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Kishanganj and how BJP’s Hindu candidate in a 70% Muslim dominated area will give sleepless nights to Mamata Banerjee: 35 seats at stake

Editorial Desk
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Kishanganj and how BJP’s Hindu candidate in a 70% Muslim dominated area will give sleepless nights to Mamata Banerjee: 35 seats at stake

The Bihar election has thrown up a massive surprise from what the poll pandits were predicting. While Exit polls gave the advantage to the Mahagathbandhan and some even predicted a landslide victory for Tejashvi led alliance, the trends so far have pointed towards a victory for NDA, that had been so far written off. And there are some lessons for West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as well.

At the point of writing this article, the NDA was leading in over 124 seats, comfortably getting the edge in the elections. While the day is long and the trends can just as easily be reversed, one constituency holds significance responsible. The battle in Kishanganj is heating up and currently, the Congress candidate is merely about 3000 votes ahead of BJP.

Kishanganj trends according to ECI

Congress’ candidate has got 23,672 votes currently while Sweety Singh of the BJP has so far garnered 20,600. The margin for Congress at this moment is just about 3,000 votes. The reason for that low margin is the AIMIM, which is winning a vote-share significantly larger than the difference between the BJP and Congress.

The significance of Kishanganj

Kishanganj is an area with a vast Muslim majority of over 70%. In a constituency with a Muslim bloc forming over 70% of the electorate, a Hindu candidate from BJP giving a tough fight to a Muslim candidate fielded by Congress is a massive story in itself. However, there is more to this seat than meets the eye.

Kishanganj, Bihar is an area that borders West Bengal. Areas like Islampur are merely a few hours away from Kishanganj. One has to recall that Islampur was the area where there was massive discord after meat was found in a temple and the protestors were mercilessly lathi-charged. Further,it was around that area where the minor sister of a BJP leader was raped and murdered and BJP had accused TMC leader Feroze Ali for it.

For BJP to be in the fight in an area like Kishanganj is a story that needs to be researched and analysed on its own. However, the direct impact of Kishanganj could be felt in West Bengal, that goes to vote in 2021.

The West Bengal story

There has been an interesting fight brewing in West Bengal. TMC and BJP have been sparring over a leader called Suvendu Adhikari. The war of words started after Adhikari’s supporters put up rally posters that did not mention his political affiliation or current designation. The posters were seen in districts such as Purba Medinipur, Nadia, Murshidabad, Paschim Bardhaman and Malda.

The Trinamool Congress has said that there is no question of Adhikari leaving TMC. “There is no question of Suvendu not being with our party. He is very much with the TMC. He is a bright leader, who is an asset for any political party. Some people are trying to mislead the people about his future prospects”, said TMC MP Kalyan Bhattacharya.

However, BJP were given different hints. BJP’s Dilip Ghosh said, “TMC is like a cabbage. One by one its leaves are coming off. Once all leaves come off then there will be no cabbage”.

Interestingly, Congress reminded Mamata Banerjee of the crucial role Adhikari and his family had played in her rise to power and the Nandigram movement. As Mamata Banerjee announced her Nandigram Diwas, Adhikari, who hails from the powerful Adhikari family took potshots at her calling out how she was using the movement for political purposes, something he would never do. He also questioned the leader, tacitly, for returning to Nandigram only before elections. Simultaneously, his supporters have been protesting his isolation from the party.

Everything points towards Adhikari switching parties, perhaps, before the Assembly elections in 2021.

It is important to keep in mind that Apart from East Midnapore district, Adhikari holds sway in about 35 assembly constituencies in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and parts of Birbhum.

The Muslim population in all of these areas is rather substantial. Midnapore is an area where several BJP workers have been found mysteriously hanging, with BJP pointing towards TMC as the culprit. It has about a 15% Muslim population in East and West Midnapore combined. In Birbhhum, for example, the Muslim population is almost 40%. In Purulia, the Muslim population is almost 30%. In other areas where his posters had come up, sans TMC, the Muslim population is rather high as well. In Malda, the Muslim population is over 51%. In Murshidabad, it’s over 66%. In Nadia, its almost 30%.

With such high Muslim populations, the appeal of Shuvendu Adhikari is still massively high due to his lineage and role in the people’s movement of Nandigram. In addition to him being one of the most popular mass leaders of TMC in the Midnapore Jangal Mahal region, it is to be noted that Subhendu is a member of the powerful Adhikari family of the East Midnapore district and as mentioned above, has sway over as many as 35 seats.

Why Kishanganj might be a psychological setback for Mamata Banerjee

Kishanganj is a seat that has been held by a Muslim MLA since decades. The last MLA to be a non-Muslim was in 1969. The usual mentality that has ruled the opposition parties is that a Hindu candidate in Muslim dominated areas does not perform well since Muslims tend to vote as a block especially for their co-religionists.

The setback is far greater when that Hindu candidate is one from the Bhartiya Janta Party. Over the years, the Media has created a rather anti-Muslim image of the party where it is assumed that BJP will find no favours with the Muslim community. Issues like Ram Mandir, the abolition of Tripal Talaq etc have been used as rallying points against BJP by the opposition members who have regularly called BJP anti-Muslim and “communal”.

In Kishanganj, BJP candidate has managed to come pretty close, if not win. That swing in itself is a psychological factor, coupled with uncertainly over Adhikari, that is bound to give Mamata Banerjee sleepless nights. With their rhetoric over BJP being anti-Muslim reaching its peak, Kishanganj, which is an area bordering West Bengal has managed to give almost 30% votes to the BJP candidate with the Congress candidate getting about 38% of the votes.

In areas like Midnapore, where Adhikari holds considerable sway, his switch could turn Muslim strongholds saffron and if his own sway was not enough, the Kishanganj dynamics further illustrates the fact that Hindu consolidation helps the BJP massively. This, coupled with the fact that AIMIIM is eating considerably into TMC’s Muslim votes, might sound warning bells for TMC, especially, so close to 2021 elections.

In fact, the same dynamics that has played out in Kishanganj may be Mamata Banerjee’s worse nightmare. In the Bihar constituency, while Congress’ Muslim candidate bagged about 38% of the votes, AIMIM bagged about 20% thereby eating into the vote share of Congress and stopping it from surging ahead with a massive margin. In Bengal too, the Owaisi factor is rather strong.

In July 2019, it was reported that the AIMIM had announced their decision to contest the Assembly Elections in the state scheduled to be held in 2021. “It is true that we are fewer in number, but do not dare touch us. We are atom bombs. Didi, we welcome your friendship and enmity as well. You have to decide whether you consider us friends or foes,” AIMIM national spokesperson and Bengal observer, Asim Waqar, had stated sometime back.

The AIMIM conundrum for Mamata Banerjee

The AIMIM had also organized a meeting at Dharmatala in Kolkata where the former MLA from Maharashtra Waris Pathan was also present. Consequently, in November, the Chief Minister of Bengal had warned the citizenry about the radicalism of the Owaisis. She did not name them but it was quite obvious who her comments were directed at. “I am watching that there are some extremists among minorities,” she told her party workers in Coochbehar, “They have their base in Hyderabad. Don’t listen to them.”

A week ago, on the 8th of December, AIMIM leader Zameerul Hasan accused the Mamata Government of targeting his party. “Across the state, police officers are abusing our leaders, threatening them not to take up political programmes. This has happened after the Chief Minister indicated to the police to ensure that we don’t hold meetings and processions,” he told IANS. Hasan also announced that the party will organize a mega rally in Kolkata where Asaduddin Owaisi will be the main speaker.

Thus, things are not looking very good for Mamata Banerjee. She has spent too much of her political capital on her Muslim vote bank to be able to win without complete Muslim consolidation in her favour. In the course of the said appeasement, she has alienated significant sections of the Hindu community which have then consolidated in favour of the BJP. This is what we saw happen in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections where the saffron party massively increased its seat tally.

Mamata Banerjee faces a situation where Asaduddin Owaisi is threatening to capture her Muslim vote bank while the Hindus have consolidated behind the BJP due to her continuous Muslim appeasement.

Update: As per final figures, Congress candidate Ijaharul Hussain won with 61,078 votes.

Final result of Kishanganj constituency

Sweety Singh of BJP was close behind on 59,697 votes. The victory margin was as low as 1,381 votes.

Gujarat Congress concedes defeat as BJP gets landslide victory in by-elections, Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh follows suit

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat Congress concedes defeat as BJP gets landslide victory in by-elections, Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh follows suit

According to the latest data from the Election Commission, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently leading in all eight of the constituencies in which by-polls were held in Gujarat. While the heavy leads that the BJP has managed to rack up in Gujarat by-polls have already sparked celebrations at the state BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar, the Gujarat Congress leaders have started conceding defeat. Even before the actual results are out, Congress seems to have abandoned all its hope.

Congress acknowledges it’s rout in the Gujarat by-polls

Paresh Dhanani, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi’s choice for Gujarat’s Leader of the Opposition post, took to Twitter to acknowledge Congress’ rout in the by-polls. In a bitter message in Gujarati, Paresh Dhanani- a third-time legislator and Patidar leader from Amreli, accepted people’s mandate, congratulated the winners and thanked the Congress supporters as he conceded defeat.

Interestingly, Hardik Patel, who was recently elevated to the post of working president of Congress’ Gujarat unit, also took to Twitter to acknowledge his parties defeat in the by-polls, based on the trends. He said that loss or victory might affect those who are attached only capitalistically with the party and not ideologically. He claimed that he would fight, win and stay in Congress until death.

With the trends of counting of votes on Tuesday showing the BJP leading in all eight assembly constituencies in Gujarat, the party workers broke into celebration and burst firecrackers at its headquarter here. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters the BJP’s showing in these by-elections was just a “trailer” of the outcome to be expected in upcoming elections to local bodies and in 2022 assembly polls.

Kamal Nath concedes defeat in Madhya Pradesh by-polls

Congress has not only conceded in Gujarat but it has conceded defeat in Madhya Pradesh. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath has submitted to defeat in MP by-poll 2020, saying that he accepts the decision of the public.

“I accept the decision of the people. Thank the voters,” Congress’s Kamal Nath said on Tuesday as he conceded defeat in MP by-polls. This also when the counting of votes for the Madhya Pradesh by-elections, which was necessitated after 25 MLAs of the erstwhile Congress government led by its former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia switched over to the BJP in March 2020, leading to the fall of Kamal Nath’s 15-month-old government and the death of three sitting legislators, in currently underway.

Congress was rather overconfident in Madhya Pradesh of winning the by-polls. In fact, even before Madhya Pradesh went to vote for the 28 seats on November 3, the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh had declared that it would grab all the 28 seats and bounce back to power in the state.

Digvijay Singh cries ‘EVM tampering’ while Karti Chidambaram says stop blaming EVMs whenever results are not favourable

OpIndia Staff
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Digvijay Singh cries ‘EVM tampering’ while Karti Chidambaram says stop blaming EVMs whenever results are not favourable

With the NDA leading the Bihar assembly elections, the age-old conspiracy theory and unfounded allegations of EVM hacking have been yet again been raised by the opposition. Fearing an impending defeat, the Congress party leaders and supporters are casting aspersions on the credibility of EVMs.

On Tuesday, Congress leader Digivijaya Singh stated, “EVMs are not tamper-proof, and selective tampering is done. There are seats that we would have not lost in any circumstance but we did by thousands of votes. We’ll hold a meeting tomorrow & analyse the results.”

EVMs are questioned only during unfavourable results, stated Karti Chidambaram

The Congress vetran’s rant against EVMs, however, finds no takers even among his own party members. Congress leader Karti P Chidambaram took to Twitter to tell doubters to stop questioning the voting machines. He tweeted, “Whatever be the outcome of any election, it’s time to stop blaming the EVM. In my experience, the EVM system is robust, accurate and dependable.”

The Congress leader further added that he stands by his views and reiterated that EVMs are questioned only when results are not favourable. “EVM system is robust, accurate & dependable. This has always been my view. I stand by it. There have been doubters of the EVM from across political parties, particularly when the results don’t go in their favour. Till now no has demonstrated scientifically their claims,” Karti Chidambaram reiterated.

It is notable that Congress seems to have got a crude shock in Madhya Pradesh as BJP manages clear leads in 21 out of 28 seats. Former CM Kamal Nath has conceded and has stated that he accepts what the voters have decided.

Congress leader Udit Raj and Plurals Party leader Pushpam Priya Chaudhary are also among leaders who have been blaming EVMs for their loss. Pushpam Priya had even claimed that she could not get votes from her own party workers, triggering social media jokes and memes.

Election Commission releases presser dismissing EVM hack theories

The Election Commission has in a presser, informed that there has been an absolutely glitch-free counting process so far. It confirmed that the EVMs are robust and safe, which means that there has been no malfunctioning or ‘tampering’ of EVMs- a conspiracy theory which the opposition starts spinning every time the results of any election are contrary to their desires. The Election commission has also informed that there was a 63% increase in polling booths in Bihar keeping the COVID-19 protocols in mind.

It said that in view of the Covid-19 requirements, the commission decided to limit the number of electors in each booth to 1000-1500, that is why the number of booths went up from 65,000 to 1.06 lakhs this year. Which means that 1.06 lakh EMVs are to be counted. So it said that though slightly more than 1 crore votes have been counted in Bihar but there is significant ground to be covered yet.

From ‘people are angry’, to ‘wait to see how villages vote’ to ‘BJP wins every election’: Changing colours of Ravish Kumar as Bihar trends emerged

विभव देव शुक्ला
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From ‘people are angry’, to ‘wait to see how villages vote’ to ‘BJP wins every election’: Changing colours of Ravish Kumar as Bihar trends emerged

The National Democratic Alliance is surging ahead of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar polls as the counting of votes for the 243 assembly seats is underway and NDTV’s ‘neutral’ journalist Ravish Kumar does not seem to be happy about it.

After initial trends showed a close neck and neck contest between the two rival alliances, the incumbent Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United (JDU) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance seem to be pulling its weight, leading in 128 seats, well above the halfway mark of 122. While the final results are yet to be declared, energy-packed debates are taking place across newsrooms of all news channels over which alliance will be making the government in Bihar and which would have to return empty-handed.

‘Neutral’ journalist Ravish Kumar, on behalf of NDTV has been discussing the Bihar Assembly poll results. However, during the entire course of arguments and discussions, it was Ravish Kumar’s flip flops and mood swings that stole the show.

When the initial trends were going against the NDA alliance, Ravish Kumar seemed to be on the top of the world. His euphoria and energy in NDTV’s newsroom were unmatched. However, there was a sudden change in his mood, when the trends started changing. Ravish felt the ground slip under his feet after trends started showing a route for the Congress party alliance in Bihar.

Initially, trends showed NDA winning 73 seats and the Grand Alliance at 89. At that point, Ravish Kumar, in his exuberance said “According to initial trends which are coming from the cities, the people of Bihar have rejected the Nitish-Modi pair. It shows how angry people are with the alliance.”

Then came the second phase of trends… after which it seemed that a tornado had hit Ravish Kumar. By this time, the NDA had an edge over 112 seats. Here there was a sudden change in Ravish’s tone and mood as he claimed: “See, villages have a big role in Bihar elections, EVMs are not open there yet when they open, the matter will be clear.”

At one point Ravish Kumar was almost heard confessing that BJP’s victory in Bihar is extremely troubling for the journalist. He was heard saying, “mere liye bahut mushkil hai’.

These are, however, just a small example. Apart from this, Ravish Kumar’s flip-flop journalism changed colours several times during the entire discussion of Bihar assembly poll results. Ravish Kumar once said sarcastically: “BJP wins every election.” Amusingly, the same Ravish Kumar who was all this while trying to point out reasons why NDA alliance was being rejected by the people of Bihar, was suddenly seen hailing the alliance, discussing reasons which benefitted BJP and the JD(U) alliance in Bihar.

This flip-flop is not exclusive to Ravish Kumar. As BJP inches closer to a victory in Bihar many so-called ‘secularist’ journalists are seen doing such somersaults. India Today’s ‘journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai was also seen altering from one argument to the other in order to rationalise the voting trends. Interestingly, he too flip-flopped as the trends changed in BJP’s favour.

Counting of votes for the Bihar assembly elections will take longer than usual and continue till late in the night because of 63 per cent increase in the number of EVMs, the Election Commission said on Monday. Briefing reporters in the national capital as the counting progressed in Bihar, EC officials said over 1 crore votes were counted till around 1.30 pm out of nearly 4.16 crore votes polled in the three-phase elections. The official said the counting has been “glitch-free” so far.

Arrested Republic TV executive brought with a black cloth around his face, here is what Mumbai Police told the court to get his 3-day custody

OpIndia Staff
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Arrested Republic TV executive brought with a black cloth around his face, here is what Mumbai Police told the court to get his 3-day custody

The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police today arrested Republic TV executive Ghanshyam Singh in connection with the alleged TRP manipulation case. Singh, an Assistant VP at Republic TV, is the 12th person arrested in the case. 

As per reports, Singh was presented in the Qila court by Crime branch officials with his head covered in a black cloth. The court has granted the police 3-day custody of Singh.

According to the remand order accessed by OpIndia, Singh has been arrested primarily on the basis of the statements given by the accused arrested in the case. 

Remand order for the arrest of Republic TV executive Ghanshyam Singh

The remand order mentions Ashish Abidur Chaudhary claiming that the Republic TV Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh reportedly paid Rs 2 lakhs to another accused Abhishek Kolavade to manipulate the TRPs of Republic TV and Republic Bharat. Kolavade was arrested earlier for allegedly bribing people to increase the TRPs of many channels, including Republic TV. 

Remand order for the arrest of Republic TV executive Ghanshyam Singh

Singh arrested on the basis of allegations by one accused

The remand notice also cites the testimony of accused Abhishek Kolavade, who has allegedly claimed in his statement that Ghanshyam Singh had paid him a lump-sum amount of Rs 15 lakhs to increase the TRPs of Republic TV channels for the period of January 2020- July 2020. 

The police have alleged that the arrest has been made to investigate the assertions made by the accused in their statements. The police is now probing if Singh had made any such payments to jack up the TRPs of the Republic TV channels and if it were indeed made, the source and trail of the funding. 

Remand order for the arrest of Republic TV executive Ghanshyam Singh

Furthermore, the police claims it also wants to investigate if Singh, who oversees the Distribution of Republic TV channels, had contacted Multi System Operators(MSOs) and Direct to Home(DTH) service providers to bribe them into increasing the TRPs of the Republic TV and Republic Bharat. 

Besides, the remand order says the police will also investigate if Singh had other accomplices aiding him and if he had paid money to other individuals like Abhishek Kolavade to drive up the TRPs. 

Earlier today, Singh was led to the Qila court by the Mumbai Police officials with his head covered in black cloth. He was arrested earlier in the morning in connection with the TRP manipulation case.

Republic TV alleges it has been a victim of a witch hunt by Mumbai Police

Republic TV has alleged that it has been falsely implicated in the TRP manipulation case. A few days back, Hansa Research issued a statement corroborating the assertions made by Republic TV. Hansa Research had then claimed that they were coerced by the Mumbai Police to issue false statements against Republic TV in the TRP manipulation case. The company which operates the Bar-O-Meters of BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), has moved the Bombay High Court seeking transfer of the probe into the case from Mumbai Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In the petition filed with Bombay High Court, Hansa Research has alleged that the Police have been adopting pressure tactics to coerce its employees to issue a statement that a document published as Hansa Report by Republic TV is a fake document.

The report by Hansa Research based on which the FIR in the TRP case was registered, names India Today as the channel which had bribed households with the bar-o-meters to watch the channel, and it does not name Republic TV as alleged by Mumbai police. The initial FIR by Mumbai Police had also named India Today and not Republic TV.

Did the Munger shooting dampen NDA prospects in Bihar Assembly Elections 2020? Here is what current trends suggest

K Bhattacharjee
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Did the Munger shooting dampen NDA prospects in Bihar Assembly Elections 2020? Here is what current trends suggest

Ahead of polling in Munger, the devastating news of police brutality on devotees celebrating Vijaya Dashami surfaced. The high-handedness of the police and the subsequent attempt at a cover-up left a bitter taste in the mouths of people across the political spectrum. Under such circumstances, it was expected that the events of Vijaya Dashami will affect polling for the Bihar Assembly Elections.

The results of the Bihar Assembly Elections are being declared on Tuesday as of the time of writing this report. In order to check whether the Munger shooting, where a Hindu devotee lost his life, affected the prospects of the NDA, we decided to look into the results of the six Assembly Constituencies that fall under Munger Lok Sabha Constituency.

If the Munger shooting did affect people’s voting preferences, then we assessed that the impact wouldn’t be so localised that it impacts only the Munger Assembly Constituency. Hence, we decided to check the results of the six Assembly Constituencies that fall under the Munger Lok Sabha Constituency.

Before we proceed further, it has to be borne in mind that it is currently a fluid situation and the results could change drastically by the end of day. Therefore, our assessment as of now is based on results as they stand as of the time of writing this report. The six Assembly Constituencies under consideration are Munger, Jamalpur, Surajgarh, Lakhisarai, Mokama and Barh.

Munger trends

Pranav Kumar, the candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party, is currently leading comfortably with over 50% of the votes. Avinash Kumar Vidyarthi, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate is trailing by over 4,000 votes with just under 40% of the vote-share. Other candidates are nowhere in the picture. The RJD had won this seat in 2015.

Munger trends

Jamalpur trends

In Jamalpur, the Congress candidate, Ajay Kumar Singh, is leading the JDU candidate, Shailesh Kumar, by under 2,000 votes. The LJP candidate, Durgesh Kumar Singh is playing a spoiler with well over 7% of the votes currently although it is not yet clear whose party he is spoiling. Is the LJP splitting the anti-incumbency vote against JDU or is he splitting the votes that otherwise would have gone to JDU? That remains unclear.

The JDU had won this seat in 2015 but the circumstances were vastly different as it was in an alliance with the Congress then.

Jamalpur trends

Surajgarha trends

The LJP is playing the role of a massive spoiler in Surajgarha. The RJD and LJP is separated by less than a thousand votes and both trail the JDU by less than 5,000 votes. The vote-shares of the JDU, RJD and LJP stand at 30.4%, 26.99% and 26.13% as of the time of writing this report. The RJD had won this seat comfortably in 2015 with a 30,000 margin under vastly different circumstances.

Surajgarha trends

Lakhisarai trends

Vijay Kumar Sinha, the BJP, leads the Congress candidate, Amaresh Kumar, by a margin of over 4,000 votes in Lakhisarai as of the time of writing this report. The BJP has a vote-share of 35.82% while the Congress has a vote-share of 30.65%. Two independents have a combined vote-share of over 17% in the state. The BJP had won this seat in 2015.

Lakhisarai trends

Mokama trends

Anant Kumar Singh, the RJD candidate, is comfortably ahead in Mokama with over 54% of the vote-share as of the time of writing this report while the JDU is lagging behind at 22.88%. The LJP candidate has a vote-share of a meagre 12.34%. Anant Kumar Singh had won the seat as an independent in 2015.

Mokama trends

Barh trends

The BJP and Congress are going neck and neck in Barh with the Congress candidate leading by a margin of less than a thousand votes. Karn Veer Singh Yadav, an independent candidate, has a vote-share of over 20%. The fate of this Assembly Constituency is far from decided. The BJP had won this seat in 2015.

Barh trends

Did the Munger shooting dampen NDA prospects in Bihar Assembly Elections 2020?

Thus, as things stand, the Mahagathbandhan is leading in 3 of the 6 Assembly Constituencies that fall under the Munger Lok Sabha Constituency. Therefore, it cannot be said with any degree of certainty that the Munger shooting did negatively impact the prospects of the NDA. Furthermore, the BJP and JDU are both contesting 3 seats each among these 6 constituencies.

Between them, as things currently stand, the BJP is winning 2 and losing one with a close margin where as the JDU is winning one and losing two. Thus, as of now, there is no clear evidence of impact of the Munger shooting.

63% increase in polling booths in Bihar due to COVID, absolutely glitch-free process: Election Commission slams EVM conspiracy theorists

OpIndia Staff
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63% increase in polling booths in Bihar due to COVID, absolutely glitch-free process: Election Commission slams EVM conspiracy theorists

The counting of votes for 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar is underway. The Election Commission has in a presser, informed that there has been an absolutely glitch-free counting process so far. It confirmed that the EVMs are robust and safe, which means that there has been no malfunctioning or ‘tampering’ of EVMs- a conspiracy theory which the opposition starts spinning every time the results of any election are contrary to their desires.

The closely fought elections saw incumbent Nitish Kumar, who is heading the JD(U)-BJP combine, take on the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan comprising RJD, Congress and Left Parties. As trends started to unfold and NDA was seen gaining a clear edge in the state and could be on course to retain power, ministers belonging to the rival side like-Congress leader Udit Raj went into conspiracy theory mode claiming that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were tampered to rig the results. 

This is a tactic which opposition often adopts when they start losing the game. Amusingly, even while votes were still being counted, the Congress leader goes on to claim that EVMs have been tampered. It is notable here that Congress has, in the past tried to claim ‘EVM rigging’ multiple times, without a single shred of evidence. Even when the Election Commission of India had challenged all the political parties to come up and demonstrate how can EVMs be rigged, none of these parties had shown up.

Meanwhile, the Election commission has informed that ther was a 63% increase in polling booths in Bihar keeping the COVID-19 protcols in mind. It said that in view of the Covid-19 requirements, the commission decided to limit the number of electors in each booth to 1000-1500, that is why the number of booth went up from 65,000 to 1.06 lakhs this year. Which means that 1.06 lakh EMVs are to be counted. So it said that though slightly more than 1 crore votes have been counted in Bihar but there is significant ground to be covered yet.

Pfizer vaccine trials show a 90% success rate, ultra-cold storage requirements may haunt distribution

OpIndia Staff
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Pfizer vaccine trials show a 90% success rate, ultra-cold storage requirements may haunt distribution

The Covid-19 vaccine under development by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech is reportedly showing very promising results in the initial trials. On Monday, the company said that it could be dubbed as a significant victory in the war against the virus that has killed over a million people and crippled the world economy.

The experts are welcoming the first successful interim data from a large-scale clinical test. However, the vaccine’s mass distribution will be a significant issue due to several roadblocks, including storage requirements and regulatory approvals.

Pfizer expecting regulatory approval by December

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said they had not found any serious safety concerns yet. They expect to get emergency use authorization this month in the US, which will raise a chance of regulatory approval in December. In case the company receives the required permissions, they can roll out 50 million doses this year, which will protect 25 million people. In 2021, the company expects to produce 1.3 billion doses.

Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said data milestone comes with “infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen.” The experts are waiting to check the full trial data, but the initial results are encouraging. Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, said, “This news made me smile from ear to ear. It is a relief to see such positive results on this vaccine and bodes well for COVID-19 vaccines in general.” U.S. infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that it is extraordinary that the vaccine is more than 90% effective.

The company is seeking US emergency use authorization for people between the 16 to 85 age group. A follow-up safety data of two months is required for the said permission as it is necessary to assure no side effects crop up. The said data should be available by the third week of November. According to the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar may take several weeks for the regulators to process data before approving the vaccine.

The vaccine may not be available in the pharmacy next door

One of the main issues that will make the distribution difficult is that the vaccine requires minus 70 degrees (-94 F) or below. Amesh Adalja, the senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said, “The cold chain is going to be one of the most challenging aspects of the delivery of this vaccination.” Even in the big cities, the hospitals do not have such storage facilities where storing vaccines at ultra-low temperature is possible.

Even one of the US’s best hospitals, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said they could not store the vaccine. Dr. Gregory Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic, said, “We’re talking about a vaccine that needs storage at minus 70 or 80. That’s a tremendous logistical issue not only in the U.S. but outside the Western world.”

Pfizer spokeswoman Kim Bencker said they are working with the US government and state officials to ensure the smooth distribution of the vaccine worldwide from its distribution centres in the US, Germany, and Belgium.

The vaccine will spoil in five days of standard refrigeration

In general, the refrigeration system at most of the storage facilities across the globe store medicines at 2-5 degrees above the freezing point. In such a situation, the vaccine will be viable only for five days. The company is finding ways to store it for up to two weeks. However, if the vaccine is stored under minus 70 degrees, it can remain usable for up to six months.

Other vaccines do not need such low-temperature storage

The vaccine of Moderna Inc works on similar technology as Pfizer, but it does not need such low-temperature storage. Vaccines by  Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc can be stored at 2-8 degrees, which is in the normal range of storage facilities’ refrigeration units.

While the hospitals are working on upgrading their storage facilities in the US, it will be far more challenging to distribute the vaccination for the developing countries and rural areas.

Gujarat: Mobile medical units launched to provide healthcare to underserved mining villages

Aarti
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Gujarat: Mobile medical units launched to provide healthcare to underserved mining villages

A first of its kind telehealth project for dissemination and outreach of Primary healthcare services in rural areas was launched in Gujarat earlier this month. Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat, Anil Mukim inaugurated the Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) and Commissioner Geology and Mining, Arun Kumar Solanki (I.A.S) flagged off the MMU in Gandhinagar on November 6, 2020 to be deployed in villages of Dahod and Panchmahal districts. Mrs. Veena Padia, Director, District Mineral Foundation (DMF) created the outline for providing high end screening services in mining affected villages.

The van became operable from 9th November 2020 in 33 mining villages. It is expected to serve close to 1 lakh underserved population. Under National Health Mission, the government has been utilizing Mobile Medical Units (MMU) to facilitate access to Public healthcare facilities to the doorsteps of marginal communities and villagers residing in inaccessible, underserved, remote locations.

To provide better primary healthcare and Point of Care facilities in areas where healthcare centres are far off, the DMF has decided to utilise state of the art Mobile Medical Units equipped with integrated medical and pathology equipment, patient electronic medical records system (ICT Platform), and digital telehealth consultation facility. All the facilities will be provided free of cost to the rural population and it will enable better referrals to government health centers. 

The MMU will provide more than 50 laboratory investigations that include hematology and biochemistry tests and various screening facilities covering general examination, screening for cardiovascular diseases, communicable and non-communicable diseases, diabetes, antenatal and neonatal screening, child and adolescent health screening, kidney and liver disorders, oral health screening, skin diseases, screening for bone, joint, and muscle disorders and basic OPD care.

It will provide on the spot diagnosis and treatment. The MMU consists of a staff of four people including an MBBS doctor, staff nurse (para-medical personnel) and a lab technician. The ICT platform (E-clinic) captures data on the spot and enables real-time data transfer, monitoring and analysis. Telemedicine consultation facility with specialists and super specialists provides easy access to the villagers and reduces referrals and burden on tertiary healthcare centers where there is a shortage of practitioners and medical staff. 

(Inside view of the Mobile Medical Unit operated by the doctor and the staff) 

In the first phase, the Mobile Medical Unit will operate and cover a few regions in the eastern part of the state. In Panchmahal district, it will cover Godhra taluka – Megha Muvadi, Mirap,  Morva Hadaf, Natpur, Rasulpur, Kasanpur, Rampur, Bamana, Kelod, Naglod, Kadadara, and in Shehera Taluka –  Mataria Vyas, Nada, Boriavi, Sajivav, Gangadiya and Mahelan villages. Around 62,838 people will be benefit from the doorstep, primary healthcare facilities.

In Dahod district, it will cover Devgadh Bariya’s Bathwada, Rama, Chenpur, Nathudi, Uchvan, Baina, Juna Bariya, Virol, Singor Bhadbha, Kali Dungari, Ratadiya, Ranipura villages. Close to 37,545 people of these villages will be able to get Primary healthcare services at their doorstep with consultation from expert doctors and specialists from tier 1 cities.

Commenting on the flagging off of the Mobile Medical Unit, Dr. Reema Joshi, Project Head – Digital Health & Telemedicine, HOPS Healthcare stated, “Mobile Medical Unit as an outreach platform has an excellent potential to make public healthcare facilities available in unreachable areas. To provide better care facilities, we have added 50+ pathology investigations which solves the problem of traveling for the villagers who reside in remote areas and those who don’t have access to primary healthcare centers. With telemedicine consultation facility available, patients will also have access to the best specialists from big cities. With MMU, we are trying to bridge the gap and strengthen the Public Healthcare System in the state. Close to 1 lakh people will benefit from this government initiative.”

This is a first of its kind, public healthcare project funded by District Mineral Foundation, Commissionerate of Geology & Mining and operated by HOPS Healthcare. The company has worked on several related projects for providing healthcare services to remote and underserved population and strengthening the last mile connectivity in the state. The project is planned to be scaled across Gujarat with a total of 10 Vans to be deployed. 

Death, taxes and EVM conspiracy theories, some things are certain in life: As NDA pulls ahead in Bihar, opposition cries foul

OpIndia Staff
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Death, taxes and EVM conspiracy theories, some things are certain in life: As NDA pulls ahead in Bihar, opposition cries foul

Death, taxes and opposition parties blaming EVMs for the defeat in elections. Some things are certain in life. Wednesday was no different. As the NDA pulled ahead of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar as results continued to be declared during the day, opposition party leaders and their enthusiastic supporters on social media spread conspiracy theories about EVMs in order to delegitimise the results of the elections.

Justifications invented for their EVM manipulation conspiracy theories were quite creative this year with popular Congress leader Udit Raj leading the way. He claimed that at an age when humans can control satellites on the moon and Mars sitting on Earth, EVMs are like putty. He also claimed that some boys nobody has heard of were caught manipulating EVMs in Haryana using Bluetooth.

In the United States, when election results differ widely from what pollsters predict, citizens and political commentators agree that polls were wrong and pollsters have to face a lot of flak. In India, when results contradict pollsters, political commentators declare that the results are wrong. Sanjukta Basu, an ardent supporter of Rahul Gandhi, asserted on Tuesday that opinion polls were valid grounds to doubt the integrity of EVMs.

Sanjukta Basu

Demonstrating a stellar lack of self-awareness, socio-political activist Yash Meghwal declared that only conspiracy theories could save US President Donald Trump and only EVMs could save Narendra Modi. Meghwal does not appear to realise that EVM manipulation allegations are conspiracy theories and he is peddling a conspiracy theory himself.

Yash Meghwal peddles EVM manipulation conspiracy theory

Another activist, Hansraj Meena, claimed that ‘EVM magic has started’. It was presumably tweeted when it became clear that the NDA was pulling away from the Mahagathbandhan.

Hansraj Meena tweets consiracy theory

While some were at least trying to pretend that they are not sore losers while peddling EVM manipulation conspiracy theories, others were having a much harder time maintaining that pretense. Pushpam Priya Choudhary, founder of the Plurals Party, which appears to be contesting the Bihar Assembly Elections for the first time, declared that her votes were stolen.

She also declared, in capital letters, that EVMs have been hacked in Bihar. She has specifically accused the BJP of rigging the elections and transferring votes cast in favour of the Plurals party to the NDA in all booths.

The Election Commission appears to be as fed up with such conspiracy theories as the rest of us. Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain said again that the integrity of EVMs have been upheld by the Supreme Court on more than one occasions and the ECI had thrown a challenge for people to prove that EVMS could be hacked in 2017. He said that such conspiracy theories merit no further clarification.

While results are far from over, the NDA has a decisive lead as of the time of writing this report. While most exit polls had predicted a neck and neck fight, certain others had predicted a landslide victory for the Mahagathbandhan. All outcomes are still possible, however, opposition parties decided not to wait for the results before attempting to undermine the integrity of elections.

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