ABP News TV channel on Sunday broadcast its poll survey on this year’s Lok Sabha polls in alliance with C-Voter. According its predictions, the BJP-led NDA may fall short of the majority mark of 273. But, the channel is now facing social media roasting for its on-screen gaffe that predicted 564 seats for the NDA in a Lok Sabha that only has 543 seats.
Although the channel’s prediction for the NDA was 264, it appeared to have wrongly flashed 564 as the final number for the BJP-led coalition. With the channel coming in for criticism for its alleged biases in favour of the BJP in recent months, the gaffe did not go down well with many social media users as they used the slip-up to poke fun at the TV channel.
While some taunted the TV channel, calling its on-air gaffe a Freudian slip, others mocked ABP’s tagline aapko rakhe aage (We keep you ahead) to drive home a point. One user wrote, “ABP News keeps you ahead, so ahead that the channel has just formed a government headed by Modi with 564 seats.”
Here are some notable reactions:
@RubikaLiyaquat इंसान के मन में हम भक्ति होना अच्छी बात है लेकिन भक्ति जब अंधभक्ति बन जाए तो घातक होती है। 543 में से 564 सीट तो ABP न्यूज़ ही दे सकता है। @abpnewstv pic.twitter.com/lLlQrMrTkg
— Faisal Khan فیصل خان (@Faisalmugees) March 11, 2019
मैडम जी के हाव भाव से ही लग रहा है, #ABP न्यूज रखे सबसे आगे इतना आगे कि 564 सीटों वाली मोदी सरकार बना दें.??
रविश जी सही कहतें है न्यूज देखना छोड़ दिजिऐ वर्ना आप नागरिक नहीं भीड़ बन जाओगे. @AzizKavish @ndtvindia pic.twitter.com/0jkFvmqmOq
— Drajsuman Singh (@INCDrajsuman) March 11, 2019
#GodiMedia ABP walks the extra mile in predicting poll results – adds all parliament seats of Pakistan and Bangladesh including Burma to the NDA tally.
Result – NDA gets 564 out of 543! ???@tshamsi88 @SUNDARmyth @AnthonySald pic.twitter.com/M3d0StvCdT
— Sajjad Badshah (@sajjadbadshah) March 10, 2019
Is this true @awasthis ?
Did ABP news give NDA 564 seats out of 543? ?
If this is true, God save this country from this media. pic.twitter.com/kns9xg3fR6— Sanghamitra (@AudaciousQuest_) March 10, 2019
Out of Total 543 seats
NDA will get 564 seat According to ABP.Baki ke 21 seat kallu tent wale se ayenge pic.twitter.com/mAiddQEiKG
— nehr_who? (@Nehr_who) March 10, 2019
The channel was in the news last year when it sacked three senior journalists including its managing editor for broadcasting reports critical of the Modi government.
