Chennai, Jan 1: With just four months remaining for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, political activity across the State has intensified, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit on Sunday is set to mark a major turning point in the evolving electoral landscape.

The visit is being closely watched as a key step towards strengthening the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu.

HM Shah will arrive in Tiruchirappalli on January 4 and proceed to Pudukottai, where he will participate in the concluding event of the state-level campaign led by BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran.

The event will be held at Pallathivayal in Nathampannai village, where a massive public meeting is being organised with elaborate arrangements, including a large stage and pavilion.

Senior leaders of the NDA, including AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Tamil Maanila Congress leader G. K. Vasan, PMK leaders and other alliance partners, are expected to attend.

Following the public meeting, HM Shah will stay overnight in Tiruchirappalli.

On January 5, he is scheduled to visit the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam and later attend the Pongal celebration at the Army Ground in Mannarpuram, where around 1,000 women are expected to participate.

The visit is seen as a crucial effort to consolidate the NDA in Tamil Nadu. BJP leaders have been holding continuous consultations with AIADMK leadership on seat-sharing and alliance coordination.

Sources indicate that discussions are also underway to bring other political groups, including those led by O. Panneerselvam and AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran, into the alliance fold.

Meanwhile, the ruling DMK has intensified its own campaign.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has been touring districts, inaugurating development projects, distributing welfare assistance, and energising party cadres as part of his outreach programme.

The DMK is projecting its governance record and welfare schemes as the cornerstone of its re-election bid. On the other hand, the AIADMK, under Edappadi K. Palaniswami, has stepped up its statewide campaign, accusing the DMK government of administrative failures and unfulfilled promises.

With HM Shah’s visit expected to firm up alliance dynamics and energise the BJP-led front, Tamil Nadu’s political arena is witnessing heightened activity, setting the stage for a fiercely contested Assembly polls.

Mumbai, Jan 1: Shares of major cigarette makers fell sharply on Thursday after the government announced to slap a fresh excise duty on cigarettes next month, a move that is expected to push up prices and impact sales.

Stocks of ITC and Godfrey Phillips dropped by as much as 19 per cent during the intra-day’s trade on Thursday.

According to a government order, the new excise duty will come into effect from February 1.

The duty has been fixed in the range of Rs 2,050 to Rs 8,500 per thousand cigarette sticks, depending on the length of the cigarettes.

This additional tax is likely to make cigarettes more expensive, which could hurt demand and weigh on the earnings of cigarette companies.

Following the announcement, ITC shares fell up to 10 per cent on the BSE and hit a 52-week low of Rs 362.70.

The stock also came under pressure due to a large block deal reported during the session, which added to the selling momentum.

Over the past one year, ITC shares have declined 17 per cent and are down 9 per cent in the last six months.

The company remains one of the heavyweight stocks in the benchmark indices, with a market capitalisation of over Rs 4.75 lakh crore.

Godfrey Phillips shares saw an even steeper fall. The stock tumbled nearly 19 per cent to touch the day’s low of Rs 2,230.15 on the BSE.

Despite the sharp fall on Thursday, the stock is still up nearly 49 per cent over the past one year.

The new excise duty on cigarettes will be levied over and above the goods and services tax. As per the new structure, cigarettes, tobacco and similar products will attract a GST rate of 40 per cent from next month.

The excise duty will replace the compensation cess that was earlier imposed on these products.

The change follows Parliament’s approval of an amendment law in December that replaces the temporary levy on cigarettes and tobacco products.

Mumbai: In a major action ahead of the BMC elections, Mumbai Police’s Shivaji Park Police arrested a man in possession of high-quality counterfeit currency notes from the vicinity of Dadar Railway Station.

Police recovered fake currency notes with a face value of ₹72,000 from the accused. All the seized notes were in the denomination of ₹500 and were found to be of high quality. The arrested accused has been identified as Amruddin Sheikh (61).

According to police officials, there is suspicion that the seized counterfeit notes may have been smuggled into India from Bangladesh. Further investigation in this regard is underway.

Police have also revealed that the accused had previously used counterfeit currency worth several thousand rupees. Investigators are now probing where and how these fake notes were circulated. Further investigation is in progress.