November 9, 2022 - Short Post

All Sports

Bookies Favour Team India In T20 World Cup

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Bookmakers have made Team India the favourite for the T20 World Cup. They are at 2.25 as against 2.5 for England, 3-1 New Zealand and 3.5 for Pakistan. The expectation is that the winner will come from the India-England semi-final. The slower Adelaide pitch and conditions can be said to favour India more with the short side boundaries suiting the team’s explosive batting. T20i cricket may be the hardest to predict but the chances are this Team India is rolling in higher gear now since beating Pakistan in the opening game. Starting trouble that used to plague India in Cup events is not there this time, which is another reason why the prospects of this team getting to the final seems better. England have a specialist T20 team too but what could hamper them is they are dependent on the top order to get them rolling and the top three could be hemmed in by the kind of movement available for Arshdeep and Bhuvi in the late spring conditions prevailing in Australia now. There is only one selection dilemma and that is probably already solved by Team India wishing to give Rishabh Pant more than just the one chance. He is a better bet to come off on the bouncier Aussie pitch than Karthik who may not be able to force the ball given the bounce.

Post By Tamil Raja

All Politics

PM Modi Skips CJI Oath Taking Ceremony For Himachal Election Rallies

With elections in Himachal Pradesh scheduled on November 12, PM Narendra Modi took permission from President Droupadi Murmu to skip the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud on account of a hectic poll campaign. Amidst reports of rebels in as many 50% of the 68 assembly seats, Modi addressed rallies in Kangra and Sujanpur districts. Results for Himachal are to be declared along with Gujarat on December 8. In a direct appeal to people of Himachal, Modi urged them to shed their habit of not repeating a government. He pointed to how the people of Uttarakhand had changed the old tradition and made the BJP win. “In UP too, it has happened after 40 years when a party won again and came to government for the second time in a row with an absolute majority. In Manipur also the BJP government has come again. The condition of Congress is deteriorating day by day. The area which was once considered Congress’s stronghold, the party has been completely wiped out from there…It has only two states left, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh, no news of development comes from these two states.” It is the tenacity of rebels like Kripal Parmar who have stayed on in the fray in Fatehpur seat even after Modi spoke to him that may worry the BJP. The alleged phone call with the PM had gone viral.

Post By Lakshmi Iyer

All Politics

Cong Kicks Row Over "Lotus" In G20 Logo; Forgets Lotus Is National Flower Since 1950!

For reasons best known to it, the Congress kicked up a needless row over “lotus” being part of the G20 logo that was unveiled by PM Modi on November 8. It was left to Union Minister Hardeep Puri to put Jairam Ramesh in his place for trying to draw an equivalence between use of lotus — BJP’s symbol and instance of Nehru resisting Congress Party flag being adopted as flag of India. Puri pointed out that lotus wasn’t merely BJP’s symbol but had been declared India’s national flower since 1950 “by the then Congress Government. Jairam was born in 1954. God alone knows why the Congress chooses to denigrate & undermine every national symbol even as it is desperately out to ‘jodo’ itself.” In an explainer, the MEA says the G20 Logo draws inspiration from the vibrant colours of India’s national flag – saffron, white and green, and blue. It juxtaposes planet Earth with the lotus, India’s national flower that reflects growth amid challenges. Modi made it clear that the G20 presidency for India would not remain a central government event and would be a great opportunity for all states to showcase our tradition of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. That means events related to G-20 will not be limited to Delhi. PM Modi will be travelling to Indonesia next week where the G-20 presidency will be handed over to India.

Post By Lakshmi Iyer

All Politics

No Truck With BJP In West Bengal Panchayat Poll, Says CPM

Relying on the strong rural connect CPM is going all out to seal the spot in Panchayat Elections to be held in West Bengal in 2023. Having returned empty-handed in the Lok Sabha Polls 2019 and State Assembly elections 2021, the CPM is clear that this Panchayat Election is a do-or-die situation for its political existence in the state. Incidentally, the CPM had to bite the dust in the wake of anti-land acquisition movements losing around 50% panchayat seats in 2008, leading to the fall of its citadel in 2011. It continued with Trinamool Congress going all guns out for an uncontested win in the 2018 polls. Sources said that the Left top brass believes that terming TMC as “B Team” of BJP led to the decline of their vote share, where anti-TMC votes translated into saffron share. Hence, the recent dictate from the party leadership is that no official or unofficial pact with the BJP in upcoming panchayat elections. Significantly, TMC’s corruption and a beleaguered BJP led to the increase of vote share of CPM in recent past. With vote share declining to 4.71% during 2021 Assembly polls held in March, CPM clawed back with 11.87% in Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls held in December same year. These numbers went up further to 14.2% and 16.75% respectively in the Municipal elections across Bengal held during February and March 2022.

Post By Tanya Bagchi

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.

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TRENDS & VIEWS

Editor’s Note: Big Punch In Small Pack

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