Via Twitter, CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, names the “most outstanding election analysts across channels” on counting day, October 22. His verdict: Kumar Ketkar, editor of the Marathi daily Loksatta, and Palagummi Sainath, rural affairs editor of The Hindu, both of whom were on CNN-IBN.
“Wiser than all Delhi editors put together,” says Sardesai, whose own election show had the usual sprinkling of said “Delhi editors”, who also appeared on CNN-IBN.
Ahem.
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about kumar ketkar, i would agree 100 per cent. shri. ketkar combines a keen intellect, unquestionable integrity (despite working with the times group), and an active appreciation for honest-to-goodness field reporting rather than armchair commentary. he’s also a fantastic team worker/leader.
about p. sainath, i don’t know much, but i have been his admirer ever since “everybody loves a good drought” was published.
from mr. sainath’s work, it seems that his worldview, unlike mr. ketkar’s, is a function of his employer’s (the hindu group based in madras). that’s not necessarily a negative, only that i find it fascinating how smart, critical minds, can feel a need to use ideology to get a job done.
finally, it’s a pity that rajdeep sardesai does not show any signs of coming close to either of those two giants — perhaps some day he will, when he starts to use his brain more than his mouth.
hmmmm…ne1 notice how rajdeep n roy and others on TV keep howling out their opinions and then keep attaching to their own opinions the phrases, “India is asking,…”, “India is wondering, …”.
I wonder if all of India thinks along the lines that these “best of reproters” keep ranting. I know that I do not,any other views on this?
@Mysore Peshwa
I fully agree with your last para. Good one.
Kumar Ketkar is just one of the many garrulous mouths on CNN IBN, who participate in this ritual called “Election Gab Fest”
None of these Ketkars and Sainaths had a clue as to how the voters would vote. They all become wise in hindsight and start giving elaborate explanations on why public voted, they way the voted.
For all their pretensions of being knowledgable, they had no idea on whats happening at the grassroots level. They sit in ivory towers and make comments on the common man’s feelings. Which they were way offf, way off the mark.
They failed to read the pulse of Maharshtra twice – once in May 2009 and now, in Oct 09.
They failed twice in five months and Rajdeep has the gall to say that they are India’s best political analysts!
Hmph!
In the LS elections held five months back, Ketkar repeatedly said that there was massive anti incumbency against Congress NCP in Maharashtra and when the exit poll results of CNN IBN was made public, Kumar Ketkar laughed it off, saying that the exit poll would be way off mark.
But he was proved wrong. Dead Wrong.
He has run down the Cong NCP govt at every conceivable opportunity. He has no respect for Indian democracy and the people of Maharashtra. IN spite of Cong getting a majority, he still goes hammer and tongs saying that it is an inept govt.
Nobody rewards ineptness. that is the first basic common sense knowledge that Mr. Ketkar does not have. He dishes out stale theories that the anti-incumbency vote was divided four ways. What crap. Does he not know that Indian democracy runs on ‘first past the post system’?
State after state it is this ‘first past the post’ which works.
His theory has no basis, because in every state, state after state, the anti incumbency vote is alwyas divided. Even in Gujarat, the anti incumbency vote is more than 51%. Does that mean Modi is not a winner?
Before counting, Ketkar said, Raj Thackeray will take away not just Sena vote, but even Cong votes. This, he said will make it difficult for cong to win.
After counting was over, Ketkar said, anti incumbency vote was split four ways. Arre, if Cong votes went to raj thackeray, then Cong should clearly lose isn’t it?
But facts show that Cong gained 20 seats and retained its vote share, more or less. So Ketkar’s inaccurate analysis goes for a toss.
For all his so called expert knowledge, Mr. Ketkar is no better than any layman, who could not spot the winner.
Worse, CNN tom toms that its exit poll was bang on.
yes it was bang on vis a vis Cong
but it was bang off vis a vis BJP Sena. The actual was 90 compared to 115 they said Sena BJP will get.
Rajdeep names Kumar Ketkar as Outstanding Journalist. He may be outstanding, but I am doubtful if he is a journalist.
His bias towards Congress Sonia Rahul Rajiv Nehru Indira & Manmohan is more than Saamnaa Editor Sanjay Raut’s bias towards ShivSena.
Kumar Ketkar is a Congress Puny of late, Just look at his views on the Lokpal and check out his defences on the panel discussions on TImesnow.
He just do not have intellectual capacity to address bigger issues.
God help him get some better senses before he classified as the puppet of Congress.
I fail to understand why people like Kumar Ketkar are allowed to speak on national TV! Anybody with an iota of prudent judgement capability can comprehend that Ketkar has a single point agenda of speaking so fanatically supporting government policies that he may well replace Manish Tiwari as the Congress spokesperson. The manner in which he has been defending the Govt. On Anna Hazare led revolution has been shameful. An important fact is that inspire of being an editor of a vernacular newspaper, he was one of only 6 editors invited by the PM during his briefing with journalists initiative. Also, Ketkar is a person who has been expelled by Jansatta 6 months back on similar charges of writing in a partisan and ridiculous manner leading to several cases against the newspaper by various factions. I hope that respectable journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai and Arnab Goswami would not have people like Ketkar on a panel just because they bring a contra view that is Congress voice in a journalist garb!
Pankaj Kumar
New York