Vishnu Varma is Assistant Editor and reports from Kerala for the Hindustan Times. He has 10 years of experience writing for print and digital platforms and has worked at The New York Times, NDTV and The Indian Express in the past. He specialises in longform reportage at the intersections of politics, crime, social commentary and environment.
Articles by Vishnu Varma
Early trends show Shashi Tharoor trailing to BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar in T’puram
According to the latest figures of the ECI (as of 10:36am), Chandrashekhar received 65,790 votes while Tharoor received 60,842 votes. CPI’s Pannian Ravindran was third with 46,654 votes
Published on Jun 04, 2024 10:43 AM IST
Kerala Lok Sabha poll results: BJP’s Suresh Gopi takes massive lead in Thrissur
Located in central Kerala, Thrissur is dominated by the Hindu community with about 45% vote share, but has a sizeable Christian voter base, estimated at around 30-35%
Published on Jun 04, 2024 10:07 AM IST
Counting day: Rahul Gandhi takes massive lead in Wayanad, show early trends
Wayanad has been a Congress stronghold since it was carved out after the delimitation exercise in 2009
Published on Jun 04, 2024 10:00 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
What happens in Antarctica can impact our climate, sea levels, food security: NCPOR director
India hosted the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ACTM) from May 20 to 30 in Kochi, Kerala in which over 400 delegates from 56 countries including diplomats, scientists and experts came together to discuss the affairs of Antarctica such as science, policy, governance etc.
Updated on Jun 01, 2024 07:48 AM IST
Kerala min seeks probe in excise bribery charge
Opposition leader VD Satheesan had earlier claimed that the CPM-led government was collecting bribes to the tune of ₹20 crore from 801 bar owners in the state in exchange for favourable changes in the Abkari Act.
Updated on May 25, 2024 07:36 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala HC acquits Cong leader Sudhakaran in 1995 murder conspiracy case
The Kerala high court on Tuesday quashed criminal proceedings against state Congress chief and Kannur MP K Sudhakaran in connection with an alleged conspiracy to murder Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader EP Jayarajan in a moving train in April 1995
Updated on May 22, 2024 08:56 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala HC upholds death sentence in 2016 rape and murder of law student
The Kerala high court on Monday upheld the death sentence given by a trial court to Muhammed Ameer ul-Islam, the lone convict in the 2016 rape and murder of a 30-year-old law student in Ernakulam district of the state
Updated on May 21, 2024 08:32 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala HC upholds death sentence for Assam man for rape, murder of Dalit law student
The Ernakulam Principal District and Sessions Court had in December 2017 found Ameer-ul-Islam guilty of various offences
Published on May 20, 2024 03:24 PM IST
AI training for teachers: How Kerala is raising the bar in classrooms
KITE in Kochi trains 50 teachers on AI tools for education, aiming to empower 80,000 teachers statewide. Teachers excited to use AI responsibly in classrooms.
Updated on May 16, 2024 09:42 AM IST
Kerala woman accuses husband of torturing her for dowry: Police
The woman’s family has alleged that the local police in Pantheerankavu did not take their complaint against Rahul seriously
Updated on May 15, 2024 08:46 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala woman failed to meet husband before his death after cancellations of Air India Express flight to Oman
The family said it would move legally against AIE as the airline deserved to provide them an explanation after Rajesh’s death.
Updated on May 15, 2024 08:38 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment for 23-year-old’s murder
A court in Kerala on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old man to life imprisonment for breaking into the home of a 23-year-old woman in Kannur district and stabbing her to death in October 2022
Updated on May 14, 2024 08:28 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala temples ban oleander offering after woman’s death
The ban on the use of the flower comes nearly 10 days after a woman in Alappuzha district died after suspected poisoning from the accidental consumption of oleander leaves
Updated on May 11, 2024 08:26 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Flash strike by truck drivers affects LPG supply in Kerala
A flash strike by over 200 truck drivers at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) plant in Ambalamugal in Kochi on Thursday resulted in LPG cylinder supply being affected in different parts of Kerala
Updated on May 10, 2024 07:32 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala health department on alert as 3 districts report West Nile Virus cases
While these West Nile Virus cases have been reported in Kerala since 2011, the state has confirmed one death each in 2019 and 2022.
Updated on May 08, 2024 05:02 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala reports 10 cases of West Nile Virus: All you need to know
Of the 10 infections in Kerala, nine have recovered while one is under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode
Updated on May 07, 2024 04:09 PM IST
Kerala court rejects Cong MLA’s petition against Kerala CM’s daughter
A vigilance court in Kerala on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged suspicious financial transactions between a minerals manufacturer and a software firm owned by the daughter of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Updated on May 07, 2024 09:04 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Four Kerala cops held over custodial death of 30-yr-old
Thamir Jifri along with four more people were picked up by DANSAF squad on July 31, 2023 on charge of having 18.14gm of MDMA.
Updated on May 05, 2024 07:26 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Power consumption peaks as severe heat prevails in Kerala
The power consumption in Kerala hit a record high of 113.14 million units on Monday (April 29) as the state continued to reel under extreme heat conditions
Updated on May 01, 2024 07:20 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
At 67.48%, Kerala polling dips from ’19
According to the Election Commission data, the highest voter turnout was recorded in Kannur at 75.57% and the lowest in Pathanamthitta at 63.34% at 6:45 pm
Updated on Apr 27, 2024 07:42 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Kerala’s ruling LDF convenor acknowledges meeting BJP leader Javadekar
EP Jayarajan spoke about the meeting on the day Kerala all 20 seats went to the polls in the second of seven-phase Lok Sabha elections
Published on Apr 26, 2024 01:36 PM IST
BJP bets on 2 Union ministers to enter Left stronghold Kerala
While BJP has often done well in the urban pockets of the constituency like Vattiyoorkavu & Nemom, it has fallen behind in the rural, coastal assembly segments
Updated on Apr 26, 2024 04:41 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Thiruvananthapuram/attingal
‘Muslims used to be bound by LDF, UDF narratives, now there’s change’: Muraleedharan
BJP leader V Muraleedharan, who has been fielded from is pitted Attingal, is pitted against sitting MP Adoor Prakash of the Congress V Joy of CPI (M)
Updated on Apr 25, 2024 08:02 PM IST
Kerala votes: Will a rising BJP help LDF’s cause or is UDF returning comfortably?
Kerala, along with 12 other states, will go to polls on April 26 in the second phase of the 2024 general elections, and most opinion polls have given the UDF an edge over the others, with some even claiming that the LDF could make a comeback with a better tally
Published on Apr 25, 2024 05:19 PM IST
High-octane campaign ends for all 20 LS seats in Kerala
For the LDF, the vote-share dropped nearly 4% and its candidate emerged triumphant only in one seat – Alappuzha
Updated on Apr 25, 2024 07:28 AM IST
Vishnu Varma I Edited by Shilpa Ambardar, Kochi
Election In Pincodes: Kannur holds key to Left’s fight for relevance
Though Kerala may be one of the only states where the Left has electoral heft, it is not the only party that looks to the state as its bastion of resistance.
Updated on Apr 24, 2024 01:32 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kannur
People want substantive performance from elected leaders: Rajeev Chandrasekhar
People understand the difference between a government that delivers versus a state government that’s bankrupt, says Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Updated on Apr 24, 2024 04:48 AM IST
Shadow of Manipur violence hangs over BJP’s prospects in Kerala's Thrissur
In Thrissur, a fiercely-fought triangular contest is on between the Congress-led UDF, CPI-led LDF and the BJP-led NDA.
Updated on Apr 24, 2024 04:49 AM IST
Vishnu Varma I Edited by Shilpa Ambardar, Thrissur
LDF, UDF use CAA to vie for Muslim votes in North Kerala
On March 11, the central government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) notified the rules of the CAA, paving the way for its implementation
Updated on Apr 22, 2024 08:44 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kozhikode/wayanad
‘BJP has nothing to show for last 10 yrs’: Satheesan
In an interview with Vishnu Varma, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly VD Satheesan, who is overseeing the Congress campaign in the state discusses the preparations, key issues and the importance of this year’s elections
Updated on Apr 20, 2024 08:04 AM IST