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Are we jokers?: Miffed, Congress ally and Karnataka CM reveals that the state is mulling law to control electronic media

OpIndia Staff
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Are we jokers?: Miffed, Congress ally and Karnataka CM reveals that the state is mulling law to control electronic media

Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday, expressing his anger against electronic media, asserted that the Karnataka government was planning to introduce laws to restrain the electronic media.

Speaking at a book launch, organised by the Mysuru Zilla Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Kumaraswamy said that he had stopped speaking to media for the last month because of “irresponsible reporting”.

While speaking for over half an hour after releasing two books- Samudaya Nayakaru and Samajamukhi Sri Samanyaru, authored by senior journalist Amshi Prasanna Kumar at Kalamandira in Mysuru, the Minister reserved most of his time venting out his anger at the electronic media, meanwhile, displaying a soft corner for print media for still following the precedent set by the ‘seniors’ in the realm.

Referring to the programmes based on political developments over the last three months, Kumaraswamy asked the television channels: “Are we here for free? What do you know about politics? Just to keep your TRP ratings high, why are you hounding us with unfounded facts and news ?” “Media also has a role to play in the development of society and focus on farmers and agrarian crises,” he added.

Kumaraswamy said, adding, “I have always had cordial relations with the media, but now, because of irresponsible reporting, especially about politicians who they treat like jokers, I don’t bother to address the media as much as I used to.”

He went on to say, “If the chief of a television channel does not have a good enough story, let him close the channel and go home instead of airing false reports and having discussions according to their whims and fancies. This sort of thing is of no use to society or the public. Electronic media earlier had ethics, but now, not many adhere to ethics. They should realise that I have not survived because of favourable reporting, but because of the faith of 6.6 crore people of this state.”

Continuing his tongue-lashing against electronic media alleging irresponsible reporting, the Karnataka CM said that the news being aired on TV channels were far from reality. Citing the example of his arrival in the city on Saturday he said, “While the channels were airing breaking news that the ministers from the city were joining the chief minister to discuss the recent political developments, the reality was different”.

Irked by the media for using his phrase ‘Nikhil Elliddiyappa,’ which became popular after it hit headlines recently, Kumaraswamy said, “Related programmes are being aired every 30 minutes.”

“Nikhil Elliddiyappa” which means “Nikhil, where are you?” a phrase which was used by HD Kumaraswamy during the release of the movie Jaguar in which his son played the lead role turned into a popular troll after Nikhil Kumaraswamy was announced as the JD(S) candidate for Mandya. In fact, a group of students of JSS pre-university college, Nanjangud, situated near Mandya, danced to the popular saying “Nikhil Elliddiyappa” just before polling for the Lok Sabha elections had commenced.

Reiterating that the media ignored his good deeds and instead focused on false reports, Kumaraswamy said, “Do you think the government will keep quiet? The government is mulling over a law so that there is some control on irresponsible reporting,” he said.

This is however not the first time when the Karnataka CM has expressed his displeasure with media. Earlier he had ordered police officials to identify social media users who expressed dissent on social media over his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s candidacy from Mandya.

According to local media reports, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy may have issued gag orders to the state police officers and intelligence officers to not only stop people trending ‘Go back Nikhil’ on social media but also to find these social media users who have been expressing their dissent over JDS ‘parachuting’ Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

Congress must die: Expelled AAP leader and Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav

OpIndia Staff
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Congress must die: Expelled AAP leader and Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav

After the polling concluded last evening, the media was abuzz with exit polls which predicted a second term for Prime Minister Modi. While half the ‘liberals’ of the country were visibly upset and fanning the fear that they won’t get to eat beef ever again, others were busy writing obituaries for Congress. Like psephologist-who-usually-gets-it-wrong, Yogendra Yadav.


While interacting with India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, who went on to discredit his own channel’s survey after sensing that Modi emerges victorious in the exit polls, Yogendra Yadav said, “Congress should die. This was an election for the soul of India. At stake was the very idea of India. And if this party called Congress which says it stands for constitutional values, which says it stands for secular India, cannot put up a resistance, cannot put fight against the BJP, it has no reason to exist. This party has finished its historic role in India. Today Congress represents the biggest single obstacle in the path of creating an alternative.” He added that if the current trends (BJP winning and NDA government returning at centre) continue, we badly need an alternative to ‘this divisive politics’. He added that establishment opposition has failed to do so.

A friendly reminder that Yogendra Yadav had urged Delhi voters to vote for NOTA (none of the above) in the recently concluded general elections where his former party Aam Aadmi Party was contesting on all seven seats.

Of course, Yadav’s views didn’t quite go down well with Congress supporters.


‘Liberals’ from all walks of life came together to condemn this comment against The Family.


Some ‘independent journalist’ also wished that Yadav should die just because he thought the grand old party should die.


After the ‘backlash’ from ‘liberals’, Yogendra Yadav lagbhag backtracked his statement.


While the actual results are yet three days away, the meltdown of freedom of expression champions is most amusing, to say the least.

The exit polls for 2019 Lok Sabha elections at a glance

OpIndia Staff
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The exit polls for 2019 Lok Sabha elections at a glance

After the completion of the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, several News Channels along with poll agencies have published exit poll results. And almost all exit polls are predicting the same result in the elections, a clear majority for NDA, with several surveys also predicting clear majority for BJP alone.

Exit poll results

News18 IPSOS has predicted 336 seats for NDA, while saying that BJP alone with get 276 seats, above the majority mark. Todays Chanakya exit poll has given 350 seats to NDA out of which they have projected 300 seats for BJP. They have projected the highest number of seats for NDA in  all exit polls released so far. After that India Today-Axis has projected 347 seats for NDA and just 93 for UPA. Republic TV carried two exit polls by two different agencies, CVoter and Jan Ki Baat, and both predicted NDA win with 287 and 305 seats.

According to Times Now -VMR exit poll, the BJP and its allies will win 306 seats, and BJP alone is projected to win 262 seats. According to this survey, Congress may win 78 seats, while UPA is projected to win 132.

According to India TV-CNX, NDA will win 300 seats, while News Nation has projected 286 seats for BJP and its allies. ABP Nielsen has projected 277 seats for NDA, just above the majority mark. The only survey to project below-majority-mark seats for NDA is NewsX-Neta, which has predicted only 242 wins for the coalition.

Although exit polls are never accurate, they mostly give a broad idea about actual results to come. And with 9 polls out of 11 predicting a clear majority for NDA, it can be said that the exit polls have predicted that Narendra Modi will again become the Prime Minister with a comfortable majority for both BJP and NDA.

Rohingya Muslim arrested at IGI with fake Indian passport and Aadhaar card procured through his contacts in Hyderabad

OpIndia Staff
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Rohingya Muslim arrested at IGI with fake Indian passport and Aadhaar card procured through his contacts in Hyderabad

In a shocking development, a Rohingya Muslim from Myanmar was arrested Wednesday from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi with fake Indian documents. According to reports, he was arrested for procuring fake Indian passport and Aadhaar card for travelling to Indonesia. Identified as Mohammed Faisal, the 24-year-old’s application seeking refugee status with the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) was under consideration.

While nothing suspicious was reportedly found out in the joint interrogation of the man by the Delhi police and the Intelligence Bureau officials, an FIR has been registered. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport), Sanjay Bhatia, Faisal was interrogated for terror links. “He told us that he is a Rohingya and was going to Indonesia in search of work”, Bhatia added.

According to the police, Faisal introduced himself as an Indian passenger during immigration clearance after his arrival at the airport. “Faisal had introduced himself as an Indian passenger and produced Indian passport and Aadhaar card before the immigration officer. He was caught after some discrepancies were found in his travel documents,” a police officer said.

Apart from the fact that he failed to give satisfactory answers regarding his trip to Indonesia, a UNHCR document was also recovered from him, which established his Myanmar nationality. “Also, when he was questioned about his trip to Indonesia, his replies were not found satisfactory. After this, all the documents he was carrying were checked, and a copy of a certificate issued by the UNHCR, dated March 20, 2017, was recovered, which established him as a citizen of Myanmar. The documents mentioned his permanent address as Rakhine, Myanmar,” added the police officer.

According to Faisal he came to India from Bangladesh about six months ago through land route and travelled to Mewat via Agra. He got the fake passport made through his contracts in Hyderabad. “Faisal told us that he had come to India about six months ago from Bangladesh where he lives with his family. He said he got a Bangladeshi passport made and entered India through the land route. He then travelled up to Agra and then to Mewat where his relatives live. He got a fake passport made with the help of his contacts in Hyderabad during his stay in India,” revealed the officer.

Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha: The BJP could make significant gains from its combined tally of 76 in 2014

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha: The BJP could make significant gains from its combined tally of 76 in 2014

The Exit Polls for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections are in and the NDA appears set for a resounding victory. While the majority of the pollsters have pegged the NDA to secure around 300 seats, we have good reason to believe that the BJP alone may touch that figure.

Now, let us dig a little deeper into how the BJP may increase upon its tally from 2014. We will be focusing our attention on three states: West Bengal, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. It is expected that the BJP will lose quite a few seats in Uttar Pradesh and is expected to compensate for them in Odisha and Bengal. In 2014, the BJP had won a combined 76 from these 3 states.

In Odisha, the pollsters expect the BJP to increase its tally significantly from 1 in 2014. Today’s Chanakya gives the BJP 14 +/- 3 seats, CVoter gives the saffron party 10, Jan Ki Baat gives them 11-13 while India Today predicts the BJP to win between 15-19 seats. Times Now-VMR gives the BJP 12 seats.

Exit Polls: Odisha

In West Bengal, it is a similar story for the BJP. The BJP had managed to win only 2 seats in 2014 but this time around, it appears set to take its tally to double digits. CVoter gives the BJP 11 in West Bengal while Jan ki Baat gives them 18-26 seats. Today’s Chanakya gives the BJP 18 +/- 8 seats and Times Now-VMR 11.

Exit Polls: West Bengal

Uttar Pradesh is the state where the BJP is expected to lose a few seats due to the alliance between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. The Congress, too, has tried to act as a ‘Vote-Katua’ in the state against the BJP. It is in Uttar Pradesh that there’s significant difference between the pollster’s predictions.

Exit Polls: Uttar Pradesh

The predicted numbers for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh range from 38 by CVoter to the base figure of 65 by Today’s Chanakya. India Today, too, predicts the BJP to win between 62-68 seats.

For the purposes of speculation, since Today’s Chanakya was the most accurate the last time around, it is pertinent to calculate the total number of seats the BJP could possibly win from the three states based on their speculations.

If we are to take the base numbers for the BJP in each of these states as predicted by Today’s Chanakya, then the party could win 97 seats from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha in 2019. It is important to remember that the BJP had won 76 seats from these states the last time around. Thus, there could be a net possible gain of 21 seats for the party here. If we are to take the best case scenario, again as per Today’s Chanakya, then the BJP could win 116 seats from the three states which translates into a net gain of 40.

If we speculate in the same manner with minimum and maximum seats predicted by India Today for the BJP in these three states, then it turns out to be a minimum of 96 seats and a maximum of 110 seats, that is a net gain of a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 34 seats.

Thus, we can see evidence that the losses the BJP is expected to suffer in Uttar Pradesh could very well be overcompensated for by its gains in West Bengal and Odisha. Although the best case scenario may be too good for the BJP to expect, it could still look at a net gain of 10 or 15 very credible.

There are other states such as Karnataka and Kerala where the BJP is expected to increase its tally from last time around. The North East too is a place where the BJP is expected to make gains. Combined with the tendency of pollsters to underestimate the vote-share of right-wing parties, the BJP could very well be looking at 300 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

After 2019 Exit Polls, Congress official handle also says ‘Aayega To Modi Hi’

OpIndia Staff
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After 2019 Exit Polls, Congress official handle also says ‘Aayega To Modi Hi’

The Exit Polls have predicted a thumping majority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP and the NDA on the whole. While the ‘Liberals’ mourned the ‘death of democracy’, ‘India turning bigoted’ and what not, the Congress was having a little meltdown of its own. The Congress party, from its official Twitter handle, seems to have endorsed a BJP government at the centre, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress seems to have ‘liked’ a tweet that basically asked people to ‘like’ if they want a government led by Prime Minister Modi at the centre and ‘retweet’ if they want a Rahul Gandhi led Congress government at the centre.

This poll which was ‘liked’ by Congress endorsing a Modi led central government currently has 1,300 retweets and 1,700 likes (likes signifying the people who want a Modi government at the centre).

Looks like after the Exit Polls predicted a thumping majority for BJP and PM Modi, Congress too is saying #AayegaToModiHi.

‘Liberals’ and ‘neutral journalists’ have a meltdown after 2019 Exit Polls predict massive victory for PM Modi, just like they did after 2014 Exit Polls

OpIndia Staff
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‘Liberals’ and ‘neutral journalists’ have a meltdown after 2019 Exit Polls predict massive victory for PM Modi, just like they did after 2014 Exit Polls

As it is getting increasingly clearer in all the exit polls that the Congress party and the opposition will have to be content with a ‘Moral Victory’ in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the liberals on social media are incapable of hiding their frustration and despondency over the poll results. As the numbers started to trickle in, suggesting PM Modi’s re-election as Prime Minister, many liberals couldn’t stop themselves from having a meltdown on Twitter.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah who appeared taken aback by the results from all the exit polls. Abdullah was so dismayed by the exit poll results that he tweeted that it is time to switch off the TV and log out of social media and wait for May 23 to confirm his perhaps worst fears turning true.


Another usual suspect, Barkha Dutt, who has often written disparaging articles about the BJP and PM Modi in the international dailies, downplayed PM Modi’ charisma by pinning the blame of the dismal performance of the opposition on the lack of their national ‘leadership’.


Hartosh Singh Bal, known for being sharply critical of the Modi government had already blamed the Congress party for putting up a miserable fight against the robust BJP election machinery. Slamming Congress, Bal said that the regional parties have done a better job than the national party.


According to controversial journalist Rana Ayyub, the opposition’s move to rake up purported agrarian distress didn’t cut ice with the voters as they continued to repose their faith in the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.


One of the founders of the Wire, Sidharth Bhatia, who was also accused of molestation during the raging #MeToo movement, discredited the exit polls altogether, contending that they have no objectivity and are only used to provide fodder to news outlets to help them in keeping their viewers entertained.


Another Wire founder, MK Venu, was quick to highlight the silver lining in the cloud. Venu cited ABP’s exit poll which still stated that NDA might be 6 short of the 272 figure to form the government.


Despite the abysmal performance from Congress in all exit polls, some journalists such as Madhavan Narayanan were still upbeat about the prospects of the opposition government at the centre. Going against the tide, Madhavan predicted that NDA tally would be close to 210 to 235 while the exit polls are showing close to 300.


From being a passionate BJP supporter to being one of its trenchant critiques, Rupa Subramanya was gobsmacked that the purported failures of the Modi government on the economic front had no effect on the voters voting for the BJP.


While some were indirect in dismissing the exit polls, Sanjay Hegde was direct in rubbishing the exit polls. Perhaps, he foresaw the exit polls in advance.


Congress sympathiser Ashok Swain was also seen visibly rattled by PM Modi’s re-election as PM. Casting aspersions on Modi’s Kedarnath visit, Swain alleged that it was all staged.


Deflated by the exit poll results, many opposition party leaders took a dim view of the predictions and refused to comment on them. They said they’d rather comment on the May 23.


Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was perhaps apprised of the unpleasant performance by Congress in exit poll beforehand. Possibly, this is why Chidambaram was found venting his spleen on the Election Commission, asserting that it has “surrendered” its independence and authority.


West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee seemed visibly irate at the exit poll numbers. She summarily rejected the “poll gossip”, making an outrageous claim that it is a “game plan”  to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs.


In 2014 too, Liberals had an epic meltdown after the exit polls then had predicted that the BJP will be sweeping the Lok Sabha 2014 polls and that Narendra Modi is well placed to become the country’s new Prime Minister.

Realising that the numbers have not been particularly impressive for the opposition front, the National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in 2014 had stated that exit polls are time pass and that they are disconnected with the reality.


Known for her appalling brand of journalism, Sagarika Ghose was expecting on the results day in 2014 that the actual count of seats to the opposition would defy what the exit polls have been predicting. In a few hours since then, she was apparently proven wrong.


Reacting to the exit polls which had suggested gloomy numbers for the AAP party in Delhi, journalist Harinder Baweja rubbished the polls stating she’d wait for the actual results. However, as per the results, all the 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in 2014 were bagged by the BJP.


Journalist and former AAP leader Krishan Partap Singh, who claimed that he’d walk naked on Rajpath if Modi became PM had dismissed the exit polls in 2014 that suggested bleak numbers for AAP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Singh had a glimmer of optimism that the actual results would defy the polls, but it never happened.


Sensing the exit poll has been predicting an ignominious defeat for his allegedly preferred party, Chandra endorsed restrain from delving into the numbers citing the two exit polls of 2004 and 2009 that went wrong.


In all, Prime Minister Modi is set to come back with a thumping majority yet again if the Exit polls are to be believed. This mandate would be a victory for the BJP despite the constant negative media campaigning by the very people are caught whining today.

Live updates: Exit polls predict a BJP victory in Lok Sabha polls, now all eyes on May 23

OpIndia Staff
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Live updates: Exit polls predict a BJP victory in Lok Sabha polls, now all eyes on May 23

Most exit polls have predicted a BJP victory, but we will know for sure only on 23rd. Stay tuned and join us on Thursday as India decides who will form the government.

Various exit polls predictions

Following are the live updates, as they happened when the above exit polls’ numbers were being aired on various news channels:

[arena_embed version=”2″ publisher=”opindia-com” event=”ft3e”]

If 2014 trend of underestimating right-wing voteshare in exit polls holds, the BJP could very well be looking at 300 seats

K Bhattacharjee
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If 2014 trend of underestimating right-wing voteshare in exit polls holds, the BJP could very well be looking at 300 seats

The Exit Polls for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections are finally out. While the BJP was expected to perform well in the elections, at least CVoter and Jan Ki Baat have predicted the BJP to return again with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister for his second term.

The CVoter has predicted the NDA to win 287 seats with the UPA winning 128 and the Gathbandhan to win 40. Similarly, Jan Ki Baat predicts the NDA to win 305 seats, the UPA 124 and the Mahagathbandhan only 26.

Even NDTV, with its perennial anti-BJP slant, is predicting the NDA to win 296 seats. Times Now, too, expects the NDA to win 306 votes. Most significantly, however, Today’s Chanakya has predicted the BJP to win 291 +/- 14 seats. The NDA is predicted to secure 340 +/- 14 seats.

Thus, a pattern is emerging here where the NDA seems assured of a great victory. However, there’s good reason for us to suspect that the margin of victory for the BJP may be quite higher.

In 2014 as well, while most had predicted the BJP to emerge as the single largest party, none apart from Today’s Chanakya had predicted the utter rout of the Congress and the UPA and a single party majority in the Lower House of the Parliament. The same pattern was observed in the UP Elections in 2017, while most had expected the BJP to win, no one could predict the 300+ tally it managed to secure.

2014 Exit poll results

Thus, we clearly see that in 2014, too, the pollsters severely underestimated the BJP with the sole exception of Today’s Chanakya. Therefore, we have good reasons to doubt that they have underestimated them again.

Moreover, there has been a global trend of underestimating right-wing vote-share as the European Union referendum in 2016, the US Presidential Elections the same year and the Australian Federal Elections only yesterday have amply demonstrated. The reasons are numerous, however, the trend of constantly underestimating right-wing vote-share in highly charged elections cannot be ignored.

Therefore, if this trend holds, there’s a good reason to believe that the BJP may well cross its 2014 tally and might even hit the 300 mark as Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and the BJP have constantly maintained. And it is only natural for pollsters to make conservative predictions.

The BJP could make great gains in West Bengal and Odisha without losing too many in Uttar Pradesh. While most pollsters expect the BJP to win around 70 seats from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, with some expecting under 60, it could very well be the case that the BJP manages to win 80 seats combined which will be more than what it won from these two states in 2014. And this is without counting Odisha where the BJP won only one seat in 2014 but is expected to make major gains this time around.

Today’s Chanakya, the only poll which managed to predict BJP’s 2014 tally correctly, says that 300 is very much on the cards for the BJP alone. Therefore, we could well be looking at a landslide victory for the BJP that is even greater than in 2014.

TMC may start massacre after polls as revenge, urge EC to keep central forces in WB till MCC is in place: Nirmala Sitharaman

OpIndia Staff
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TMC may start massacre after polls as revenge, urge EC to keep central forces in WB till MCC is in place: Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to order the presence of central armed police forces in West Bengal till the Model Code of Conduct is in place. Expressing concern, she said that the ruling TMC may target a section of voters after polling is over.


Citing reports, the Union Minister told media that six out of nine constituencies in West Bengal that went to polls today were marred with severe violence. She alleged that TMC goons attacked BJP candidates and also accused them of forcefully stopping voters opposing TMC from exercising their franchise in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

“The EC should take cognizance of it. Since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been openly talking about revenge, TMC workers have been beating up people and we are afraid that they will start targeting voters after the polls are over. The central armed police forces should be there till the end of the Model Code of Conduct,” she said.

The nominated Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta who joined Sitharaman also shared a similar opinion. “In West Bengal, the violence unleashed by the TMC as part of its ‘badla’ strategy won’t end. Central forces must remain in the state as long as the Model Code is in operation till end-May,” he said.

West Bengal has been witnessing rampant violence since the beginning of the Lok Sabha elections. TMC goons under Mamata Banerjee’s protection have carried out their depraved activities with impunity. It is believed that TMC goons are protected and sheltered by TMC leadership, which further emboldens them to execute their nefarious activities.

Taking the rampant violence into consideration the ECI as a preventive measure had deployed 100% cover by central forces, but this too could not hold back the TMC goons from executing their savagery in Bengal.

Furthermore, keeping in view the continuous large scale violence in Bengal, the EC had in an unprecedented step cut short the election campaign in West Bengal. It had cited threats by TMC leaders the reason for the same.

Meanwhile, according to the EC, the Model Code of Conduct would remain in place till May 27. The counting of votes is due on May 23.

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