Convict Queen
Though AIADMK leader Jayalalitha was debarred from contesting the elections on grounds of her conviction in a corruption case, she was sworn in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Will her aggressive game plan work? And should popular mandate overrule judicial verdicts?

Great Call Of China
Indian entrepreneurs are eagerly joining the swiftly growing queue to set up shop in China.
The land once considered forbidden has suddenly become
the hottest destination for Indian businessmen.

Looking East
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Malaysia may have achieved little on Quattrochi's extradition and India's greater ties with ASEAN, but it showed there is more to their bilateral relations than these two issues.

Mother's Day
Stalinist methods played a vital role in the humiliating finale of M. Karunanidhi's dynastic ambition.

Readying For Nukes For the first time after India became a nuclear power, the Army stages a nuclear war game to check preparedness.

PONDICHERRY
Comeback Moment

Once again Pondicherry has played out its individuality. No Amma mania here. The Congress should be happy for it has, along with the TMC, bagged 13 of the 30 seats in the state. The DMK-led front got 12. The PMK, which dreamt of power, drew a pathetic blank. Most importantly, the BJP opened its account with the victory of A.M. Krishnamurthy from Reddiyarpalayam. Two seats went to independents.

The AIADMK, which got three seats, has no option but to support the Congress-TMC combine. The Congress can breath easy without the baggage of the pro-LTTE PMK. "Had we tied up with the PMK, the results would have been subverted," says state Congress chief V. Narayanasamy. He has attributed the victory to the good governance of P. Shanmugham's Congress ministry in the past year.

In fact, the Congress decision to get out of the AIADMK-led front came after much dilly-dallying, triggered by Jayalalitha's unilateral allotment of 10 seats and the first tenure of chief ministership to the PMK. In Tamil Nadu, though the Congress was willing to be a partner of the PMK-inclusive AIADMK front out of political expediency, the party refused to put up with an overambitious PMK leader S. Ramadoss, who is known for his pro-LTTE pronouncements. For once, the Congress was right.

--Arun Ram

MetroScape

Delhi Cinema:
"Flicks Down Under"

Mumbai Restaurant:
Karma

Kolkata Restaurant:
Teej

The Madhya Pradesh governor orders a CBI inquiry into a land allotment by the chief minister to the Nai Duniya group, kicking off a constitutional crisis. INDIA TODAY Special Correspondent Neeraj Mishra reports in
Conflict Of Interest.