Flies to Kalahasti near Tirupati to perform special two-hour sarp dosh pooja.
Invoking the divine’s blessings before kick-starting her election campaign for the next assembly elections, AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa performed a special pooja at Kalahasti, about 90 km from Chennai, near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
Jayalalithaa flew to Kalahasti in a helicopter that landed on the Sri Kalahasteeswara Institute of Technology ground. She performed a special two-hour pooja to propitiate Rahu and Ketu before she flew back to Chennai. Jayalalithaa also performed a sarp dosh pooja, sources said.
“Jayalalithaa proposes to kick-start election activities as the next assembly polls are scheduled to be held either in November or February. She decided to start the process by propitiating the gods,” sources told DNA. The term of the present assembly ends in May 2011. Karunanidhi has not directly spoken about advancing the assembly elections, but the present government has hinted at the possibility of going to polls in November.
The DMK is opposed to holding elections in January or early February as the farmers will be busy Pongal. Also, during April and May most teachers will be busy with examinations. Therefore, November or December will be ideal for holding elections.
Karunanidhi, who has been hinting at retiring from active politics, is expected to make MK Stalin his heir apparent after the next elections.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK executive council will meet in Chennai on May 27. The meet is expected on June 17 to discuss the biennial elections to six Rajya Sabha seats. Four AIADMK Rajya Sabha members — TTV Dinakaran, K Malaisamy, S Anbalagan and NR Govindarajar — are due to retire. The party, however, may be able to return only two members to Rajya Sabha this time as it has only 57 MLAs.
The executive committee is also expected to broach the subject of the next assembly elections. At a wedding reception on Sunday, Jayalalithaa told party workers to be prepared in “full gear” for the assembly elections.
“The courts have cleared my name in 12 of the 13 disproportionate assets cases framed by the DMK government against me. Karunanidhi still intends to keep one case going at any cost, otherwise he will not have any tool to criticise me. I could have got the cases withdrawn when AIADMK came to power in 2001, but I did not do so,” Jayalalithaa said.
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