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The third term consecutive BJP government in Haryana proactively introduced seven laws before the state legislature’s winter session, even as Congress’ failed CM aspirant Bhupinder Singh Hooda declined handing over the leader of opposition (LoP) post to another party colleague. Before the session began intensive in-fighting broke out for the LoP post with Hooda deferring the appointment though Congress has legitimate claim with 37 MLAs to hold the post. Holding Haryana’s state legislature to ransom Hooda said the LoP would be decided only after the results of the Maharashtra state assemblies are declared on November 23. His stand of “If it ain’t me, it won’t be anyone else,” has already set the ball rolling with a majority Congress MLAs seeking fresh political pastures with strong indications of en masse defections to the BJP, says senior BJP leader Mahendra Jain. “Not only in Haryana, but also in Maharashtra, mass defections are likely from the Congress party and the Sharad Pawar/Uddhav Thackeray led political formations respectively post November 23, 2024. There will be a big political Khela in the two states,” Jain predicts. Ironically, after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party was unable to secure the LoP status for Rahul Gandhi in India’s parliament have elected only 44 MPs back then while Hooda’s obstinacy does not allow the party to legitimately designate Harayana’s LoP despite commanding required numbers for the same. The BJP is exploiting the situation to engineer a Congress breakup in Haryana while ensuring the same in Maharashtra at the expense of the UBT and Sharad Pawar’s NCP in a repeat performance.
In a solemn ceremony, Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India on November 11, succeeding Justice DY Chandrachud, who retired on November 10, 2024. The oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The event was attended by key figures including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and former CJI Chandrachud. Justice Khanna’s appointment follows the recommendation of Justice Chandrachud, who had recommended him as his successor on October 17. Justice Khanna’s tenure as CJI will last until May 13, 2025. Despite his short tenure, Justice Khanna has opted not to move into the official CJI Bungalow at 5, Krishna Menon Marg. Following the swearing-in, Justice Khanna proceeded to the Supreme Court to preside over the day’s proceedings, hearing 47 cases alongside his colleague, Justice Sanjay Kumar. In his parting address Justice Chandrachud expressed a deep sense of satisfaction with his service, stating, “I won’t be able to deliver justice from tomorrow, but I’m content.” Justice Chandrachud, like other former Chief Justices, will enjoy several post-retirement benefits which have recently been enhanced to include round-the-clock security at their residence, along with a personal security guard available 24/7 for five years post-retirement. He will also get six months of rent-free Type-VII accommodation in Delhi, similar to facilities provided to Union Ministers. Lifetime entitlements include domestic help and a chauffeur, ensuring that their household needs are met and they lead a comfortable life.
In a significant political development, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has placed her trust in former cabinet minister and senior Left Front leader Abdus Sattar by appointing him as the chief advisor to her government on minority affairs. Sattar, an influential figure of CPI(M) who served as the Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education under the Left Front government. He has been tasked with addressing ongoing disputes related to Wakf properties and will advise the Department of Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education on initiatives for minority welfare. Interestingly, Sattar quit the Left Front way back in 2011 by joining the Congress before aligning with the TMC. This appointment, sources suggest, highlights TMC’s strategy to strengthen its appeal among the state’s educated minority communities. With the BJP’s growing influence in West Bengal and traditional opposition forces such as the Left and Congress losing traction, Sattar is seen as a critical asset for Banerjee’s administration, given his progressive reputation and deep organizational skills. A TMC leader pointed out that Sattar will complement prominent TMC leaders like Firhad Hakim and Siddiqullah Chowdhury. Interestingly, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that Didi’s appointment of Sattar reflects an acknowledgment of the developmental work undertaken during the Left Front regime and is also a rebuttal to TMC’s earlier narrative that the Left did nothing for minorities.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and former CM Uddhav Thackeray have started singing the same tune. They keep on telling the media, “I am not hankering for Maharashtra’s chief ministership.” Over the past few days, the three leaders have been interviewed by leading dailies and news channels. Each has been repeatedly asked about his prospects to be the next CM. In response, each has reiterated that a decision about this issue will be taken after the assembly election results on 23 November. The issue had become a hot topic soon after the Lok Sabha election when Uddhav Sena’s spokesman Sanjay Raut publicly suggested to Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to project his leader as the next CM. The move was immediately scuttled since veteran leader Sharad Pawar of NCP and state Congress president Nana Patole rejected it. Now that the polls are away in just four days, the issue has been resurrected. Shinde has predicted that the ruling Mahayuti will win around 160 seats in the 288-member house. Fadnavis has been consistently saying that the issue will be decided by Shinde, BJP’s Central leaders and another deputy CM, Ajit Pawar. This stance of the three top leaders in Maharashtra is interpreted as a precaution to ensure that the boat is not rocked at the opportune time.
He has been very vocal on sanatan dharma and has been taking potshots at BJP and Hindu religion. But ever since Udhayanidhi Stalin was appointed deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu he seems to have toned down his anti-sanatan stand. Of course, he has shown his aggressive side by insisting on wearing a T shirt with DMK logo on it at every public appearances, a practice that has irked opposition to the extent of filing legal action. This defiance is yet to be resolved. But there is evidence that he is mellowing down, a visible change from his aggressive defiance. Recently, Udhayanidhi was tasked with completing a full audit and stock taking of the DMK government’s welfare schemes and doles obviously aimed at the 2026 Assembly elections. To get a first hand report Udhayanidhi visited several constituencies, met the local party workers and government officials. But when he visited Thoothukudi with Minister for Fisheries Anita Radhakrishnan and Social Welfare minister Gita Jiwan in tow, the powerful and bespoke Kalaignar family’s Kanimozhi( MP for that constituency ) was missing from the scene. The media was quick to pounce on this glaring absence. Udhayanidhi was quick to reassure the media that this stock taking move and audit had been undertaken at the request of the chief minister and that his foster aunt was travelling abroad. He also took pains to reassure the media that he would revisit Thoothukudi in a few weeks with Kanimozhi. There was a time when Udhayanidhi would have flared up at even an indirect reference to Kanimozhi’s relevance. Times are changing
The absence of Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and other senior NCP leaders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally at Chhatrapati Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai on November 14 strengthened speculation that NCP could possibly be an unreliable link in Mahayuti. This notwithstanding the fact that the deputy CM had attended a Modi rally in Pune barely two days earlier. Ajit Pawar’s party is a crucial partner in the ruling alliance, alongside Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. But then NCP candidates Sana Malik, Nawab Malik, and Zeeshan Siddique were also notably absent from the event, which featured leaders from the Shinde Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI) led by Ramdas Athawale. While the rally was meant to highlight the coalition’s solidarity, reports suggest that NCP leaders are upset over the BJP’s batenge toh katenge campaign. BJP sources said despite Ajit Pawar’s unease with the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva agenda, it is likely that he will stay on the side “which benefits him”. That is he could walk to any side which will make him the CM or as Nawab Malik told Times Now “Ajit Pawar will be king maker”. BJP sources said UP CM Yogi who coined the slogan has been much in demand among party candidates. “We have been forced to cancel meetings of top leaders to accommodate Yogiji”, said a party manager. As for contrary assertions by Ashok Chavan and Pankaja Munde on batenge toh katenge, these are being viewed more as a desire to project themselves than pose any serious ideological counter to the main party discourse.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has raised apprehensions about his future moves, once again. Over the past few days, Ajit has betrayed his ambivalence about the way campaigning is proceeding in Maharashtra. While this is being commented upon, his absence at the final rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on November 14 has been noted with concern within the ruling Mahayuti. Neither Ajit nor any of his NCP’s candidates turned up for the PM’s rally organised by chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the BJP. As Ajit failed to appear on the dais, the media attention has focussed on his possible calculations after the assembly poll results are out on 23 November. Already, he has rubbed Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis the wrong way by objecting to UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s slogan batenge toh katenge. Ajit had observed that such slogans will not work in Maharashtra, whose culture was different from that of UP. Ajit’s insistence on fielding former minister Nawab Malik from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai despite the BJP’s open objections had created some strain within the Mahayuti. Now, Malik has told the saffron formation that Ajit’s NCP will not be a part of the next government if Yuti’s campaign strategy is not changed. Ajit’s another confidant, Dilip Walse Patil had said a few days ago that some fresh combination can occur after the election. Ajit has not refuted neither statement. Hence, he is under close observation by the other two partners of Mahayuti.
The kerfuffle following Ricky Ponting’s straight–from–the–shoulder observation of Virat Kohli’s form was unnecessary. In the course of an International Cricket Council (ICC) conducted interview before the five-Test series between India and Australia in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the former Australian captain said that Kohli has scored only two Test centuries in the last five years (186 against Australia in Ahmedabad in March 2023 and 121 against the West Indies in Port of Spain in July 2023). In these circumstances, he wondered if any other player would have been picked for the national side. While Kohli — described by Ponting as one of the greats in the same interview — himself did not respond to Ponting’s appraisal of his form, a seemingly annoyed India head coach Gautam Gambhir virtually questioned Ponting saying: “What does Ricky Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? He should be talking about Australia.’’ Gambhir’s retort was churlish. The media seeks the opinions of former greats as a build-up to events and in this case Ponting was interviewed by none other than the ICC because of the importance of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ponting has gone to the extent of saying that the series between India and Australia — from the backend of his career – has always been a high-stakes affair, not far from the relevance of the Ashes. Ponting has played 560 matches for Australia across formats, scored 27483 runs with 71 x 100s and 146 x 50s and led Australia in 77 Tests. He is also a World Cup-winning captain. To question his credentials is downright absurd.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath packed a lot of wit and humour while taking potshots at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who had mocked Hindu sadhus straying into politics and occupying high offices “in saffron robes”. Yogi reminded Kharge that he may have forgotten some crucial parts while recollecting his family’s sacrifices “for votes”. Yogi alleged Kharge purposely glossed over the tragic death of “his mother and sister” in an attack by Razakars as he feared losing Muslim votes. Addressing a rally in Achalpur in Vidarbha, the UP leader said, “I am a Yogi, and for me, the nation comes first, while for Mallikarjun Kharge, appeasement politics comes first.” He was responding to Kharge’s comments on the “batenge toh katenge” remark. He recounted Kharge’s childhood tragedy during the political unrest in Hyderabad during India’s independence. Kharge was born in the Bidar region of erstwhile Hyderabad state, ruled by the Nizams. The Razakars were a paramilitary force that operated in the princely state with a primary objective to maintain the rule of the Muslim Nizams of Hyderabad and prevent the accession of Hyderabad to India. Incidentally, at the very rally where Kharge was pouring scorn on Yogi’s saffron attire, the Congress chief was trying to generate some sympathy for himself by talking about how he had narrowly escaped the wrath of razakars. He didn’t name the razakars; he merely said how his father was relieved that his only son had been “saved”. “Even our house was burnt. I don’t want to talk about those who attacked us.”
India’s Test team – thrashed 3-0 by New Zealand – will look upon the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia with trepidation rather than hope. After the 2-0 win against Bangladesh, the Rohit Sharma-led team seemed to have reached the doorstep of the ICC World Test Championship final. But in a matter of 10 playing days from October 16 to November 3, all the hype around a third consecutive WTC final turned into slough of despond because drawing a blank from the available 36 points from three Tests against New Zealand meant winning four of the five Tests in Australia to qualify for the WTC final. India could be disappointed when the fourth Test begins in Melbourne on Boxing Day (December 26). Of course, putting it across the Pat Cummins-led Australian side will drive the Indian team that competed hard to bring down the home side in the two previous series of 2018-19 and 2020-21. Preparing “designer turners’’ in Pune and Mumbai did not help the home team in any way as New Zealand’s two left-arm spinners, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, sent the home team packing, capturing 13 wickets in Pune and 11 wickets in Mumbai. The five pitches in Australia will not afford copious turns to the slow men, but Cummins will deploy the smart off-spinner Nathan Lyon – he has taken 60 of his 259 wickets at home in 15 Tests against India — to the full. India has to muster all its wits, hour by hour, session by session, and day by day, deliver with the bat, ball, and field well in each Test match to make the series riveting.
There are certain advantages in being an unlisted, closely-held company. Owners of such firms, however, may encounter irritants coming their way. A few shareholders, with marginal holdings could prove to be an avoidable hindrance. One such unlisted, closely-held company is attempting to implement share consolidation ostensibly to ease the cumbersome procedural formalities in administration. It is also touted as a goodwill exercise offering small shareholders an exit option. In some instances, small shareholders do not see any goodwill in such an exercise. Rather, the move is viewed as an ill-intentioned initiative to get them out cheaply. The city of Chennai has seen Chettinad Cement, a well-known player in the bulk commodity space, delist its shares a few summers ago. But that has put its industrialist-shareholder AC Muthiah in a spot. If sources are to be believed, Muthiah is unable to get rid of his shares in the company at a price he considers equitable. The owner of Chettinad Cement appears to be playing it cool for now. The business, it may be recalled, is run by MAM Ramaswamy’s adopted son MAMR Muthiah who has an old score to settle with AC Muthiah, whom he had accused of usurping the company assets while his father was ailing. Alternatively, he doesn’t feel the need to acquire more shares, sitting comfortably as he is with a majority holding.
The historic re-election of an incumbent government in Uttar Pradesh after a gap of 37 years made Prime Minister Narendra Modi issue an appeal to intellectuals to stop analyzing it from the prism of caste or class. Please do not look for motives of castes/class in the way people vote, he urged. Things have changed in Uttar Pradesh, in his Varanasi — in his Lok Sabha constituency for two terms that he has represented. People are voting on deliverables. The spectacular re-election of Yogi with 255 BJP MLAs has an interesting backstory — some of its key ministers, in fact as many 11 of them had to bite dust. Yes, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya narrowly lost to Pallavi Patel of Samajwadi Party, sister of Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel from Sirathu. Apna Dal is an NDA ally. So did sugarcane minister Suresh Rana to Rashtriya Lok Dal in Shamli. As for Akhilesh Yadav, he finally came to terms with poll results and accepted he may not have won but improved his tally from 47 in 2017 to 111. He could not bail out defectors. Two BJP ministers who joined him like Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini were humbled. Only Dara Singh Chauhan managed to win.
Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath, aka GRV, or affectionately Vishy, and if you want the celebrated catchline the ‘Little Master’ found time with a seasoned and studious cricket writer, R Kaushik, to tell his cricket story to his legion of followers who were attracted towards the great noble game only because of his and his brother-in-law Sunil Manohar Gavaskar’s classic stroke play from the 1970s onwards and well into the 1980s and also the subsequent generations. A genial to the core, Vishy became a darling of the purists and others alike after he cut to size Australia’s Graham McKenzie, Allan Connolly, Johnny Gleeson and Ashley Mallett while carving a breathtaking 137 in the second innings of his debut Test at the Green Park, Kanpur, in the winter of 1969. Introduced to Indian cricket’s highest level by Chairman of the selection committee Vijay Merchant and captain, Mansur Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi, Vishy went on to charm the cricket world with strokes he executed with elan. Almost four decades after he bid adieu to the game in 1983 — the year India won the World Cup — Vishy has decided to recall his cricket and life story with Kaushik, who has over 100 Tests under his belt and knowledge to get the best out of a great. The book, to be published by Rupa & Co. is titled: Wrist Assured.
Six people in Mumbai lost their lives in three major incidents of fire in high risers this year. This is a burning issue in the city that has some of the tallest buildings, and more coming up. The fire brigade is unable to reach heights beyond 30 floors as it has ladders that can reach only uptil 90 metres, but that has not stopped the authorities in giving permissions for buildings that are 50-stories plus. Housing activists like Chandrashekhar Prabhu question how the fire brigade could pass the buck on to residents rather than take responsibility for fire safety. Fire brigade is putting the onus on residents to install and ensure proper maintenance of fire safety measures, and get safety audits done bi-annually. For instance, all high-rise buildings have been asked to install smoke detectors and fire alarms. Apparently, it has sent notices to 327 buildings for not maintaining proper fire safety measures. Can the city’s fire brigade get into pointing fingers at individual residents and the managing committee of the society each time there is a fire at a high-rise? Instead of the blame game or passing the buck approach should not all the stakeholders – state government, BMC, developers – find a lasting solution. Shouldn’t the state develop a fire-fighting system for high risers before giving green signal to construction of tall structures?
The monk who became the first UP chief minister to serve a full term and, win a fresh mandate bucking anti-incumbency has broken quite a few records even though he wasn’t elected in 2017 to the state assembly before being brought in as CM. It has been more than 40 years since any party was re-elected in UP and where, for the first time in 15 years an elected MLA will be heading the government. Yogi Adityanath proved to be the magical vote catcher along with his boss Narendra Modi. Incidentally, he also shattered the urban legend about Noida being the Waterloo of many UP CMs. The jinx had assumed such proportions that politicos began avoiding the city near the national capital like the plague. What Yogi may have proved is the fallacy of such urban legends that are mere coincidences and have no real relevance to actual events on the ground that are shaped by popular will. There are many such urban legends around the country, including one in Tamil Nadu where it is said that any CM visiting the Big Temple in Thanjavur would be out of power in the next election. This had taken such a hold on the imagination that even a diehard rationalist in M Karunanidhi, who visited the temple, entered through a side entrance. But that didn’t help him either.
The most remote district of Malkangiri, infamous as a hotbed of Maoist activity, still holds a special place in the heart of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The government has announced that Malkangiri district, located in south west Odisha, will have an airport by 2024. This development comes post the defeat of BJP and Congress in the recently held panchayat elections. Patnaik is now pursuing a governance policy to uplift Odisha’s backward regions through social welfare and infrastructure connectivity as the CM knows that is the key to Odisha’s transformation. A case in point is Gurupriya Bridge completed in 2018. The bridge provides connectivity to 151 villages that were cut-off for over five decades. “It is not just a bridge,” CM had tweeted, “it is the identity and Swabhiman of Malkangiri”. This bridge provides government services at the doorstep for Odias living in the back of the beyond thereby weaning them away from Maoist clutches. Prior to the airport building initiative, Patnaik had also chosen Malkangiri to launch his popular one-rupee rice scheme that was followed by the launch of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana smart health cards, also from this remote region. With the new airport for Malkangiri district, expectations are that the Maoist hold, their extortions, levies and local support base will fade away for sure as development increases.
Veteran Congress leader AK Antony (81), whose Rajya Sabha term ends on April 12, informed Congress president Sonia Gandhi he will not seek re-election. He leaves Delhi to go back to home state Kerala. Antony’s exit will mark the end of his 52-year electoral and parliamentary journey, which started as a Kerala MLA in 1970, after being Congress youth leader of the students’ wing. His highly decorated innings included three stints as Chief Minister of Kerala, including being the youngest CM at age 37, 10 years as PCC president, five terms as MLA, three stints as Union minister and five terms in the Rajya Sabha. Antony’s stand on the Rajya Sabha seat is in stark difference to that of former PM, Dr Manmohan Singh. When Dr Singh’s Rajya Sabha term from Assam ended in 2019, he was re-elected from Rajasthan. Party leaders wonder about the need for Dr Singh in the Rajya Sabha as he enjoys all facilities in Lutyens’ Delhi as a former PM. Meanwhile, Antony in a 3-page letter to Sonia, expressed dismay over young leaders misguiding Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi over national issues. Antony is upset with erstwhile news anchors taking positions on Congress policy matters. Antony as CWC member has been a sounding board for Sonia Gandhi on party matters.
BJP’s stunning 4-1 series sweep with Yogi Adityanath’s triumphant return to power in Uttar Pradesh should cheer up party rank and file left clueless after the Maharashtra hara-kiri and, deeply traumatized over West Bengal’s post-poll bloodlust. PM Narendra Modi’s path to 2024 will pass through terrains now evenly levelled by “Bulldozer Baba,” who promises to keep his bulldozer in fine tune, continuing to dismantle mafia dens and stolen scrapyards. BJP positions itself as a party opposed to minority appeasement. Still Yogi had no hesitation in informing the state assembly that 35% of all welfare benefits were allocated to Muslims, who account for 18% of the population. This season, the appeasement awareness campaign focused on the Opposition’s cozy nexus with gangsters and how no trick was left untried by the Akhilesh Yadav government to let Islamist terrorists off the hook. The wide coverage to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s threat to UP Police – “When Yogi will go back to his mutt, Modi to the mountains, then who will come to save you?”– and don Mukhtar Ansari’s son Abbas’ attack on bureaucrats, “No transfer posting for six months, pehle hisab kitab hoga,” rattled many. The spectre of the dreaded dons presiding over the state seems to have weighed heavily in the minds of the voters rather than inflation, unemployment, farm unrest, Covid or even Jinnah.
Exposing ‘farijiwada’ in the Aryan Khan drugs case bit by bit from his Kurla home-office, NCP leader and senior minister in the Uddhav Thackeray cabinet Nawab Malik made national headlines. Soon, erstwhile BJP CM Devendra Fadnavis and another Mumbai office-bearer came under Malik’s radar. The scrap dealer from Gonda in UP has incessantly taken on the mighty BJP. With his Main Jhukunga Nahi attitude, Malik has forged an instant connection with young Muslims. “…And this is bad news for the Congress, SP, and the AIMIM. Along with being the guardian minister of Gondia and Parbhani, he’s the minister of minority development, Wakf board, skill development, and entrepreneurship. Abu Azmi and the Owaisi brothers don’t stand a chance against Malik as he’s in power,” says a political analyst. It’s party supremo Sharad Pawar’s dimaag and this Miya Bhai’s daring has turned this politically irrelevant party into a key player for the BMC elections. “Malik’s influence on North Indian voters will also help his party if, SP fails to form a government in UP. Nearly 50 seats in Mumbai count on the majority north Indian vote. Plus, there are 50 more such seats where they play a dominant role,” he asserted, adding that with the MVA rallying behind him, a mighty Malik will gravely hurt the prospects parties relying on Muslim and North Indian votes.
Like Mamata Banerjee who led Trinamool Congress to a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly polls in 2021 but lost her seat, so too was the case of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. PM Modi led BJP to victory with 47 seats but Dhami lost. Sources say Dhami would have won had he listened to party managers, refrained from Katima, he had represented for two terms. “We had advised Dhami to move out of Katima as another party functionary was working the assembly seat for the past five years and should have contested from there. We told Dhami to contest from Dehradun, a safe seat as a BJP candidate had passed away,” BJP leader RP Singh says. The Congress won Katima. Uttarakhand Congress leaders feel Dhami was done in by rivals like Ramesh Pokhriyal who funded his defeat. The Congress’s below par results is blamed on its divided house not having kept out turncoats. BJP turncoats like Harak Rawat joined the party at the eleventh hour, but people defeated his daughter-in-law Anukriti Gosain Rawat from Lansdowne. “The mood in Devbhoomi was against turncoats,” says Yashpal Arya, another BJP turncoat who won from Bajpur, but could not get son Sanjeev Arya elected from Nanital.
TRENDS & VIEWS
Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack
It is the Third Anniversary of Short Post and as a news media startup launched during the Covid-19 pandemic it certainly feels better than good to find ourselves where we are today. Here, I must cite the unstinted support of our seasoned contributors, all senior editors in the country, who brought a great degree of maturity and sagacity to the Short Post newsroom. But for them, our tagline “Authentic Gossip”, an Oxymoron, would not have matured viably. Our user numbers may be small but our stories have created the desired impact among people who matter — decision makers and influencers. We offer a big punch in a small pack and Short Post with its 225-word stories has been punching above its weight category. Having posted close to 3,000 stories in the last 36 months, Short Post, I feel, is an idea whose time has come.
And this is vindicated by our two marquee advertisers – IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Lombard. Both believed in our story and have supported us from Day one. A big thank you to both.
If you look at the media landscape – print, TV and digital — it is a mixed bag. There are job losses as some outfits have closed down while a lucky few were bailed out by large corporate houses. Yes, there is a lot of action in the digital space. However, the entry of corporate houses has raised the question of independence of news media outfits. Sadly, there are just a handful of independent media outfits in the country that are highly respected for their neutrality. At Short Post, our credo is not to take sides, prejudge issues or be biased but, informing readers of behind-the-scenes happenings. In essence, Short Post strives to be a neutral editorial platform — neither anti-establishment nor pro-establishment.
As I said last year, disruptions in the media world are moving at a fast and furious pace. Technology is playing a very big role in how content is generated and consumed. But, we are neither alarmed nor perturbed as it is all a part of the evolution process. What gives us comfort is that AI is unable to create original gossipy content. And that is the news arena where we have achieved a distinction.