A total of 655 bull tamers at Alanganallur, 651 at Avaniyapuram, and 430 at Palamedu have been declared fit for the first phase. (Express/file)
Tamil Nadu Telangana Assembly Elections COVID-19 Live Updates: Jallikattu (bull taming event) has commenced at Avaniyapuram in Madurai, as Tamil Nadu celebrates the first day of Pongal today. Over 200 bulls are participating in the competition. As per COVID-19 guidelines issued by the state government, the number of players competing should not exceed 150 and COVID negative certificates are mandatory for the player. Meanwhile, the number of spectators should not to be more than 50 per cent of the gathering.
Also Read | Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu govt lays down Covid rules, bull tamers say ill-planned
Senior leaders from both the BJP and Congress will be taking part in Pongal celebrations across the state. While BJP president J P Nadda will be attending the ‘Namma Ooru Pongal‘ event in Chennai, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be attending Jallikattu at Avaniyapuram today.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu recorded 673 positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 8,28,287. The state recorded six deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 12,242. All six of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 821 patients were discharged following treatment, putting the total number of recoveries at 8,09,392.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (AP)
While national and state leaders of the BJP have already started participating in the party’s statewide celebrations of the Tamil festival Pongal, the Congress has also announced that senior leader Rahul Gandhi will reach the state for Pongal celebrations and attend the traditional bull-taming sport ‘Jallikattu’ at the famous Avaniyapuram arena near Madurai on Pongal day on January 14. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri confirmed Gandhi’s one-day visit to Madurai — reportedly the first of several programmes being planned in the state ahead of the May 2021 Assembly polls.
READ | After BJP, now Congress announces Pongal celebrations, Rahul to attend Jallikattu
Routed in Assembly as well as Parliamentary elections in 2019, and with the Bharatiya Janata Party trying to get a foothold in the state, N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is rebranding its politics in Andhra Pradesh, with a pro-Hindu tilt. Desecration of idols and vandalism at temples in the state has provided it with a pretext to position itself as a protector of Hindu traditions. Such communal politics is new to Andhra, and TDP probably felt the urgency and compulsion to change tack with the BJP having initiated an aggressive membership drive, and having announced a rath yatra now.
READ | With BJP seeking foot in Andhra door, TDP takes a Hindutva turn
For assistance on COVID-19-related queries and mental health support in Chennai, citizens can contact the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) COVID-19 helpline 044 46122300 | Citizens can find the nearest GCC-facilitated COVID-19 fever clinic here | For lodging rain-related complaints and assistance during the monsoon, citizens can contact the GCC’s monsoon helplines 044 25384530 or 044 25384540 or the control room 1913 (available 24×7)
Chennai Hyderabad Coronavirus January 11, 12 Highlights
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/tamil-nadu-andhra-pradesh-telangana-coronavirus-lockdown-6-0-chennai-hyderabad-tamil-nadu-elections-2021-campaigns-edappadi-stalin-kamal-haasan-chandrashekar-rao-tamil-nadu-rains-uk-returnees-vaccine/
