to bottom. The BJP plans to replicate this experience in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala as part of its southward march.&nbsp;

The party also benefitted from the entry of new leaders and people from different organisations outside its immediate fold like the JD(S), Congress and some social outfits.&nbsp;

This was part of the expansion plan of the party, which is still underway. These include the defeat of veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge by Umesh Jadhav, who joined BJP from Congress just before the election. Former Congress MLA, Raja Amresh Nayak, was another leader, who joined BJP and won from Raichur. Principally, it was the spirit of converting challenges to opportunities that helped the party in all these instances.

The formation of Congress-JD(S) alliance was touted as an invincible combination expected to win a majority of seats in Karnataka. But, the BJP diligently identified the fault lines of that flawed partnership and managed to exploit the gaps therein effectively. This was the primary reason for BJP’s unprecedented victories in opposition strongholds like Tumkur and Chitradurga.

Reaching the message of how the Congress-JD (U) alliance is failing inch-by-inch to every nook and corner was initiated. News of the internal squabbles in the partnership and its failure in function as a coherent government was communicated precisely and effectively.

In democratic polity, it is continuous and uninterrupted communication between the political leadership and the people that prevents democracy from becoming sterile and stagnant. Realising this, BJP leadership ensured continuity in its public connect.

There was a huge Modi appeal, but to convert it into political victories, both in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections was the result of a structured organisational work, decisive strategies and innovation.&nbsp;

The last five years of the BJP in Karnataka is the best example of how continuous innovation and pathbreaking approaches can raise the quality of political functioning, creating energy and synergy.&nbsp;

Amit Shah played the most crucial role in driving the party in this direction. His leadership boosted the morale of state leadership, which toiled day and night under party president and popular leader B S Yeddyurappa. State prabhari Muralidhar Rao worked more than a full-timer, building trust and comradeship among state leaders.&nbsp;

The Karnataka experience has given BJP the confidence to expand into new territories. It will be interesting to watch how the saffron saga unfolds in South India.&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-bjp-s-southern-springboard-2761672">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spectacular triumph in Karnataka in last month’s Lok Sabha elections has triggered a political turmoil in the state. With the state Assembly in session, the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka is facing its biggest challenge ever.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spectacular triumph in Karnataka in last month’s Lok Sabha elections has triggered a political turmoil in the state. With the state Assembly in session, the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka is facing its biggest challenge ever. Both have come to realise the futility of trying to keep its folks under check. The faction-ridden Congress and the Janata Dal (S) have become sitting ducks for an aggressive BJP planning to expand its turf all over South India. In Karnataka and Telangana, the BJP is on the ascendant. The Karnataka victory has exceeded the BJP’s own expectations. Improvement upon its 2014 tally of 17 by winning 26 out of a total of 28 Lok Sabha seats, has galvanised the party. In 2018, Karnataka was the first state to be projected as a laboratory of the Stop Modi campaign. As part of that strategy, although the BJP had emerged as the largest single party with 105 seats, the Congress and JD (S) joined hands, with the chief ministership going to the decidedly junior JD (S) with 42 seats. HD Kumar Swamy was made chief minister with great fanfare with all top anti-BJP opposition leaders in attendance at the swearing-in ceremony, in Bangalore. Naturally, the BJP is now looking at Karnataka as the springboard of its southward march. It would be interesting to examine how the Karnataka poll outcome is changing the face of politics in South India. While in most states, the BJP and the NDA have maintained its tally of 2014, the one state – other than West Bengal – which has proven political pundits wrong is Karnataka, where the party has effectively won all but two Lok Sabha seats. Of these two, one is a BJP-backed independent. BJP has witnessed a whirlwind journey in the Kannada-speaking state in the last two decades. From winning four seats in 1989, the party started growing in Karnataka in the early 1090s. In 2008, the BJP formed a government on its own, but lost power in 2013. In the May 2018 state Assembly elections, the party missed the half-way mark by a few seats, but it was enough for two arch rivals, Congress and JD(S), to join hands showing scant respect for the people’s mandate. The fight for Karnataka in 2019 was unique. The party organisation, which saw a low in the 2013 state Assembly elections, was energised in the last four years. By 2018, it was ready for battle. The BJP, which had witnessed splits when senior leaders like BS Yeddyurappa and B Sreeramulu had left in 2011-2012, succeeded in reviving a strong organisation. The return of leaders like Yeddyurappa and Sreeramulu to the party and integration with the team was a huge challenge. However, the task was undertaken efficiently right up to the grassroot level, without compromising on the core integrity of the organisation. The credit for this goes to the party’s national president Amit Shah and Karnataka general secretary incharge P Muralidhar Rao. The measures envisioned by Amit Shah were meticulously implemented. This included creating and strengthening booth committees, adding new members and their training, deploying vistaraks and reaching out to the beneficiaries of Modi government’s policies. All organisation-strengthening programmes were undertaken sincerely by karyakartas from top to bottom. The BJP plans to replicate this experience in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala as part of its southward march. The party also benefitted from the entry of new leaders and people from different organisations outside its immediate fold like the JD(S), Congress and some social outfits. This was part of the expansion plan of the party, which is still underway. These include the defeat of veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge by Umesh Jadhav, who joined BJP from Congress just before the election. Former Congress MLA, Raja Amresh Nayak, was another leader, who joined BJP and won from Raichur. Principally, it was the spirit of converting challenges to opportunities that helped the party in all these instances. The formation of Congress-JD(S) alliance was touted as an invincible combination expected to win a majority of seats in Karnataka. But, the BJP diligently identified the fault lines of that flawed partnership and managed to exploit the gaps therein effectively. This was the primary reason for BJP’s unprecedented victories in opposition strongholds like Tumkur and Chitradurga. Reaching the message of how the Congress-JD (U) alliance is failing inch-by-inch to every nook and corner was initiated. News of the internal squabbles in the partnership and its failure in function as a coherent government was communicated precisely and effectively. In democratic polity, it is continuous and uninterrupted communication between the political leadership and the people that prevents democracy from becoming sterile and stagnant. Realising this, BJP leadership ensured continuity in its public connect. There was a huge Modi appeal, but to convert it into political victories, both in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections was the result of a structured organisational work, decisive strategies and innovation. The last five years of the BJP in Karnataka is the best example of how continuous innovation and pathbreaking approaches can raise the quality of political functioning, creating energy and synergy. Amit Shah played the most crucial role in driving the party in this direction. His leadership boosted the morale of state leadership, which toiled day and night under party president and popular leader B S Yeddyurappa. State prabhari Muralidhar Rao worked more than a full-timer, building trust and comradeship among state leaders. The Karnataka experience has given BJP the confidence to expand into new territories. It will be interesting to watch how the saffron saga unfolds in South India. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

How the Karnataka poll outcome is changing the face of politics in South India

Every five years, a finance commission decides how to split India's tax revenue between the Centre and India's states.&nbsp;

A major factor deciding the split is a state's population. The bigger a state's population, the greater the share of tax revenue given to it.&nbsp;

That however, say the experts, is also unfair for it punishes the states that have done the hard work of controlling their populations.&nbsp;

There is at the moment a massive difference in fertility rates — the rate at which a state's population grows — between the southern and other states, with the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, and the western state of Maharashtra having a fertility rate of about 1.5.&nbsp;

Bihar on the other hand has a fertility rate of about 3.5, and the other Bimaru states a rate of about 2.5.&nbsp;

The problem cropped up when the previous finance commission switched over to the 2011 Census to decide&nbsp;the split the commissions had so far been using the 1971 Census.&nbsp;

Tamil Nadu's politicians, including Chief Minister E Palaniswami and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin, have said a division on the basis of the 2011 Census will be patently unfair. They say they have done the hard work of controlling their populations and instead of being rewarded for having done so, they are now being punished.&nbsp;

They have also accused the Centre of "highway robbery". And are insisting the current 15th finance commission go back to the 1971 Census.&nbsp;

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav met on Wednesday with Finance Commission Chairperson NK Singh, news reports said, and promised that the southern states would not lose out.&nbsp;

The reports however did not say how he would ensure that.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Tax revenue is divided on the basis of population. The larger a state's population, the higher its share of revenue. That, say the southern states and experts, is patently unfair

Every five years, a finance commission decides how to split India's tax revenue between the Centre and India's states. A major factor deciding the split is a state's population. The bigger a state's population, the greater the share of tax revenue given to it. That however, say the experts, is also unfair for it punishes the states that have done the hard work of controlling their populations. There is at the moment a massive difference in fertility rates — the rate at which a state's population grows — between the southern and other states, with the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, and the western state of Maharashtra having a fertility rate of about 1.5. Bihar on the other hand has a fertility rate of about 3.5, and the other Bimaru states a rate of about 2.5. The problem cropped up when the previous finance commission switched over to the 2011 Census to decide the split the commissions had so far been using the 1971 Census. Tamil Nadu's politicians, including Chief Minister E Palaniswami and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin, have said a division on the basis of the 2011 Census will be patently unfair. They say they have done the hard work of controlling their populations and instead of being rewarded for having done so, they are now being punished. They have also accused the Centre of "highway robbery". And are insisting the current 15th finance commission go back to the 1971 Census. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav met on Wednesday with Finance Commission Chairperson NK Singh, news reports said, and promised that the southern states would not lose out. The reports however did not say how he would ensure that.

Southern states accuse Centre of 'highway robbery', say not getting fair share of tax revenue

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