Pinarayi’s challenges, Vijay’s controversies | Powertrip

In this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed, Pooja Prasanna, and Nidheesh MK, we give you the inside scoop from four southern states. In Kerala, it’s 79-year-old Pinarayi Vijayan’s future that’s become an issue that the CPI(M) isn’t sure how to deal with. Many don’t like him, some like him too much, but the talk is definitely on what next. Will there be a mini revolution, err, reorganisation in the party? Read on.In Karnataka, more cases of sexual violence are tumbling out. And again, it is powerful politicians who are the alleged perpetrators. But there were delays in filing the FIR. What caused the delay? How did the Karnataka CMO react? Read to find out.YSRCP meanwhile is wondering whether its media strategies are efficient enough. Following embarrassing defeats in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Jagan’s party wants to control the storytelling.In Tamil Nadu, actor Vijay’s political moves have ruffled quite a few feathers in the DMK’s ecosystem and caught political attention. .Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.The CPI(M)’s Pinarayi conundrum It’s not a good time for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The state committee of the CPI(M) and even district committees have had discussions about the election debacle and many leaders have directly blamed Pinarayi and his ‘19 shadows’, aka his ministers, for the rout. Congress swept the polls by winning 18 seats, CPM and BJP managed to get only one seat respectively. There are several threads of discussion that we found interesting.The main issue is regarding Pinarayi’s leadership. The buzz within the state leadership is that the national leadership is wary of letting Pinarayi lead the 2026 Assembly election campaign, and are unhappy with how things have panned out. However, this is not an easy decision to make. Pinarayi has never defied the national leadership nor has he confronted them. His growing unpopularity is definitely a setback for the CPI(M), but that’s not sufficient reason to sideline him, many believe.Also, Pinarayi still has substantial support within the state leadership. At 79, he has already become the state’s longest serving Chief Minister with an uninterrupted tenure. He may or may not want to lead the state again. Most leaders now hope for a peaceful transition, one that depends entirely on Pinarayi and would entail the party and him choosing the successor together.This is where the name of KK Shailaja comes in. During the state committee meeting, one CPI(M) leader said that KK Shailaja’s defeat from Vadakara was good for the party’s future as the people of the state look at her as a possible CM. Others raised concerns over how she has been sidelined again and again.But what our sources say is that though there is visible anger against Pinarayi and Cabinet’s style of governance, there is no real push in favour of Shailaja other than sporadic outbursts. This is because there are several senior leaders like MV Govindan and A Vijayaraghavan who are in line to become CM if the LDF comes back to power. And even if the CPI(M) were to look at a younger face, there is the option of P Rajeev, Pinarayi’s man and the party’s efficient fundraiser..The complicated route of the FIR against Suraj RevannaKarnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has a new headache. He is wary of being seen as targeting his political opponents with sexual assault cases. First, it was Yediyurappa, then Prajwal Revanna and HD Revanna, and now it’s Suraj Revanna. The FIR against Suraj for allegedly sexually assaulting a male JD(S) party worker took a complicated route.The complainant first approached the Holenarsipura police station in Hassan, but a junior officer was unsure how to proceed. While the complainant was put on hold, the CM’s office got word of the pending complaint as the man also wrote to the DGP. Queries were made about the complainant’s credibility, with concerns that it might be an extortion attempt. However, the CMO was convinced that there was enough material to file a complaint. The Hassan Superintendent of Police was then instructed to accept the complaint and file an FIR.Meanwhile the complainant, frustrated by the delay, approached a Kannada channel. Initially, he was turned away by one channel but then went to Power TV. Power TV did an extensive show, including an interview with the complainant and a dramatic (distasteful and voyeuristic) reading of the complaint by the anchor. The Hassan SP eventually received clearance but had to wait a day for the complainant to approach the police again. Finally, the FIR was registered on June 22.Perhaps it’s time for experienced politicians to actually acknowledge how pervasive sexual violence is in the political sphere. These are the stories that have come out but we don’t know how much more is there. Instead of worrying about ‘how it looks’ — may be political parties should start setting up processes to ensure they’re actually creating spaces that have zero tolerance for sexual violence. .YSRCP wants a PR makeoverThe crushing defeat in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections came as a huge shock to Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP in Andhra. The party’s troubles however do not end there. The YSRCP believes the Telugu media has been largely unfair to them and now with TDP being an NDA partner, the national media too will treat them like an enemy. The party is desperate to have an image makeover and ensure that they control the narrative. They are already in touch with journalists in both Delhi and Andhra Pradesh — they want the journos to join their team as PR persons and help propagate the party narrative..Vijay causes political stir, makes DMK anxious The Lok Sabha election result was a huge fillip to the DMK and also showed that the BJP was not poised to immediately make a dent in the state. However, a new worry has emerged for the DMK in the form of actor Vijay. Vijay, who formed a political party called TVK a few months ago, went to Kallakurichi to meet the families impacted by the illegal hooch tragedy. This caught the DMK by surprise, we are told. DMK supporters have been on an overdrive to discredit Vijay’s visit using a video in which they claim a woman could be seen being prompted to fall at Vijay’s feet.The trolling aside, Vijay’s presence at Kallakurichi got massive media coverage, but things didn’t stop there. On his birthday on June 22, many political leaders including former chief ministers Edappadi Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam wished him. What has however displeased the DMK are wishes by their allies — VCK’s Thirumavalavan and Congress president Selvaperunthagai. The DMK wants to tread carefully as Vijay has the potential to emerge as an alternative force around which smaller parties may rally.Then came the picture and caption posted by actor Trisha on social media as part of her birthday wish for Vijay, triggering speculation on social media. However, Vijay’s party sources say while the reactions online have been much better than they expected, they are worried that such narratives can be used to affect his political image. Therefore, they’re working on ‘counter narratives’ — we’ll have to wait and see what those are..Zero HourA political story of public importance.In Haryana, Six Toppers Wrote the NEET Exam at a School Run by a BJP Leader's Family.The president of the Hardayal Public School is Anuradha Yadav who, along with members of her family, has campaigned for the BJP multiple times..PowermovesTop 5 political stories1. In Bengaluru, the police decide where and when you protest2. The Rs 500 cr ‘Rushikonda palace’ controversy and allegations against Jagan3. Will Wayanad turn into another Rae Bareli or Amethi with Priyanka’s electoral entry4. Ground Report: Lethal nexus of bootlegger and corrupt cops led to Kallakurichi tragedy5. In Telangana’s Medak, BJP’s growing clout emboldens ‘Gau Rakshaks’