[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Indian Politics - News & Updates Thread

[Saj]

Guys stick to topic.

Stop the personal remarks.

 

[Rajdeep]

Hyderabad election result:

BJP went from 4 seats in 2016 to 48 seats in 2020 (+44)

TRS went from 99 seats in 2016 to 57 seats in 2020 (-42)

TRS went from 44 seats in 2016 to 43 seats in 2020 (-1)

Congress 2 seats out of 146 contested

Where are the posters who said BJP cant enter South India?

Now BJP is ruling in Karnataka and making inroads in Hyderabad.

Only Tamil Nadu aur Kerala left. Rok sako to rok lo

 

[globalcitizen]

Thanks for this.

Will help me dig around and learn more.

As for his content, he has a ton of stuff on the web. If he was a regular fake news peddler, he would have been exposed long back I think.

By the way, what's your take on Godi media considering they have been caught lying many times?

Genuine question.

First of all I would respect a PM of a nation by not name calling. But i don’t expect you to do the same.

And secondly I don’t claim to know everything under the sun just like some who do here. I only comment on what i know or what is my opinion. So I don’t know anything about the so claimed media bias, will comment if I get to know something

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

How was Maharashtra a drubbing? Bjp is the single largest party.

Obviously the context is council elections held recently.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

First of all I would respect a PM of a nation by not name calling. But i don’t expect you to do the same.

And secondly I don’t claim to know everything under the sun just like some who do here. I only comment on what i know or what is my opinion. So I don’t know anything about the so claimed media bias, will comment if I get to know something

First of all I would respect a PM of a nation by not name calling. But i don’t expect you to do the same.

Good. Don't expect it to happen.

I namecall. But don't abuse.

And secondly I don’t claim to know everything under the sun just like some who do here. I only comment on what i know or what is my opinion. So I don’t know anything about the so claimed media bias, will comment if I get to know something

Good to hear that.

"so claimed media bias"

"don't know everything under the sun"

Expected response.

So you know all about Dhruv Rathee being a Congi slave (not that I mind) but don't know about the media bias that's happening blatantly in front of us?

And we are supposed to take people like you seriously?

1. India Today was caught lying on LIVE TV showing India's Mig 20 engine as Pak's F16 and our own defence analyst corrected them. Mind you, this defence analyst is hardcore right wing currently spewing hatred against others in Twitter. Even he couldn't digest those lies lol. You can google them. Iyer something name.

2. TimeNow called out 30 chinese soldiers as being slain based on whatsapp forward. They also aired the old images of PLA cemetary as graves of Chinese soliders killed in Galwan.

3. Govt PIB Fact check has been caught lying many times now.

There are outright lies which media does.

And there's propaganda mixed with lies.

1. Tablighi Jamaat stuff. Yes, they were wrong but the propaganda was that ONLY they were flouting rules when actually many temples were doing so at the time and in a BIG way. I had posted about this a lot when it happened with actual proof.

2. TimesNow shows FB LIVE video as secret admission of Umar Khalid.

3. OP India calls Sushant's manager being found naked when she died.

4. Old images of Syria, Bangladesh shared as part of Delhi Riots

5. Mobs pelting in Ahmedabad showed as part of Delhi riots.

The list goes on and on.

But you say you are not aware of EVEN Godi media.

55 journalists arrested and gagged. Sedition cases slapped on them.

Guy who exposes the mid-day meals issue gets charged under criminal conspiracy. He later got a clean chit.

But you are not aware of ANY of this....but you are aware of Dhruv Rathee's mistake of making a false claim about Adani (let's assume you are right on this)

)

Lage raho.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Hyderabad election result:

BJP went from 4 seats in 2016 to 48 seats in 2020 (+44)

TRS went from 99 seats in 2016 to 57 seats in 2020 (-42)

TRS went from 44 seats in 2016 to 43 seats in 2020 (-1)

Congress 2 seats out of 146 contested

Where are the posters who said BJP cant enter South India?

Now BJP is ruling in Karnataka and making inroads in Hyderabad.

Only Tamil Nadu aur Kerala left. Rok sako to rok lo

Haha true.

But it's the only topic you can talk about positively when it comes to BJP these days.

 

[globalcitizen]

Good. Don't expect it to happen.

I namecall. But don't abuse.



Good to hear that.

"so claimed media bias"

"don't know everything under the sun"

Expected response.

So you know all about Dhruv Rathee being a Congi slave (not that I mind) but don't know about the media bias that's happening blatantly in front of us?

And we are supposed to take people like you seriously?

1. India Today was caught lying on LIVE TV showing India's Mig 20 engine as Pak's F16 and our own defence analyst corrected them. Mind you, this defence analyst is hardcore right wing currently spewing hatred against others in Twitter. Even he couldn't digest those lies lol. You can google them. Iyer something name.

2. TimeNow called out 30 chinese soldiers as being slain based on whatsapp forward. They also aired the old images of PLA cemetary as graves of Chinese soliders killed in Galwan.

3. Govt PIB Fact check has been caught lying many times now.

There are outright lies which media does.

And there's propaganda mixed with lies.

1. Tablighi Jamaat stuff. Yes, they were wrong but the propaganda was that ONLY they were flouting rules when actually many temples were doing so at the time and in a BIG way. I had posted about this a lot when it happened with actual proof.

2. TimesNow shows FB LIVE video as secret admission of Umar Khalid.

3. OP India calls Sushant's manager being found naked when she died.

4. Old images of Syria, Bangladesh shared as part of Delhi Riots

5. Mobs pelting in Ahmedabad showed as part of Delhi riots.

The list goes on and on.

But you say you are not aware of EVEN Godi media.

55 journalists arrested and gagged. Sedition cases slapped on them.

Guy who exposes the mid-day meals issue gets charged under criminal conspiracy. He later got a clean chit.

But you are not aware of ANY of this....but you are aware of Dhruv Rathee's mistake of making a false claim about Adani (let's assume you are right on this)

)

Lage raho.

In your excitement to say all this, you failed to understand that I said don’t know about this and not denied it. It might or might not be the case.
You are just trying to make your own assumptions about some one you don’t know!

 

[MenInG]

Guys stick to topic.

Stop the personal remarks.

Once again.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Obviously the context is council elections held recently.

MLC are subordinate elections, not voted by general public at large.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

MLC are subordinate elections, not voted by general public at large.

It's more of a prestige battle.

Especially with the way things were heating up in Maharashtra.

Gives a glimpse on how people are viewing the different parties (albeit with a lesser sample set).

BJP lost a bastion in Nagpur I heard.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

In your excitement to say all this, you failed to understand that I said don’t know about this and not denied it. It might or might not be the case.
You are just trying to make your own assumptions about some one you don’t know!

Nah you are missing the point bhai.

You seem to know about Dhruv Rathee (a fringe player in today's media landscape) and his agendas but you don't know about allegations reg Godi media?

To put it in perspective, you are basically saying:

"I don't claim to know everything about Golf. I know a decent bit but I have no idea who the so called Tiger Woods is and how good is his game."

lol.

Reg Godi media, you could be speaking the truth but I just find it hard to believe.

You don't have to know every nitty gritty detail about Godi media. No one does.

But to call it "so claimed media bias" without even having a clue and then claiming you didn't know about all this is pretty sad.

----

As for my excitement, nah man.

I have been here for years.

I have nothing to say or prove to anyone.

If I have 20 things to say, I post about maybe 1 these days.

There's a reason why I haven't entered the Yogi thread or the farm bills thread.

I am just tired of the entire political discourse where rather than genuine discussions, we have people defending a party or leader regardless of the facts, logic and empathy.

Not saying you are doing it but as you can see, you are woefully ignorant about the realities of what's happening related to media.

Why do you think guys like me hate Modi?

Cos we love Congress or we are anti-hindus or antinationals? lmao.

No.

We don't cos the more we dig around, the more there is to dislike our leader and his party.

This isn't to say other parties are goody two shoes. They are anti-national traitors too. All of them are. Just varying degrees.

Problem arises because we put some people on a pedestal.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Lol.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ndxtg3JYkq8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[globalcitizen]

Nah you are missing the point bhai.

You seem to know about Dhruv Rathee (a fringe player in today's media landscape) and his agendas but you don't know about allegations reg Godi media?

To put it in perspective, you are basically saying:

"I don't claim to know everything about Golf. I know a decent bit but I have no idea who the so called Tiger Woods is and how good is his game."

lol.

Reg Godi media, you could be speaking the truth but I just find it hard to believe.

You don't have to know every nitty gritty detail about Godi media. No one does.

But to call it "so claimed media bias" without even having a clue and then claiming you didn't know about all this is pretty sad.

----

As for my excitement, nah man.

I have been here for years.

I have nothing to say or prove to anyone.

If I have 20 things to say, I post about maybe 1 these days.

There's a reason why I haven't entered the Yogi thread or the farm bills thread.

I am just tired of the entire political discourse where rather than genuine discussions, we have people defending a party or leader regardless of the facts, logic and empathy.

Not saying you are doing it but as you can see, you are woefully ignorant about the realities of what's happening related to media.

Why do you think guys like me hate Modi?

Cos we love Congress or we are anti-hindus or antinationals? lmao.

No.

We don't cos the more we dig around, the more there is to dislike our leader and his party.

This isn't to say other parties are goody two shoes. They are anti-national traitors too. All of them are. Just varying degrees.

Problem arises because we put some people on a pedestal.

Talk about hypocrisy. When I say don’t know about media bias, you started doubting it. But when u said about not knowing DR fake news peddler, I had to agree and believe it. Oh my
You know what I still trust when you say that and I take your word. Peace

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Talk about hypocrisy. When I say don’t know about media bias, you started doubting it. But when u said about not knowing DR fake news peddler, I had to agree and believe it. Oh my
You know what I still trust when you say that and I take your word. Peace ✌��

Nah man. That's a weak argument and you know it.

I didn't say Dhruv Rathee cannot ever peddle fake news.

But there's a reputation for people.

Even if India Today peddles fake news occasionally, it has a better reputation than say OP India.

Same way, Dhruv Rathee has a gazzilion videos and stuff floating online and if he regularly peddled fake news, he would have been exposed long ago.

Since you mentioned he peddled fake news, I thought you had a list to give me.

If you had done that, I was more than willing to reconsider my opinion about him.

But you just mentioned one instance and I am more than happy to check it out.

There's this thing called extent.

Can't club repeat offenders with people who get it wrong rarely.

That's another problem with our country right there.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Basic search reveals this:

He got the Modi meeting military men in hospital wrong.

Alt News fact checked it.

He issued a tweet correcting his mistake.

Reg Adani:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I deleted my previous tweet because Adani Group is threatening me with a defamation case..<br><br>But I hope awareness has been raised on this critical issue.<br>One of the densest forests in India will be cleared up for mining coal in Chhattisgarh. And Modi Govt gave permission for this. <a href="https://t.co/qpAPZzZObN">https://t.co/qpAPZzZObN</a></p>— Dhruv Rathee &#55356;&#56814;&#55356;&#56819; (@dhruv_rathee) <a href="https://twitter.com/dhruv_rathee/status/1108816083782418433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just read this Hindustan Times Article instead to know the matter <a href="https://t.co/OQIg9bUeio">https://t.co/OQIg9bUeio</a></p>— Dhruv Rathee &#55356;&#56814;&#55356;&#56819; (@dhruv_rathee) <a href="https://twitter.com/dhruv_rathee/status/1108819010223833089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He may or may not be super clean. I don't know.

He was very pro AAP I felt.

But look at how he deals with each situation when he is called out.

This can't be equated to Godi media.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"BJP IT Cell is misleading citizens of India by sharing false information. When I opposed this, BJP leaders and RW handles called me anti national". <a href="https://t.co/n93tpMyA62">https://t.co/n93tpMyA62</a></p>— Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdityaMenon22/status/1336722070034640899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Mamta Banerjee throwing her toys out the prom again - refuses to give her speech at the Netaji event because the crowd started chanting jai shree ram. Lol.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a "I think govt's program should have dignity. This is not a political program....It doesn't suit you to insult someone after inviting them. As a protest, I won't speak anything", says <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MamataBanerjee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MamataBanerjee</a> after 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans were raised when she was invited to speak <a href="https://t.co/QQFfQBirqA">pic.twitter.com/QQFfQBirqA</a></p>— TOI Kolkata (@TOIKolkata) <a href="https://twitter.com/TOIKolkata/status/1352950342867066880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MP2011]

https://theprint.in/opinion/politic...-shahs-biggest-flaw-as-talent-hunters/596028/

Think of a chief minister who is running scared in his own state. Manohar Lal Khattar, the chief minister of Haryana, found it safer to hoist the tricolour in Panchkula this Republic Day — and not in Panipat where it was originally scheduled.

The Panipat venue was 16 km from the Karnal village from where Khattar had to turn back his helicopter a fortnight ago, after protesters vandalised the helipad. In another Karnal village a month before, he had to cancel his programme for the same reason. In Ambala, 13 farmers were booked on charges of attempt to murder and rioting after they waved black flags and allegedly damaged vehicles in Khattar’s convoy ‘with sticks’.

‘Haryana mein kya khichdi pak rahi hai (what’s cooking in Haryana)? Who is in control there?’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be wondering. Khattar may not have an answer even though, in their old days as pracharaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the 1990s, he used to cook delicious khichdi for Modi whenever the latter visited him in Haryana. The CM brings no comfort to the PM who must be worried about his ambitious farm reforms. Instead of trying to pacify the farmers of Haryana and find some middle ground to end the stalemate, Khattar is taking them on. “There is freedom to agitate but it doesn’t mean there is freedom to spread anarchy,” he said in his Republic Day address.

If a government has to suspend mobile internet and SMS services in 17 out of 22 districts in the state, the CM has reasons to fear anarchy. But who does the prime minister look to for support in Haryana? A chief minister for over five years doesn’t have the political capital to talk to his own people! Forget about supporting the Centre, M.L. Khattar is looking to PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to save his government that teeters on the edge. He took his deputy and crucial ally Dushyant Chautala of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) to meet them in Delhi. ‘Sort out his problem or your government in Haryana goes’ was the unstated message to the BJP high command.

What can the central BJP leadership do if a majority of JJP MLAs are edgy and exploring options? It wouldn’t be an issue at all if the JJP had to be split. But preventing a possible split in another party is a different ball game.

If Khattar is turning out to be a political liability today, Modi and Shah must take the blame for this. He was a part of their experiment in social engineering, a simple arithmetical calculation: galvanize the diverse, disparate, numerically smaller communities and together they will outnumber the dominant community. So, they went for a Punjabi Khatri CM in Haryana where Jats are estimated to constitute a little over a quarter of the population. They opted for a Brahmin CM, Devendra Fadnavis, in Maharashtra where Marathas constitute about one-third of the population. They went for an OBC leader, Raghubar Das, in Jharkhand where tribals constitute around 26 per cent of the population.

The Modi-Shah strategy is, however, unravelling one after another; Khattar may be the next in line to prove its fallacy. His administrative and political inexperience was exposed way back in 2016 during the violent Jat reservation stir when the police ‘crumpled to its knees’.

If he recovered to a certain extent from that setback, it was not because he learnt the art of governance. It was because of his clean image in a state whose one former CM (Om Prakash Chautala) is serving a jail term in the teachers’ recruitment scam and another (Bhupinder Hooda) is facing probes in land acquisition cases, which, the Congress alleges, are a result of political vendetta.

Modi-Shah’s social engineering formula wasn’t good enough in the 2019 Haryana assembly election, in which the BJP gave “abki baar, sattar paar” slogan — over 70 seats in the 90-member assembly. The non-Jat consolidation, which a Khatri CM was expected to bring, didn’t happen the way the BJP would have wished. That’s how the BJP was forced to ally with the JJP to form the government. So, look at the big irony here: the CM and the Deputy CM of Haryana have different views about farm laws but they can’t split because both will then go down. And the continuing farmers’ agitation won’t allow them to live with these contradictions.

The problem lies elsewhere
Khattar’s case points to a larger problem confronting the BJP: Modi may be a mass leader and Amit Shah an accomplished political strategist, but they are poor talent-hunters. Khattar, Fadnavis, and Raghubar Das have failed them. Look at their choice of CM candidates in other states — Vijay Rupani in Gujarat, Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam, Trivendra Rawat in Uttarakhand, Jairam Thakur in Himachal Pradesh, Pramod Sawant in Goa, Biplab Deb in Tripura, and N. Biren Singh in Manipur. Can you put your finger on even one of these names as a mass leader, years after Modi-Shah made them CMs? Modi and Shah, too, would find it difficult.

I will be damned for excluding Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath from this list. He has emerged as a mass leader, for sure. But was he the PM’s first choice? Frankly, I don’t know. Different BJP leaders have different takes on this. Apart from Modi, the only two people who would know are Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. And don’t expect them to share any wisdom on this. There could probably be another person — Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He was said to be the PM’s first choice as UP CM. Don’t expect even him to make you any wiser for I have tried many times.

Of the three BJP CMs left, B.S. Yediyurappa of Karnataka and Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh are mass leaders but they are not exactly Modi-Shah’s finds. That leaves us with Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh. He is certainly a mass leader in his state but he bargained to retain chief ministership with the BJP before he defected from the People’s Party of Arunachal.

Even in states where Modi-Shah promoted certain leaders, indirectly projecting them as potential CMs, they were in for disappointment. In Odisha, for instance, they promoted Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan but he failed miserably. The BJP trumped the Congress to emerge as the principal opposition party, but its tally of 23 in the 147-member Assembly is not something Modi or Shah would be proud of. Pradhan, a very powerful minister at the Centre, also ended up splitting the Odisha BJP– between his loyalists and others. No wonder, the BJP high command is exploring other options to groom as its face in Odisha.

Modi and Shah might have been let down by the people who they sought to promote but they haven’t given up on trying to groom new faces in every state. There is a constant attempt to replace old faces such as Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan, Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh, and Sushil Modi in Bihar, among others. Yediyurappa and Chouhan are trying their best not to join that list any time soon. It’s probably time Modi and Shah should change their criteria for new faces. For one, they may stop treating constant tweets and statements in their praise by party leaders (read job applicants) as an indication of the latter’s potential as mass leaders — that is, if the PM and HM really don’t want puppets as CMs as the Congress’ Gandhi family does.

 

[MP2011]

Excellent article this. Not too difficult to understand why the duo went for these talentless hacks to lead the states. Just like in the times of Indira Gandhi, high command's yes men are foisted upon the state units to maintain high command's leash on the party in those states.

However worst affected is the janta of those states who have make do with these good for nothing CMs. But then you've to pay for your sins of voting for the bigot.

 

[MP2011]

Khattar is so bloody incompetent that it beggars belief that how could anyone in his right mind pick someone as inept as Khattar is to lead a state as important as Haryana (despite its size) is for India!

 

[Romali_rotti]

Excellent article this. Not too difficult to understand why the duo went for these talentless hacks to lead the states. Just like in the times of Indira Gandhi, high command's yes men are foisted upon the state units to maintain high command's leash on the party in those states.

However worst affected is the janta of those states who have make do with these good for nothing CMs. But then you've to pay for your sins of voting for the bigot.

Ok..

But no more Ammayi Sonya or Raul Puppu

 

[JaDed]

E Sreedharan will not know what hit him, unfortunate for him at this age ,good people should stay out of politics, its a place for wicked not straight thinkers.

 

[CricketCartoons]

E Sreedharan will not know what hit him, unfortunate for him at this age ,good people should stay out of politics, its a place for wicked not straight thinkers.

Good people should only post in politics thread.

 

[MP2011]

E Sreedharan will not know what hit him, unfortunate for him at this age ,good people should stay out of politics, its a place for wicked not straight thinkers.

Yeah, extremely poor from the metroman. Who'd have thought such a great man will go senile at this age!

 

[JaDed]

Manoj Tiwari joining TMC and Dinda BJP ... really weird seeing two nothing cricketers join politics.

Guess Tiwari was not a neutral when he made that comment.

My respect has increased for Dravid, Srinath now never played politics in regional cricket and similarly in actual politics as well.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Manoj Tiwari joining TMC and Dinda BJP ... really weird seeing two nothing cricketers join politics.

Guess Tiwari was not a neutral when he made that comment.

My respect has increased for Dravid, Srinath now never played politics in regional cricket and similarly in actual politics as well.

Tiwari is still with bjp. Tiwary joined TMC. Know both of them, both are first class idiots. The elder one has some colorful history.

 

[pillionrider]

[MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION] How's Bengal looking.

I mean it's obvious I don't want the BJP to win their last frontier. But if you can put aside this prejudice of mine and find the time, am curious to know what are the things wrong about Mamata Banerjee. I've never followed her and as you can imagine only got interested in her after she emerged as a vocal opponent of Modi-Shah. So what are specific examples of her ruining WB or indulging in unfair appeasements.

Would not-too-hopefully welcome [MENTION=136588]CricketCartoons[/MENTION] to add his views, if he's in the mood.

 

[CricketCartoons]

[MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION] How's Bengal looking.

I mean it's obvious I don't want the BJP to win their last frontier. But if you can put aside this prejudice of mine and find the time, am curious to know what are the things wrong about Mamata Banerjee. I've never followed her and as you can imagine only got interested in her after she emerged as a vocal opponent of Modi-Shah. So what are specific examples of her ruining WB or indulging in unfair appeasements.

Would not-too-hopefully welcome [MENTION=136588]CricketCartoons[/MENTION] to add his views, if he's in the mood.

Bengal under Jyoti Basu was in complete decline and many industries shut shop and bengalis started migrating out for jobs. They Buddhadeb became CM, one of the most honest politicians ( when his party didn't do well in general elections, he said that we must do a state election to see if we have lost trust of the people, even though his govt had few years left). He wanted to reform Bengal and invited industries, but he was not liked by the old CPM guard. When he invited Tatas for nano factory, then Mamata happened. She did to CPM what CPM had been doing all over the years. Once she came to power, she started her fascism. Anyone who disagreed with her was labelled maoist. If there was a rape case, she said it was done to malign her govt and raised doubts about the victim. The intellectuals who had supported her because they disliked CPM were let down, but she gathered support from tollywood, the film industry, and changed her tune on illegal immigrants and started patronising them. When out of power, she was vocal against illegals (because they voted for CPM), when in power she attracted them to vote for her by opening the coffers. When police went to a locality to prevent power theft, the people attacked the cops, because power theft is a right under appeasement, one person was killed. She changed rules that only very senior cops will carry guns. Just one of the many things she did to become popular and corner the majority of the minority votes. She inherited the political violence which CPM did when they were in power. It is normal to kill people during small council level elections in Bengal. When in 2014 BJP won some seats, their electricity was cut for 2 days in areas which voted for BJP ( on the surface they said they support TMC, and the slogan was chup chap kamal chap). The reason the "liberal" english media supported her was her opposition to the bjp, which kind of absolves her of every other flaw. Now she is doing a balancing act like kejriwal did, keep appeasing minorities but also appease majority. She may still win. Bengal has been worse than bihar when it comes to booth capture and impostor voting. I have had found that my vote was already cast when I went to vote the first time (yes I have bengali voter id).. Whoever wins, bengal is the loser. She came at the very wrong time when the CPM was just about to turn a new corner. People who would never imagine voting for bjp 10 years ago are not supporting them. bengal is not the bengal we knew anymore.

 

[pillionrider]

Bengal under Jyoti Basu was in complete decline and many industries shut shop and bengalis started migrating out for jobs. They Buddhadeb became CM, one of the most honest politicians ( when his party didn't do well in general elections, he said that we must do a state election to see if we have lost trust of the people, even though his govt had few years left). He wanted to reform Bengal and invited industries, but he was not liked by the old CPM guard. When he invited Tatas for nano factory, then Mamata happened. She did to CPM what CPM had been doing all over the years. Once she came to power, she started her fascism. Anyone who disagreed with her was labelled maoist. If there was a rape case, she said it was done to malign her govt and raised doubts about the victim. The intellectuals who had supported her because they disliked CPM were let down, but she gathered support from tollywood, the film industry, and changed her tune on illegal immigrants and started patronising them. When out of power, she was vocal against illegals (because they voted for CPM), when in power she attracted them to vote for her by opening the coffers. When police went to a locality to prevent power theft, the people attacked the cops, because power theft is a right under appeasement, one person was killed. She changed rules that only very senior cops will carry guns. Just one of the many things she did to become popular and corner the majority of the minority votes. She inherited the political violence which CPM did when they were in power. It is normal to kill people during small council level elections in Bengal. When in 2014 BJP won some seats, their electricity was cut for 2 days in areas which voted for BJP ( on the surface they said they support TMC, and the slogan was chup chap kamal chap). The reason the "liberal" english media supported her was her opposition to the bjp, which kind of absolves her of every other flaw. Now she is doing a balancing act like kejriwal did, keep appeasing minorities but also appease majority. She may still win. Bengal has been worse than bihar when it comes to booth capture and impostor voting. I have had found that my vote was already cast when I went to vote the first time (yes I have bengali voter id).. Whoever wins, bengal is the loser. She came at the very wrong time when the CPM was just about to turn a new corner. People who would never imagine voting for bjp 10 years ago are not supporting them. bengal is not the bengal we knew anymore.

Thank you.

 

[MP2011]

Bengal under Jyoti Basu was in complete decline and many industries shut shop and bengalis started migrating out for jobs. They Buddhadeb became CM, one of the most honest politicians ( when his party didn't do well in general elections, he said that we must do a state election to see if we have lost trust of the people, even though his govt had few years left). He wanted to reform Bengal and invited industries, but he was not liked by the old CPM guard. When he invited Tatas for nano factory, then Mamata happened. She did to CPM what CPM had been doing all over the years. Once she came to power, she started her fascism. Anyone who disagreed with her was labelled maoist. If there was a rape case, she said it was done to malign her govt and raised doubts about the victim. The intellectuals who had supported her because they disliked CPM were let down, but she gathered support from tollywood, the film industry, and changed her tune on illegal immigrants and started patronising them. When out of power, she was vocal against illegals (because they voted for CPM), when in power she attracted them to vote for her by opening the coffers. When police went to a locality to prevent power theft, the people attacked the cops, because power theft is a right under appeasement, one person was killed. She changed rules that only very senior cops will carry guns. Just one of the many things she did to become popular and corner the majority of the minority votes. She inherited the political violence which CPM did when they were in power. It is normal to kill people during small council level elections in Bengal. When in 2014 BJP won some seats, their electricity was cut for 2 days in areas which voted for BJP ( on the surface they said they support TMC, and the slogan was chup chap kamal chap). The reason the "liberal" english media supported her was her opposition to the bjp, which kind of absolves her of every other flaw. Now she is doing a balancing act like kejriwal did, keep appeasing minorities but also appease majority. She may still win. Bengal has been worse than bihar when it comes to booth capture and impostor voting. I have had found that my vote was already cast when I went to vote the first time (yes I have bengali voter id).. Whoever wins, bengal is the loser. She came at the very wrong time when the CPM was just about to turn a new corner. People who would never imagine voting for bjp 10 years ago are not supporting them. bengal is not the bengal we knew anymore.

Well explained. Obviously Mamata is no saint, far from it but sanghis capturing WB will be disaster for bhadralok as world knows them.

They have so many clowns in their ranks, like Dileep Ghosh, Mukul Roy, Suvendus etc. Even if they somehow win WB, there will be lot of political one-upmanship waiting for motabhai to resolve post polls.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Well explained. Obviously Mamata is no saint, far from it but sanghis capturing WB will be disaster for bhadralok as world knows them.

They have so many clowns in their ranks, like Dileep Ghosh, Mukul Roy, Suvendus etc. Even if they somehow win WB, there will be lot of political one-upmanship waiting for motabhai to resolve post polls.

When I created this PP account, I was in West Bengal. There was a discussion happening on how can BJP get a foot hold in Bengal. Just like people believe BJP cannot enter Kerala and Tamil Nadu, people thought it is impossible for them to enter Bengal. As the Bengali loves his manghso and maach, and celebrates non veg, and has no love lost for cow belt politics. I wish I could share some of the ideas I gave as a native of Bengal.

 

[cricketjoshila]

[MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION] How's Bengal looking.

I mean it's obvious I don't want the BJP to win their last frontier. But if you can put aside this prejudice of mine and find the time, am curious to know what are the things wrong about Mamata Banerjee. I've never followed her and as you can imagine only got interested in her after she emerged as a vocal opponent of Modi-Shah. So what are specific examples of her ruining WB or indulging in unfair appeasements.

Would not-too-hopefully welcome [MENTION=136588]CricketCartoons[/MENTION] to add his views, if he's in the mood.

Its razor thin close. Dont believe people who say that Bjp is far ahead. There is the issue of bengali vs non bengali and then a lot will depend on how fair the voting is. TMC like left uses muscle power to rig elections.

Dont believe the opinion or exit polls as there will be a huge number of silent voters who won't say they are voting bjp due to fear of political reprisal.

Its very very close.

 

[pillionrider]

Its razor thin close. Dont believe people who say that Bjp is far ahead. There is the issue of bengali vs non bengali and then a lot will depend on how fair the voting is. TMC like left uses muscle power to rig elections.

Dont believe the opinion or exit polls as there will be a huge number of silent voters who won't say they are voting bjp due to fear of political reprisal.

Its very very close.

Ok. All the best and may the best woman win

 

[MP2011]

They have so many clowns in their ranks, like Dileep Ghosh, Mukul Roy, Suvendus etc. Even if they somehow win WB, there will be lot of political one-upmanship waiting for motabhai to resolve post polls.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/spe...uvendu-adhikari-2394587?pfrom=home-ndtv_india

Purba Medinipur: Mounting an attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said speaking against Prime Minister Narendra Modi means speaking against "democracy" and "Bharat Mata".

"You will have to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vaccine against COVID. He is an elected Prime Minister. Speaking against him is like speaking against democracy. Speaking against him is speaking against Bharat Mata. Pakistan and Bangladesh do not have vaccine, so you will have to take Prime Minister Modi's vaccine," Mr Adhikari told ANI.

 

[MP2011]

See this was what I was alluding to when I talked about clown sanghis in WB.

 

[pillionrider]

On February 14 and 25, an advertisement appeared on the front pages of newspapers such as Prabhat Khabar and Sanmarg. The ad featured a beaming Narendra Modi alongside a smiling woman who said she had got a roof over her head thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The ad stated that 24 lakh families had become "atmanirbhar", or self-sufficient, thanks to this scheme.

We met the woman in the ad to find out if she had actually received a house under the scheme.

Laxmi Devi, 48, lives near Yogayog Bhawan at Kolkata's Chittaranjan Avenue.

She was indeed the woman in the picture, she said, but none of the claims in the ad were true. "I didn't get a house under this scheme," she confirmed. "I live in a rented house and pay Rs 500 per month."

https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/03...t-is-wrong-meet-the-woman-in-modis-housing-ad

 

[MP2011]

https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/03...t-is-wrong-meet-the-woman-in-modis-housing-ad

Another jumla by jumla babu.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Another jumla by jumla babu.

So it means people have not got houses under the scheme?

 

[pillionrider]

Karnataka minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has tendered his resignation as the Water Resources Minister in the Yediyurappa-led BJP government after charges of sexual harassment were brought against him.

Ramesh Jarkiholi has been caught in a major scandal after a CD of him emerged on Tuesday showing him in a compromising position with a woman. Purported video clips showing Ramesh Jarkiholi getting intimate with an unidentified woman were widely aired by Kannada news channels.

In his resignation letter, Jarkiholi has said, “... allegations against me are far from the truth. A clear investigation is needed. I'll come out as innocent and I'm confident about it. I'm resigning on moral grounds and I request you to accept this.”

The CD was released to the media by social activist Dinesh Kalahalli, who alleged that the woman in the video clips was enticed by the minister with a government job offer at Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited. The activist said the family of the woman had approached him seeking justice last week.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...signs-after-sex-cd-scandal-1775126-2021-03-03

Ramesh Jarkiholi was a powerful Congress MLA and he orchestrated the Congress MLA-buying event by the BJP that brought down the previous government. These guys then joined the BJP who with the increased numbers were able to form a new government.

The sex tape released of him recently is most likely from when he was in the Congress. Maybe that's why he joined the BJP - inspired by Modi who had harassed an architect lady while he was Gujarat CM.

But what's even more embarrassing for the Karnataka BJP government are the conversations he has with the lady in the video which includes insulting Kannadigas and current BJP CM Yediyurappa

Woman: In Belgaum, Marathis and Kannadigas fight a lot right?

Jarkiholi: Marathis are good people. B****s Kannadigas don't have any work to do.

Jarkiholi: Siddaramaiah is good. Yediyurappa has done too much corruption.

Siddaramaiah was the previous Congress CM

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...ape-yediyurappa-corruption-1775117-2021-03-03

 

[MP2011]

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...signs-after-sex-cd-scandal-1775126-2021-03-03

Ramesh Jarkiholi was a powerful Congress MLA and he orchestrated the Congress MLA-buying event by the BJP that brought down the previous government. These guys then joined the BJP who with the increased numbers were able to form a new government.

The sex tape released of him recently is most likely from when he was in the Congress. Maybe that's why he joined the BJP - inspired by Modi who had harassed an architect lady while he was Gujarat CM.

But what's even more embarrassing for the Karnataka BJP government are the conversations he has with the lady in the video which includes insulting Kannadigas and current BJP CM Yediyurappa

Woman: In Belgaum, Marathis and Kannadigas fight a lot right?

Jarkiholi: Marathis are good people. B****s Kannadigas don't have any work to do.

Jarkiholi: Siddaramaiah is good. Yediyurappa has done too much corruption.

Siddaramaiah was the previous Congress CM

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...ape-yediyurappa-corruption-1775117-2021-03-03

That's why it's imperative and good politics to verify antecedents of people you buy from ill gotten money. But the problem is that this duo is so desperate for power that they don't bother with such minor hassles.

 

[OMB]

India Election 2021 - West Bengal

Days After PM Modi, Amit Shah Holds Massive Roadshow In Bengal's Singur, Assures Industrialisation

Bengal Election 2021: Cheered by massive crowds, Amit Shah stood atop a decorated vehicle with BJP candidate for the Singur seat Rabindranath Bhattacharya, who recently joined the BJP after leaving the Trinamool, and smilingly waved at people standing by the roadside and on terraces and balconies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a massive roadshow today in West Bengal's Singur, once a hot spot of the anti-land acquisition movement. He assured rapid industrialisation of the region if BJP is voted to power in the ongoing elections.
The symbolism of the Home Minister holding a roadshow in Singur, three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally there and alleged the "obstructionist mindset" of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee deprived West Bengal of industries and jobs, was clear - the BJP wants to corner her over the state's dwindling industrial base and alleged job loss.

Cheered by massive crowds, Amit Shah stood atop a decorated vehicle with BJP candidate for the Singur seat Rabindranath Bhattacharya, who recently joined the BJP after leaving the Trinamool, and smilingly waved at people standing by the roadside and on terraces and balconies.

Speaking to reporters during the show, Amit Shah said Singur, which has been shunned by industry since the 2006 agitation, will be developed by the next BJP government in the state.

"We will develop the region by setting up industries and a ₹ 500 crore intervention fund has been announced for potatoes, for which the area is known, in our Sankalp Patra (manifesto)," he said.

Amit Shah said, after winning the elections, the BJP government will ensure that small, medium and large industries are set up in Singur, situated beside the national highway connecting Kolkata and New Delhi.

"We will pursue politics of development, dialogue and cooperation, instead of confrontation," he said.

He said he welcomed Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee for invoking Hindu gods and goddesses, and for reciting the Chandi Path (hymns to Goddess Durga) at public meetings, but quipped that it was "too late for her".

"The BJP will win Bengal elections with more than 200 seats," he said. West Bengal has 294 assembly seats.

Mamata Banerjee, often accused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders of minority appeasement, has been regularly chanting hymns and asserting her Hindu identity to appeal to the majority community.

The road show meandered through the roads of Singur town for nearly an hour from Dulepara more to Singur police station, as colourful posters, BJP flags and green and saffron balloons dotted route.

Chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' and slogans demanding industrialisation and jobs pervaded the air as the procession crawled through streets.

Donning a saffron coloured turban, the 88-year-old Bhattacharya, a four-time Trinamool MLA from Singur before he left the party on being denied a ticket, waved at the crowd standing alongside Amit Shah.

Rabindranath Bhattacharya's induction and nomination had caused a lot of resentment among BJP old timers in Singur.

Amit Shah is scheduled to hold three more road shows in the state, including one in Kolkata today.

Referring to the Singur movement of 2006-08 that forced Tata Motors to move out its proposed small car Nano's mother production unit from there, PM Modi had told an election meeting that the Trinamool used the place for political purpose and then left the people to fend for themselves.

Singur, a small town in Hooghly district, has an old connection between Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi.

The scene of an aggressive movement led by Mamata Banerjee against forcible land acquisition by the then Left Front government for the 'Nano' project, Singur, along with Nandigram, had catapulted the street fighter Trinamool leader to power in West Bengal in 2011.

The sustained, and often violent, protests by the local farming community led by Mamata Banerjee forced the Tatas to move out of Singur.

A cryptic 'Suswagatam' SMS from Narendra Modi, then the Chief Minister of Gujarat, to Ratan Tata, the group chairman, is said to have clinched the deal in Gujarat's favour and led to the relocation of the project to Sanand near Ahmedabad.

Many considered it as West Bengal's loss and Gujarat's gain.


https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bengal-election-2021-days-after-pm-narendra-modi-amit-shah-holds-mega-roadshow-in-singur-2408343

 

[OMB]

"Anti-Romeo Squads" In Bengal If BJP Wins Elections: Yogi Adityanath

Kolkata: Senior BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today said that anti-Romeo squads will be formed in Bengal if the party is voted to power in the state.
Bengal is not a safe place for women under the present Trinamool government, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said addressing three poll rallies in Hooghly and Howrah districts of West Bengal.

He said if BJP is voted to power it will stress on women and education.

"Why is Bengal not a safe place for women? Education and transport will be made free for girls in Bengal. Anti-Romeo squads will be formed in Bengal to deal with those who loiter around girls schools," he said.

Anti-Romeo sqauds were launched in Uttar Pradesh to ensure safety of women soon after Adityanath assumed power in 2017.

The BJP leader criticised the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and derided it for failing to bring in any positive change in the ten years that it has been in power.

"Where is the paribartan (change) that Mamata Banerjee had promised ten years ago?" he asked.

When Trinamool Congress came to power in the state a decade ago it had promised to serve "maa-maati-manush" (mother, motherland and people), which became its slogan.

"What happened to that slogan? I have come to ask Mamata Banerjee about it. Why is Bengal not a safe place for women? This soil had produced so many social reformers. What happened to the youth of the state who have become frustrated?" he asked.

Mr Adityanath claimed that Banerjee has no compassion for the youth, farmers and development. "But she has compassion for the TMC goons."

Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said it had been passed by Parliament and TMC had fanned violence against it in West Bengal.

The violence that occurred in West Bengal due to the legislation of CAA in Parliament had been fanned by the TMC.

In UP the government had recovered money from those who indulged in violence and damaged public property, he said.

"Here in Bengal, TMC is all for appeasement for the sake of vote bank. Mamata Banerjee supports cow slaughter. In UP cow slaughter is not allowed. If anybody is found to be involved in it, the person goes to jail", Mr Adityanath said.

"TMC is not allowing central schemes to be implemented in West Bengal. Violence, anarchy and corruption have ruined the state", he added.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/trinamool-goons-will-be-sent-to-jail-if-bjp-wins-bengal-elections-uttar-pradesh-chief-minister-yogi-adityanath-2409173

 

[MP2011]

Real Bengalis got to be really careful in who they vote for or else this goon Bisht's writ will be their destiny.

 

[MenInG]

Kolkata: Polling for the fourth phase of West Bengal elections in underway to decide the electoral fate of high-profile candidates including Union Minister Babul Supriyo and West Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Arup Biswas.

In this phase, 44 seats spread over Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts in north Bengal and parts of South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hoogly in the southern part of the state are up for grab. Polling will be held for nine assembly constituencies in Howrah, 11 in South 24 Parganas, five in Alipurduar, nine in Coochbehar and ten in Hooghly.

Babul Supriyo will face sitting MLA Arup Biswas at Tollygunj, considered as the heart of the Bengali film industry in the southern outskirts of Kolkata, while Partha Chatterjee, also the TMC's secretary general, will lock horns with film actor Srabanti Chatterjee of the BJP in Behala West seat. Among other key candidates who are in the fray in one of the high-profile contests of this phase is TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee, a former minister of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet. He is contesting from Domjur in Howrah district on a BJP ticket.

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/...ion-2021-fourth-phase-voting-live-updates/597

 

[OMB]

"Forces Opened Fire To Save Lives": Election Commission On Bengal Deaths

The security forces were trying to help a sick boy near the polling booth early this morning, when some locals thought the boy was beaten up by CISF personnel, and assembled nearly 300-350 villagers, the poll panel has said.

The clashes outside a polling station in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district this morning, in which four people died, took place after a local mob attacked security forces over a misunderstanding, the Election Commission has said, adding that the CISF personnel had to open fire to "save their lives and government property like EVMs".

The election panel says the misunderstanding began when the central security forces were trying to help a sick boy near the polling booth in Sitalkuchi early this morning, when some locals thought the boy was beaten up by Central Industrial Security Force or CISF personnel, and assembled nearly 300-350 villagers.

"Due to the misunderstanding, the agitated mob attacked the CISF personnel detailed at the booth with deadly equipment and some of them even tried to snatch their arms and ammunitions," it said.

The Election Commission says the security personnel first fired in the air but it did not deter the mob. "Faced with no other alternative, to save their lives and government property like EVM and other polling materials, the CISF personnel opened fire. As a result, four persons who got bullet injury succumbed to their injuries at the local Mathabhanga Sub-Divisional Hospital," the Election Commission adds.

The clashes, which took place as 44 seats voted in the fourth phase of Assembly elections, have triggered a blame-game between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called it a "planned attack" and accused the central forces of "murder". Ms Banerjee also said Bengal Police CID (Crime Investigation Department) would conduct a probe.

"Home Minister Amit Shah is completely responsible for today's incident and he himself is the conspirator. I don't blame central forces because they work under Home Minister's order. We will demand his resignation," she said in a press conference this evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths but also slammed Ms Banerjee and her party. "What happened in Cooch Behar is sad... I offer condolences to bereaved families. Mamata Didi and her goons are jittery because of groundswell of support for the BJP."

The Election Commission has now directed the Home Ministry to immediately send 71 additional companies of Central Armed Police forces (CAPFs) in Bengal for the remaining four phases of polls, news agency PTI reports.

1,000 companies are currently stationed in Bengal for the eight-phase polls. The new companies are drawn from the BSF (33), ITBP (13), CRPF (12), SSB (9) and CISF (4). A CAPF company has an operational strength of about 85 personnel.

The next phase of polls will be held on April 17, April 22, 26 and 29. Results will be out May 2.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/forces-opened-fire-to-save-lives-election-commission-on-bengal-deaths-2410755

 

[MP2011]

Gorkha Problem To Be Solved After BJP Comes To Power In Bengal: Amit Shah

Darjeeling, West Bengal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah today gave assurance that a political solution to the long-drawn "Gorkha problem" in the Hills will be reached once the BJP forms government in West Bengal.
Amit Shah, during a public meeting in Darjeeling, said that the country's Constitution is "vast" and has provisions for solving all problems.

"I promise that a permanent political solution to the Gorkha problem will be reached by the double-engine government of the BJP - one at the Centre and the other in Bengal. You will not have to resort to agitations anymore," he said.

The Union Minister, however, did not specify which problem he was referring to.

Gorkhas had long been demanding a separate state, and several movements have been launched by the community over the years, the latest being in 2017.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/gor...jp-comes-to-power-in-bengal-amit-shah-2412604

 

[MP2011]

This is the kind of home minister we have in India!

 

[gani999]

https://i.redd.it/j4o22rpln1351.jpg

)

 

[OMB]

Will change Bengal model of 'Bum, Bandook aur Barood' to 'Vishwas, Vikaas aur Vyapaar': Amit Shah


Asserting that the BJP wants to change the model of 'Bum, Bandook aur Barood' in the poll-bound West
Bengal to 'Vishwas, Vikaas aur Vyapaar', Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah expressed confidence in his party outperforming the TMC in the elections, stating that with 122 seats his party is much ahead of 'Mamata didi'.
Addressing a public meeting in Purba Bardhaman ahead of the sixth phase of Assembly polls, Shah said, "It is clear that BJP with 122 seats is way ahead of Mamata didi. We want to change the model of 'Bum, Bandook aur Barood' with 'Vishwas, Vikaas aur Vyapaar."

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/will-change-bengal-model-of-bum-bandook-aur-barood-to-vishwas-vikaas-aur-vyapaar-amit-shah/articleshow/82127997.cms

 

[cric_man]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/15/facebook-india-bjp-fake-accounts

Facebook planned to remove fake accounts in India – until it realized a BJP politician was involved
For months, Facebook let fake accounts inflate the popularity of an MP from the BJP, headed by Narendra Modi, center.
For months, Facebook let fake accounts inflate the popularity of an MP from the BJP, headed by Narendra Modi, center.

Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco and Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi
Thu 15 Apr 2021 06.00 EDT

Facebook allowed a network of fake accounts to artificially inflate the popularity of an MP from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), for months after being alerted to the problem.

The company was preparing to remove the fake accounts but paused when it found evidence that the politician was probably directly involved in the network, internal documents seen by the Guardian show.

The company’s decision not to take timely action against the network, which it had already determined violated its policies, is just the latest example of Facebook holding the powerful to lower standards than it does regular users.

“It’s not fair to have one justice system for the rich and important and one for everyone else, but that’s essentially the route that Facebook has carved out,” said Sophie Zhang, a former data scientist for Facebook who uncovered the inauthentic network. Zhang has come forward to expose the company’s failure to address how its platform is being used to manipulate political discourse around the world.


Facebook’s failure to act against the MP will also raise questions about Facebook’s relationship with the Hindu nationalist party. Facebook has repeatedly treated rule violations by BJP leaders with undue leniency, the Wall Street Journal reported in August 2020.

Since Narendra Modi and the BJP harnessed the power of Facebook and took power in India’s 2014 general election, deceptive social media tactics have become commonplace in Indian politics, according to local experts.

“Politicians in India are ahead of the curve when it comes to adopting these manipulative techniques, and so this leveraging of social media for political means is only to be expected,” said Nikhil Pahwa, an an Indian digital rights activist and founder of MediaNama. “This is an arms race between the social media platforms and those who are generating inauthentic behavior.”

All of the major political parties in India benefit from deceptive techniques to acquire fake likes, comments, shares or fans, Zhang found. Ahead of India’s 2019 general election, she worked on a mass takedown of low-quality scripted fake engagement on political Pages across all parties, resulting in the removal of 2.2m reactions, 1.7m shares and 330,000 comments from inauthentic or compromised accounts.

In December 2019, Zhang detected four sophisticated networks of suspicious accounts that were producing fake engagement – ie likes, shares, comments and reactions – on the Pages of major Indian politicians. Two of the networks were dedicated to supporting members of the BJP, including the MP; the other two supported members of the Indian National Congress, the leading opposition party.

An investigator from Facebook’s threat intelligence team determined that the networks were made up of manually controlled inauthentic accounts that were being used to create fake engagement. They did not rise to the level of “coordinated inauthentic behavior” – the term Facebook applies to the most serious deceptive tactics on its platform, such as the Russian influence operation that interfered in the 2016 US election – but they still violated the platform’s rules.

The investigator recommended that the accounts be sent through an identity “checkpoint” – a process by which suspicious accounts are locked unless and until the account owner can provide proof of their identity. Checkpoints are a common enforcement mechanism for Facebook, which allows users to have just one account, under the user’s “real” name.

On 19 December, a Facebook staffer checkpointed more than 500 accounts connected to three of the networks. On 20 December, the same staffer was preparing to checkpoint the approximately 50 accounts involved in the fourth network when he paused.

“Just want to confirm we’re comfortable acting on those actors,” he wrote in Facebook’s task management system. One of the accounts had been tagged by Facebook’s “Xcheck” system as a “Government Partner” and “High Priority – Indian”, he noted. The system is used to flag prominent accounts and exempt them from certain automated enforcement actions.

It was the MP’s own account, Zhang realized, and its inclusion in the network constituted strong evidence that either the MP or someone with access to his Facebook account was involved in coordinating the 50 fake accounts. (The Guardian is aware of the MP’s identity but is choosing not to reveal it since the evidence of his involvement in the network is not definitive. The MP’s office did not response to requests for comment.)

Political ambitions may explain why an MP would attempt to acquire fake likes on his Facebook posts.

“The worth of a politician is now determined by his social media followers, with Modi leading among most world leaders,” said Srinivas Kodali, a researcher with the Free Software Movement India. “Popularity on social media doesn’t directly help acquire real power, but it has become a means to enter politics and rise up in the ranks.

Task management documents show that Zhang repeatedly sought approval to move ahead with the checkpoints. “For completeness and [to] avoid accusations of biased enforcement, could we also come to an assessment on the cluster acting on [the MP]?” she wrote on 3 February. No one responded.

On 7 August, she noted the still unresolved situation, writing: “Given the close ties to a sitting member of the Lok Sabha, we sought policy approval for a takedown, which we did not receive; and the situation was not deemed to be a focus for prioritization.” Again there was no response.

And on her final day at Facebook in September 2020, she updated the task one last time to flag that there was a “still-existing cluster of accounts associated with” the MP.

“I asked about it repeatedly, and I don’t think I ever got a response,” Zhang said. “It seemed quite concerning to myself because the fact that I had caught a politician or someone associated with him red-handed was more of a reason to act, not less.”

Facebook provided the Guardian with several contradictory accounts of its handling of the MP’s network. The company initially denied that action on the network had been blocked and said the “vast majority” of accounts had been checkpointed and permanently removed in December 2019 and early 2020.

After the Guardian pointed to documents showing that the checkpoints had not been carried out, Facebook said that “a portion” of the cluster had been disabled in May 2020, and that it was continuing to monitor the rest of the network’s accounts. It later said that a “specialist team” had reviewed the accounts and that a small minority of them had not met the threshold for removal but were nevertheless now inactive.

The company did not respond to questions about why the accounts had not been checkpointed in December, when the investigator first recommended the enforcement. It also did not respond to questions about which specialist team was involved in the May review of the accounts, nor why this review and enforcement was not recorded in the task management system. It claimed that the policy team was not responsible for blocking any action.

A Facebook spokesperson, Liz Bourgeois, said: “We fundamentally disagree with Ms Zhang’s characterization of our priorities and efforts to root out abuse on our platform. We aggressively go after abuse around the world and have specialized teams focused on this work. Over the years, our teams investigated and publicly shared our findings about three CIB takedowns in India. We’ve also continuously detected and taken action against spam and fake engagement in the region, in line with our policies.”

While Zhang was trying and failing to convince Facebook to take action on the MP’s network, Facebook’s staff took repeated action against one of the two Indian National Congress networks that it had tried to remove in December. Though the checkpoints had knocked out most of the fake accounts, Facebook saw immediate efforts to reconstitute with new accounts and, in the weeks ahead of the 2020 state elections in Delhi, the network that had previously boosted a Congress politician in Punjab began supporting AAP, the anti-corruption party in Delhi.


In the comments of posts by BJP politicians in Delhi, the fake accounts represented themselves as supporters of Modi who were nevertheless choosing to vote for AAP in the state elections. The intervention may have been a result of political actors attempting to support the party in Delhi with the best chance to defeat the BJP, since Congress enjoys little support in local Delhi politics. Facebook undertook multiple rounds of checkpointing to knock out the network.

The MP’s case was not the first time that Facebook’s lower standards toward politicians violating its rules against inauthentic behavior prompted concern among some staff. “If people start realizing that we make exceptions for Page admins of presidents or political parties, these operators may eventually figure that out and deliberately run their [coordinated inauthentic behavior] out of more official channels,” a researcher said to Zhang during a June 2019 chat about the company’s reluctance to take action against a network of fake accounts and Pages boosting the president of Honduras.

The issue is particularly sensitive in India, where Facebook has come under fire by opposition politicians for allowing BJP politicians to break its rules, particularly with regard to anti-Muslim hate speech.

Facebook’s head of public policy for India, Ankhi Das, overruled policy staff who had determined that the BJP politician T Raja Singh should be designated a “dangerous individual” – the classification for hate group leaders – over his anti-Muslim incitement, according to an August 2020 Wall Street Journal report. Das resigned following the Journal’s reporting on her open support for Modi’s 2014 campaign. Facebook denied any bias or wrongdoing.

 

[MP2011]

Any other democratic setup would have seen ruling party at center losing really badly in elections in these apocalyptic circumstances. Not so in India. Sanghis are poised to win at least 1 state, if not 2 even during these times. Kudos to blind bhakts!

Mera desh mahaan!

 

[MP2011]

Despite all the hullabaloo, sanghis haven't even got to 100 while TMC has got close to 200/292. Mind you, these are still only leads.

Though Mamata is trailing from Nandigram.

 

[MP2011]

Congress/CPM have been totally wiped out from WB.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Prashant Kishore you legendddd

What a beating lol.

 

[MP2011]

So despite entire sanghi machinery camping in WB for years, staging high profile defections from Trinamool, inciting mobs to fan riots, spending 100s of crores of their black money, stoking Corona from their rallies, sanghis still couldn't get half the seats TMC is getting in WB!

Well done bhadralok!

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Any other democratic setup would have seen ruling party at center losing really badly in elections in these apocalyptic circumstances. Not so in India. Sanghis are poised to win at least 1 state, if not 2 even during these times. Kudos to blind bhakts!

Mera desh mahaan!

Its due to ****** opposition.

Local elections are fought on local issues.

The thing that has changed about India is if you can perform/connect, you can beat others.

You can't just stay in AC rooms and expect to win elections due to "secular" votes.

Assam Congress moved mountains the last month and thats why they have this showing. But issue is....you can't be sleeping for the rest of the time.

Bihar was lost SOLELY because of that.

A totally winnable election squandered away due to poor planning.

All the last minute blitzkreig can't make up for all the time lost.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Its due to ****** opposition.

Local elections are fought on local issues.

The thing that has changed about India is if you can perform/connect, you can beat others.

You can't just stay in AC rooms and expect to win elections due to "secular" votes.

Assam Congress moved mountains the last month and thats why they have this showing. But issue is....you can't be sleeping for the rest of the time.

Bihar was lost SOLELY because of that.

A totally winnable election squandered away due to poor planning.

All the last minute blitzkreig can't make up for all the time lost.

If a good party can perform or connect well...they can beat BJP.

If you don't have performance, you better have a strong ideology that many will blindly believe in. That's BJP's strategy these days in general.

Congress neither has performance nor ideology. So they are stuck.

 

[pillionrider]

So despite entire sanghi machinery camping in WB for years, staging high profile defections from Trinamool, inciting mobs to fan riots, spending 100s of crores of their black money, stoking Corona from their rallies, sanghis still couldn't get half the seats TMC is getting in WB!

Well done bhadralok!

Mamata might be a gunda, but still...

Bharat Mata Ki Jai

 

[MenInG]

Kolkata: As the counting of votes for the West Bengal Election 2021 continues, the latest data released by the Election Commission showed that Trinamool Congress was surging ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee was trailing against BJP candidate Suvedu Adhikari in Nandigram. According to data available for 284 out of 292 constituencies in West Bengal, the TMC was leading in 202 while the BJP in 77.

After three rounds of counting, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading against Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram.

Locket Chatterjee is leading in Chinsura. Meanwhile, Babul Supriyo and actor Yash Gupta are trailing from Tollygunge and Chanditala constituencies respectively.

TMC heavyweight Firhad Hakim is leading against BJP's Awadh Kishore Gupta and CPI(M)-Congress-ISF combine's Mohammed Mukhtar from Kolkata Port constituency.

The Election Commission of India will declare the West Bengal Election Result today. The politically charged state witnessed a high voltage campaign by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and the resurgent BJP. Though the Left, Congress and Indian Secular Front (ISF) are also in the fray, the West Bengal Assembly Elections are a bipolar contest between the ruling party and the saffron party.

 

[King_Kohli]

BJP has nothing to loose in WB.
WB is not BJP state, Lat time BJP won 3 seats. Even 50 seats also good achievement for BJP.

Siculars celebrating like they won 10million lottery ticket..

 

[Rajdeep]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The taunts of "Didi... Oh... Didi"... were a direct attack on her gender... Dont tell me youre so naive that you think "Didi oh Didi" was an affectionate address to a woman.... That shes a woman is coincidental.. but Modi was a fool to use the Didi taunt.. <a href="https://t.co/sYy3ab7sTb">https://t.co/sYy3ab7sTb</a></p>— RaviMC (@RMCpost) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMCpost/status/1388730386507702273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When a state is Chrislamised(TN/Kerala/WB), first political casualty will be bjp.<br>No amount of appeasement & doles can save them. Why is that so hard for modi/shah to u/stand?</p>— sudeshna (@sudeshna2104) <a href="https://twitter.com/sudeshna2104/status/1388734067961602049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bhakts blaming "peacefuls" for their defeat.

Treat an entire community like vermin and wonder why they don't vote for you.

And then come and lecture us about how leftist propaganda/minority appeasement/pseudo secularism is why opposition keeps losing as a standard answer for every issue.

God....this is comedy. )

No one is blaming anyone bcoz voting is an individual choice. The other side do blame evm's however whenever they lose but thats a different story. But its a fact that minorities do vote as a block. As per the chanakya survey, 96% of muslims in bengal voted for TMC which is a block voting. So it dosen't matter what ground work TMC did over last 10 years or the issues of Singur/amphlan etc in the state, everything takes a back seat. They just blindly vote for any party that is against BJP. If we are 'Andh bhakts', these guys are 'Andh haters'. Similarly Christians and now Sikhs also (after farmers protest) doing block voting. Only hindus are divided and dont do block voting. They try to be uber cool with their secular persona. Many such jokers are present in my family as well..lol.

In India only Hindus are secular but all other religions stick together as a block. BJP will never win Bengal/Tamil Nadu unless they break this block voting like they did in Bihar with Owaisi.

I know you won today and these things wont fall into your ear but nothing wrong that lady said on the tweet. Its a fact.

 

[Romali_rotti]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Like her or hate her <a href="https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MamataOfficial</a> will be in a league of her own if she makes it a historic triple. Tied down in a wheelchair she has taken on the EC eight phases, Bjp’s money bags & shown how to fight Modi & Shah</p>— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) <a href="https://twitter.com/bainjal/status/1388734520971513857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

BJP won like what 10 seats last time in Bengal ? Now they have over 100, yeah this post is not very sensible, if anything you should not do what Mamta does, she has proven that BJP can make major inroads in states which they have previously had ZERO presence....

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

BJP won like what 10 seats last time in Bengal ? Now they have over 100, yeah this post is not very sensible, if anything you should not do what Mamta does, she has proven that BJP can make major inroads in states which they have previously had ZERO presence....

On paper, its a great election for BJP.

If only real life works like it works in paper.

Yes everyone is aware of BJP gaining with Congress and Left decimated.

Its natural.

The point is their expectation was winning this time after an amazing show in 2019 and with massive anti-Mamta sentiments.

Still couldn't prevail or even get close after trying every trick in the book .

 

[Rajdeep]

Noted on Bengal, please do comeback to the thread.
Also on BJP’s economy performance of last 2 years we don't see you on those threads, ofcourse why would a Brit come there?

Congrats on the win. I am here incase you thought I wont show up after the result. Look I am here before you, accepting defeat and not blaming EVMs

 

[MP2011]

On paper, its a great election for BJP.

If only real life works like it works in paper.

Yes everyone is aware of BJP gaining with Congress and Left decimated.

Its natural.

The point is their expectation was winning this time after an amazing show in 2019 and with massive anti-Mamta sentiments.

Still couldn't prevail or even get close after trying every trick in the book .

Great election only in becoming the main opposition. But is it enough with the kind of resources they used during last 5 years or so?

 

[MP2011]

Congress is main opposition in so many states like MP, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Assam etc. What has it gained from that?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

No one is blaming anyone bcoz voting is an individual choice. The other side do blame evm's however whenever they lose but thats a different story. But its a fact that minorities do vote as a block. As per the chanakya survey, 96% of muslims in bengal voted for TMC which is a block voting. So it dosen't matter what ground work TMC did over last 10 years or the issues of Singur/amphlan etc in the state, everything takes a back seat. They just blindly vote for any party that is against BJP. If we are 'Andh bhakts', these guys are 'Andh haters'. Similarly Christians and now Sikhs also (after farmers protest) doing block voting. Only hindus are divided and dont do block voting. They try to be uber cool with their secular persona. Many such jokers are present in my family as well..lol.

In India only Hindus are secular but all other religions stick together as a block. BJP will never win Bengal/Tamil Nadu unless they break this block voting like they did in Bihar with Owaisi.

I know you won today and these things wont fall into your ear but nothing wrong that lady said on the tweet. Its a fact.

Why do you think they vote against BJP?

Cos BJP is an honest party that rightfully calls them out when they are in the wrong while treating everyone else similarly....

or cos they treat them like a vermin and someone to be viewed as a villain?

If we are 'Andh bhakts', these guys are 'Andh haters'.

Sure. I don't mind it.

Just disagree with the word "Andh".

After the gazzilion screw ups by BJP...its natural to be a hater.

In India only Hindus are secular but all other religions stick together as a block. BJP will never win Bengal/Tamil Nadu unless they break this block voting like they did in Bihar with Owaisi.

Minorities generally vote as a block.

We Brahmins (minority in TN) will mostly vote for AIADMK no matter what (barring a few). Many of us would have voted the same even in recent elections.

BJP will never win in states with significant minority votes UNLESS they let go of their divisive policies. Unless anti-incumbency is unbelievably high.

They are just the opposite end of the minority appeasement spectrum.

I know you won today and these things wont fall into your ear but nothing wrong that lady said on the tweet. Its a fact.

I am not saying the lady is wrong in saying "peacefuls" voted for TMC.

A very derogatory term you folks love to use. Maybe not you but many of you do.

I am saying she is surprised they voted against you when you treat them so badly.

Your strategy is to consolidate the Hindu votes.

It works in some places.

It backfires in others.

The day an opposition gets its act right....BJP will struggle to compete and the game will shift towards performance (which is whats good for the nation).

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Great election only in becoming the main opposition. But is it enough with the kind of resources they used during last 5 years or so?

Thats why I said on paper.

On paper, you can prove any theory.

Ghanta it was a good election for them.

They were expected to be toe to toe with TMC or even beat them......and they threw everything they got to win this election.

This was their GOTO election which they have been trying for years to crack.

They even ignored the nation to fight this election and look where it ended up. lol.

 

[MP2011]

Thats why I said on paper.

On paper, you can prove any theory.

Ghanta it was a good election for them.

They were expected to be toe to toe with TMC or even beat them......and they threw everything they got to win this election.

This was their GOTO election which they have been trying for years to crack.

They even ignored the nation to fight this election and look where it ended up. lol.

True. In fact, they've proved to be even bigger losers than Left-Congress alliance. Despite throwing everything they had (and earning so much rebuke and ill wishes from all concerned due to their naked lust for power during election campaigning), they still lost so badly!

 

[MP2011]

All said and done, Mamata is still trailing from Nandigram.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

True. In fact, they've proved to be even bigger losers than Left-Congress alliance. Despite throwing everything they had (and earning so much rebuke and ill wishes from all concerned due to their naked lust for power during election campaigning), they still lost so badly!

Yep.

Congress must be elated even though they got routed. They have other issues lol.

Left must have come to terms with the fact that bengal is gone.

It's BJP who will be hurting.

Defeat was ok but the manner wasn't.

Its like a potential state topper not even getting 90%. He will be hurting wayyyy more than some random no hoper getting 65%.

Mamta and Prashant Kishore fought off a really really tough opponent with anti-incumbency wave.

Now whether any of this is good for the people of Bengal....that only God knows lol.

2 absolutely pathetic parties fighting it out.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

All said and done, Mamata is still trailing from Nandigram.

Shes leading now.

Did she go back to trailing again?

Can't blame people for voting against Mamta.

By the way, read about people in Singur who regretted voting for Mamta who led the protests and drove out Tata.

 

[Rajdeep]

Why do you think they vote against BJP?

Cos BJP is an honest party that rightfully calls them out when they are in the wrong while treating everyone else similarly....

or cos they treat them like a vermin and someone to be viewed as a villain?



Sure. I don't mind it.

Just disagree with the word "Andh".

After the gazzilion screw ups by BJP...its natural to be a hater.



Minorities generally vote as a block.

We Brahmins (minority in TN) will mostly vote for AIADMK no matter what (barring a few). Many of us would have voted the same even in recent elections.

BJP will never win in states with significant minority votes UNLESS they let go of their divisive policies. Unless anti-incumbency is unbelievably high.

They are just the opposite end of the minority appeasement spectrum.



I am not saying the lady is wrong in saying "peacefuls" voted for TMC.

A very derogatory term you folks love to use. Maybe not you but many of you do.

I am saying she is surprised they voted against you when you treat them so badly.

Your strategy is to consolidate the Hindu votes.

It works in some places.

It backfires in others.

The day an opposition gets its act right....BJP will struggle to compete and the game will shift towards performance (which is whats good for the nation).

TMC also treated hindus like vermins and second class citizens in bengal, starting from stopping durga puja possessions to Dhulagarh riots etc. Who is talking about that? The left rule prior to that was even worse. The issue is, when minorities get treated like vermins...entire minority community stand together in arms. But when hindus get mistreated, it gets brushed under the carpet due to a certain section of hindus who want to showcase themselves as secular. And if someone raise their voice against injustice, they get termed as right winger. How about that old lady whose face got damaged by TMC goons and she died just bcoz her son supports BJP? Who will give her justice?

The thing that Indian liberals fail to realize is there are no secular/centrist party in India, never was and never will be. Nehru/Indira's Congress was no secular. You think Indian Secular Front whose party leader was wishing all hindus to die in Corona is secular? But Rahul Gandhi did alliance with him in Bengal. All congress did over the years was minority appeasement to garner votes and remain in power. The same thing that likes of TMC is doing now. Similarly BJP/Modi does majority appeasement. The difference is minorities always block votes for party that supports them, irrespective of ground issues like jobs, economy etc. But majority votes get divided thanks to so called liberal hindus.

As I have said many times before, India's hindu seculars are biggest curse to India and most of them unfortunately belong from my bengali community. Gulaam the...aur rahenge

 

[street cricketer]

Pretty humiliated as a Tamilian that the BJP are leading in 3-4 constituencies in the TN.

 

[MP2011]

Shes leading now.

Did she go back to trailing again?

Can't blame people for voting against Mamta.

By the way, read about people in Singur who regretted voting for Mamta who led the protests and drove out Tata.

Don't know. However the one she is fighting this election against, Suvendu Adhikari was her protege once and has already invoked Pakistan in this election that every vote for Mamata will go to Pakistan.

Do you want such a low life to win even if it means Mamata winning?

Who is the lesser evil?

 

[MP2011]

Pretty humiliated as a Tamilian that the BJP are leading in 3-4 constituencies in the TN.

So you should be.

 

[Romali_rotti]

As I have said many times before, India's hindu seculars are biggest curse to India and most of them unfortunately belong from my bengali community. Gulaam the...aur rahenge

Hold your horses there buddy.

Our Pseudo Sicular Hindus from Kerala are 3 levels above you Bengalis. Our pseudo's will die for their Abrahamic minority brothers and sisters even if it meant having Sharia planted on their heads or have every right taken away from them and treated like dirt on the ground

The minorities of Kerala knows this and take full advantage of our patriot Pseudos of Kerala who will lay down their lives for the full benefit of the minorities at their own heavy costs.

 

[MP2011]

Prashant Kishore you legendddd

What a beating lol.

You may like to read this,

New Delhi: Prashant Kishor, described as the man of the match by many after Mamata Banerjee's spectacular show in Bengal, said today that while the results seemed one-sided in favour of the Trinamool Congress, it was a tough fight. "We went through hell. The Election Commission was blatantly partial and made our campaign difficult. We have been confident about doing very well and the TMC winning more than people were willing to give. The BJP was trying to build up massive propaganda that they are winning Bengalm" Mr Kishor told NDTV.
"Mr Modi's (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) popularity won't mean BJP will win all elections," the poll strategist added in the exclusive interview.

His tweet way back in December flooded Twitter timelines today as the Trinamool Congress raced to a massive tally in Bengal, beating the BJP in a nerve-wracking battle that started years ago.

Prashant Kishor had posted a big "save-this-tweet" dare to the BJP on December 21. The ruling party would "struggle to cross double digits" in the 294-member assembly, the poll strategist had said, vowing to quit Twitter if his prediction did not come true.

"For all the hype AMPLIFIED by a section of supportive media, in reality BJP will struggle to CROSS DOUBLE DIGITS in #WestBengal PS: Please save this tweet and if BJP does any better I must quit this space!" he had tweeted.

He joked today: "I might give up this job even after victory, that's not an issue."

Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had then sneered: "With the ongoing BJP tsunami in Bengal, after forming the government we will see the country lose a poll strategist."

That is not happening any time soon and Prashant Kishor is still very much in the game, Twitter users posted today, making the strategist's name trend.

When very early leads from Bengal showed the BJP ahead in a very close fight, some started calling for career options for Mr Kishor.

Many pointed out that for Mr Kishor, it was a double win – besides Mamata Banerjee, he had also managed the campaign in Tamil Nadu of the DMK, which is heading for a big win after two terms in the opposition.

Mr Kishor took on a Trinamool greatly weakened by an exodus of over 30 leaders including Suvendu Adhikari. Many of those who left had openly resented what they called Mr Kishor's interference in the Trinamool's campaign decisions, including choice of candidates.

Mr Kishor's past credits include the BJP's 2014 campaign and Nitish Kumar's 2015 win in Bihar. Bengal was arguably one of his most difficult outings, with the BJP investing big in its campaign.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/wes...i-2426363?pfrom=home-ndtvelex_bigstories_live

 

[MP2011]

Mamata might be a gunda, but still...

Bharat Mata Ki Jai

A very small time gunda facing 2 biggest gangsters ever.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Pretty humiliated as a Tamilian that the BJP are leading in 3-4 constituencies in the TN.

BJP is a federal party, BJP in UP is different from BJP in Goa which is different from the one in NE.

Yours truly has been working in TN.