Fake ‘survey reports’ flood West Bengal ahead of phase 2 polls
This report was first published in www.outlookindia.com and has been posted here without any alterations or editing. To read the original report, CLICK HERE
At least three “survey reports” are doing the rounds in Bengal’s social media sphere and as printed leaflet formats, predicting victory for either the Trinamool Congress (TMC) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leading to registration of at least one police case in the state.
Of these, two “survey reports” that went viral on social media concerns Nandigram, from where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting in a high-voltage battle with her one-time lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, now with the BJP. Nandigram is going to polls on April 1.
The purported surveys were allegedly conducted by poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s organisation, Indian Political Action Committee, or the I-PAC, and have predicted a defeat for Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram.
The first such report was only about Nandigram, predicting each candidate’s vote share up to decimal points. The I-PAC was quick to call out this as fake. In a tweet on March 29, the organisation wrote, “Anticipating a huge loss, @BJP4Bengal has resorted to doing what it does best – spread fake news! This document is fake $ and has ZERO credibility, just like BJP’s leaders & their promises! Circulating such fake reports won’t work.”
BJP IS LOSING BIG IN NANDIGRAM!
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 29, 2021
Anticipating a huge loss, @BJP4Bengal has resorted to doing what it does best- SPREAD FAKE NEWS!
This document is fake & has ZERO credibility, just like BJP’s leaders & promises!
Circulating such fake reports won’t work!#BohiragotoChaiNa pic.twitter.com/YK1ThHYdk2
On March 31, I-PAC had to take to social media again to call yet another “survey report” attributed to it as fake. This was a screenshot from a desktop computer showing a PDF file predicting the results of all the 30 Assembly seats going to the polls on April 1, including Nandigram. The “report” predicted 23 of the 30 seats for the BJP, including Nandigram.
The text accompanying I-PAC’s tweet calling out the image as fake said, “Facing imminent defeat, @BJP4Bengal has now gone down to the level of using FAKE surveys in the name of I-PAC to keep the morale of their workers up!! P.S: In I-PAC, no one uses desktops so at least be smart in your effort to create fake survey/ reports.”
Facing imminent defeat, @BJP4Bengal has now gone down to the level of using FAKE surveys in the name of I-PAC to keep the morale of their workers up!!
— I-PAC (@IndianPAC) March 31, 2021
P.S: In I-PAC, no one uses desktops so at-least be smart in your effort to create fake survey / reports! ?? pic.twitter.com/lFaOo0DshU
Till Wednesday afternoon, there was no news of any formal police complaint lodged by the I-PAC with regard to these “survey reports”.
However, in West Midnapore district, parts of which polled in the first phase and the rest will poll on April 1, the police have lodged a complaint after getting in hand leaflets printed using the logo of the state police. The leaflet claimed to be made of an intelligence report prepared by the police on the probable election result in Keshpur assembly seat and said that the TMC stood ahead of the BJP.
The district police has categorically denied having conducted any such survey.
Another leaflet that was distributed in parts of Chandrakona Road assembly seat, was a survey attributed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the BJP, and predicted the TMC’s win in the assembly seat. The RSS has denied having conducted any such survey.
Yet another ‘internal letter’ went viral on social media over the past couple of days. This one is a purported letter written by the BJP’s Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh to the party’s national president J P Nadda. In that letter, Ghosh was purportedly reporting Nadda that the party’s state unit conducted an internal survey which predicted only 2-4 seats for the BJP among the 30 that went to the polls in the first phase.
Union home minister Amit Shah had earlier claimed a day after the first phase polling that the BJP will bag 26 of these 30 seats.
Dilip Ghosh has termed this letter as “absolute rubbish” and saw “thumbprints of PK’s team’s work”. By ‘PK’, he was referring to Prashant Kishor.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Wednesday submitted a deputation with the Election Commission of India, demanding implementation of section 144 of the CrPC in Nandigram on the polling day. On the other hand, the TMC has submitted a deputation with the ECI listing names of places and houses in Nandigram where alleged hooligans and outsiders have gathered at the behest of the BJP’s Nandigram candidate.
Courtesy: www.outlookindia.com
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
