News
Kamal Haasan richest candidate in Tamil Nadu Assembly polls
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN,
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, March 20:
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has emerged as the richest candidate in the fray for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 6. The founder and chief of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) declared moveable assets worth over INR450 million. He filed his nomination from the Coimbatore (South) constituency.
Candidates, including heavyweights such as Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, DMK President MK Stalin, Haasan and Deputy Chief Minister O Pannerselvam, have officially entered the fray for the April 6 election.
The Chief Minister, who filed his nomination from Edapadi constituency on Monday, declared movable assets worth over INR 4.7 million while stating that he has no immovable assets to his name. He further stated that his wife’s movable assets were worth INR 10.4 million and that of the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) were INR 5.021 million.
He declared immovable assets in his wife’s name at INR 17.8 million and a further INR 21 million under the HUF, including ancestral property. His affidavit further states that he owes a “hand loan” of INR 1.5 million to an individual.
In his 2016 poll affidavit, the AIADMK joint coordinator had pegged his movable assets at over INR 1.283 million and immovable assets at INR 19.7 million. In his latest filed on Monday, he declared that he owes the government no dues, including on the Income Tax and GST fronts.
Stating agriculture as his primary profession, the CM said he has no pending cases against him. He chose the ‘Not Applicable’ option in a section of the nomination papers where a candidate is required to enter the total number of cases in which he/she has been convicted. Palaniswami has contested six Assembly elections till date, winning four of them.
Stalin declared movable assets worth a little over INR 49.4 million, while pegging his immovable assets, comprising land and residential buildings, at INR22.4 million. The DMK president, who is seeking a third successive term from Kolathur constituency, stated that his wife’s movable assets were worth INR 30,52,854.
He said he had no vehicle in his name while his wife was in possession of gold jewellery worth INR 2.477 million. Adding that he INR50,000 as cash in hand, Stalin declared that he owed no dues to banks or government agencies and had no other liabilities. He stated the sources of his income as his monthly salary as MLA, bank deposits, and rent.
Stalin’s son and the party’s youth-wing secretary Udhayanidhi, who is making his electoral debut from the Chepauk-Triplicane segment this year, declared INR211.3 million worth of movable assets, including a four-wheeler of 2016 model. Declaring the ‘procurement price’ of his vehicle as INR17.7 million, he stated that he had immovable assets worth INR 65.4 million.
Haasan quoted his movable properties over INR 450 million. These include two vehicles – BMW 730 LD and Lexus LX 570, the combined valuation of which comes to INR 30.7 million. The veteran actor pegged his immovable properties, including commercial buildings and agricultural land, at a little over INR1.31 billion.
He also declared two residential buildings in Chennai, cumulatively priced at INR 195 million, and a joint property in London worth INR25 million. The superstar stated that he has INR 495 million in liabilities, adding that he has no spouse or dependents.
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Landslide RED warnings issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale and Nuwara Eliya extended up to 1600 hrs today [07]
The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Badulla, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura effective from 16:00 hrs on 06.12.2025 to 16:00 hrs on 07.12.2025.
Accordingly,
LEVEL III RED warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pathadumbara, Kundasale, Pathahewaheta, Panvila, Medadumbara, Doluwa, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Deltota, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Yatinuwara, Hatharaliyadda, Ududumbara, Minipe, Udapalatha, Gangawata Korale, Akurana, Poojapitiya and Harispattuwa in the Kandy district, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Deltota, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pasbage Korale, Yatinuwara, Hatharaliyadda, Ududumbara, Minipe, Udapalatha, Gangawata Korale, Akurana, Poojapitiya and Harispattuwa in the Kegalle district, Alawwa, Rideegama, Polgahawela, Mallawapitiya and Mawathagama inthe Kurunegala district, Ukuwela, Naula, Yatawatta, Laggala Pallegama, Pallepola, Matale, Rattota, Ambanganga Korale and Wilgamuwa in the Matale district, and Hanguranketha, Mathurata, Nildandahinna and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya district
LEVEL II AMBER warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Hali_Ela, Meegahakivula, Ella, Welimada, Haputhale, Lunugala, Haldummulla and Passara in the Badulla district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, Kothmale West, Norwood, Ambagamuwa Korale, Thalawakele, Kothmale East and Nuwara Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district and Godakawela, Kahawaththa and Kolonna in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I YELLOW warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colonbo district, Elpitiya and Yakkalamulla in the Galle district, Mirigama, Divulapitiya and Attanagalla in the Gampaha district, Ingiriya, Bulathsinhala and Horana in the Kalutara district, Pasgoda and Athuraliya in the Matara district, Bibile and Medagama in the Monaragala district, and Kuruwita, Balangoda, Eheliyagoda, Pelmadulla, Kaltota, Kalawana, Openayake, Ayagama, Nivithigala, Imbulpe, Elapatha, Ratnapura and Kiriella in the Ratnapura district.
The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center [DMC] at 2000hrs on Saturday [06] confirms that 607 persons have died due to the recent flooding and landslides while another 209 persons were missing.
The death toll in the Kandy district which one of the most affected districts has risen to 232, and 1800 houses have been fully damaged.The number of missing persons reported is 81
100,124 persons belonging to 29,874 families were being housed at 990 safety centers established by the government.
The government’s failure to act on expert warnings, including advance forecasts on Cyclone Ditwah, had led to the worsening of disaster impact, Udaya Gammanpila, leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, said at a press conference in Colombo yesterday.
Gammanpila accused the NPP government of ignoring 14 key preventive measures, despite alerts from the Meteorology Department, foreign experts, and the media.
Gammanpila said the government had failed to lower the water levels in reservoirs, dredge estuaries, and deploy the armed forces for canal maintenance. Local government bodies were reportedly sidelined, and that led to a delay in cleaning of drains. He said the government had also failed to evacuate people in a timely manner from seven districts identified by the National Building Research Organisation as landslide-prone. It had delayed declaring emergencies or curfews and the deployment of tri-forces to evacuate people in such areas.
Gammanpila said an experienced public official should have been appointed as Secretary to the President to mobilise the state machinery swiftly during the disaster. He said the government had not convened the National Disaster Council.
“These failures worsened the disaster, causing immense hardship, disruption, and loss of life and property to the people,” Gammanpila said.
The government has denied the Opposition’s claims.
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