Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 30 July 2018 | Page 6
deep throat
POWER SHIFT
Looks like the days of the EPS
government in Tamil Nadu are
numbered. After Amit Shah
dubbed it as the ‘most corrupt
regime’, I-T raids on two busi
nessmen close to the CM rep
ortedly found incriminating
evidence plus hard cash and
gold bars. With the high court
verdict on 18 MLAs expected to
go against the ruling party,
whose lack of majority would
then be established, Delhi will
get to impose a spell of
President’s rule and hold simul
taneous polls in 2019. Sensing
something is afoot, state minis
ters are now targeting the BJP
and the Centre even more. One
man seemingly enjoying the
souring of ties between the
AIADMK and the BJP is T.T.V.
Dhinakaran, hoping to reap a
clutch of MPs and MLAs in one
go due to simultaneous polls..
6 OUTLOOK 30 July 2018
ALL EYES ON UP
Uttar Pradesh, with 80 Lok
Sabha seats, is likely to witness
the most interesting contest
in 2019. More so because the
seeds of Opposition unity were
sown in the recent state bypolls.
There are indications emanating
from the Opposition camp that
all the heavyweights will come
down in the electoral fray to
take on the might of the BJP.
BSP leader Mayawati is likely
to contest from her old seat
Ambedkarnagar or from Nagina.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is set
to reclaim his Kannauj seat from
wife Dimple, who may not con-
test at all. His father Mulayam
Singh Yadav will contest from
Mainpuri. However, the most
interesting contest may be in
Rae Bareli, from where Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra is tipped to make
her political debut, taking over
from mother Sonia Gandhi, who
may take the Rajya Sabha route
to Parliament.
AGE OF THE LORDS
A strong case for raising the
retirement age of Supreme
Court judges from 65 to 67 is
being made in the power corri
dors. While a Parliamentary
Committee had earlier urged
the government to increase
the retirement age of both
Supreme Court and high court
judges from 62 to 65, Attorney
General K.K. Venugopal rec
ently endorsed it, saying it
would be in the interest of the
justice delivery system. The
main argument for raising the
age is the huge number of vac
ancies in the higher judiciary,
especially the apex court. At
present, there are 22 judges
against the sanctioned
strength of 31, with a pendency
of over 54,000 cases. The gov
ernment wants to expedite the
process and is believed to be
working on the Bill.