The process to elect 234 members for the Tamil Nadu Assembly will be set in motion on Saturday with the commencement of filing of nomination papers.

The death of Sadiq Batcha, a close associate of former communications minister A. Raja, was due to asphyxia and his neck showed compression and a hanging mark, the government doctor who did his post-mortem said Thursday.

Barring two elder members of his Cabinet, DMK president M. Karunanidhi has re-nominated all ministers in the list of 119 party candidates he announced here on Thursday.

Upset over the unilateral announcement of candidates by AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa without consulting them, her key allies, the DMDK and Left parties, held two rounds of negotiations on Thursday amid reports that the angry allies are contemplating the formation of a new alliance.

Sadiq Batcha, a close associate of jailed former Union communications minister A. Raja, who was being questioned by the CBI in its investigation into the 2G spectrum allocation scam, was found dead at his residence here on Wednesday.

One more knot was added to the spectrum scam with the suicide of Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of A. Raja and also a key witness for the CBI probing the money trail in the multi-crore crime.

Former telecom minister A. Raja's key aide Sadiq Batcha, who allegedly committed suicide in mysterious circumstances, died of asphyxia, a doctor who conducted the post-mortem said on Thursday.

England made 243 all out in 48.4 overs against the West Indies in a World Cup Group B match at the Chidamabaram Stadium on Thursday.

Several sitting DMK legislators and even some ministers have lost their constituencies in the final list of 63 seats announced for the Congress on Tuesday at the end of marathon negotiations.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati will undertake a three day tour of Tamil Nadu as part of her party’s election campaign for the April 13 Assembly polls, a senior party leader said.