ICSSR issues show cause notice to CSDS for ‘data manipulation' amid ‘Vote Chori' row
The ICSSR notice read, 'It has come to the notice of ICSSR that an individual holding responsible position at CSDS, an ICSSR-funded research institute, has made media statements that had to be retracted subsequently citing glitches in data analysis regarding elections in Maharashtra. Futher, the institute has published media stories based on biased interpretation of the SIR exercise by the Election Commission of India..."
Highlighting the role of the Election Commission, it said,'ICSSR holds the Indian constitution in highest esteem. The Election Commission of India is a high constitutional body that has been holding free and fair elections in the largest democracy in the world for decades."
Alleging the CSDS to tarnish the sanctity of the Election Commission, it noted,'ICSSR takes serious cognizance of the data manipulation by CSDS and its attempt to create a narrative with the intention of undermining the sanctity of the Election Commision of India. This is a gross violation of the Grant-in-Aid rules of ICSSR, and ICSSR shall issue a Show Cause Notice to the Institute."
The notice follows an apology from Lokniti-CSDS co-director Sanjay Kumar on Tuesday for his post about Maharashtra elections, which reported a significant decline in voter numbers in two assembly seats compared to the recent Lok Sabha elections.
'I sincerely apologize for the tweets posted regarding Maharashtra elections. Error occurred while comparing data of 2024 LS and 2024 AS. The data in row was misread by our Data team. The tweet has since been removed. I had no intention of dispersing any form of misinformation,' Lokniti-CSDS co-director wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 minutes ago
- Time of India
China Parades Deadliest Superweapons; Hypersonic Missiles, Sea Drones, Battle Tanks On Display
Russia Humiliates Trump With 5% Oil Discount To India Amid Fierce Sanctions Battle And Tariff War Russia has openly taunted the United States by announcing it grants India a 5% discount on crude oil imports, just as Donald Trump's administration announced sweeping tariffs on New Delhi. Moscow's deputy envoy Roman Babushkin hit back at Washington, declaring that US sanctions were 'unjustified and unilateral,' and promising that Russia's market would embrace Indian exports if America blocks them. This bold move comes as India resumes Russian oil purchases after discounts widened, reigniting Washington's anger. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lashed out, accusing India of 'profiteering' and undermining sanctions by reselling Russian crude. But Moscow insists India's growing oil demand makes the partnership 'perfectly complementary.' In the face of Western pressure, Russia has positioned itself as India's most reliable energy partner, transforming sanctions into opportunity, and delivering a clear message that Washington cannot dictate India's choices. 98.7K views | 16 hours ago
India Today
10 minutes ago
- India Today
Congress trapped me in fabricated case: Amit Shah defends minister removal bills
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday invoked his own arrest in the 2010 Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case to defend the Narendra Modi government's move to introduce constitutional amendment bills that would prevent leaders from holding key offices such as Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or Union and State Ministers while in criticised the Congress for allegedly trapping him in a fabricated case, saying his resignation before arrest and subsequent acquittal illustrated the moral accountability the new bills aim to a detailed post on X, Shah described the reforms as a "moral corrective" aimed at reversing what he described as a decline in ethical standards in Indian politics. In his post, he wrote, "Now the people of the country need to decide: Is it right for a minister, chief minister, or prime minister to run a government from jail?"He explained that the bills are designed to ensure that individuals facing arrest or detention cannot continue running governments from behind bars. He also emphasised that the framers of the Constitution could not have foreseen a situation where leaders would refuse to resign even after being arrested, calling recent instances of jailed chief ministers continuing to exercise power "shocking and morally indefensible".Shah laid out the key provisions of the legislation, highlighting that no person under arrest can function as Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or Minister in the Union or State politicians must secure bail within 30 days of arrest, failing which they automatically lose office, although they can be reinstated once granted bail through due legal process."When the Constitution was framed, its makers could not have imagined that in the future, political leaders would refuse to resign on moral grounds even after being arrested," Shah wrote, explaining the moral imperative behind the Home Minister also positioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision as one of accountability, noting that the Modi government was voluntarily bringing its leaders under the ambit of contrasted this with the Congress-led Opposition, which he accused of resisting reforms to "cling to power" and protect leaders accused of further invoked the controversial 39th Constitutional Amendment introduced under then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which insulated the PM's office from judicial scrutiny, saying, "While the Congress's work culture and policy have been to place the prime minister above the law, the BJP's policy is to bring our own prime minister, ministers, and chief ministers under the ambit of law."advertisementAddressing personal attacks by Congress MP KC Venugopal over his arrest in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, Shah said, "I had resigned even before being arrested. I did not hold any constitutional position until the court fully acquitted me. The fake case against me was dismissed by the court with clear observation that it was motivated by political vendetta."He drew attention to the BJP's tradition of moral accountability, citing Lal Krishna Advani resigning over mere allegations, and criticised the Congress for continuing the unethical practices started under Indira also recalled the Congress's past attempts to shield leaders such as Lalu Prasad Yadav, highlighting what he called the Opposition's double standards in recent political Shah formally tabled the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill on introduction of the bills sparked a massive uproar, with opposition MPs raising slogans and tearing copies of the legislation. Congress leader KC Venugopal confronted Shah, saying, "When Amit Shah was the Home Minister of Gujarat, he was arrested. Did he uphold morality then?"Shah responded firmly, reiterating that he had resigned before his arrest and did not hold any constitutional post until fully acquitted. In 2014, a special CBI court cleared Shah of all charges, citing lack of opposition criticised the legislation as "draconian", arguing it could be misused to destabilise states ruled by non-NDA parties. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi likened the move to Hitler's Gestapo, calling it a "death knell" for elected governments, while Congress leader Manish Tewari said the bills could open floodgates for political misuse and undermine the Constitution's basic government, however, insisted the bills were aimed at preventing ministers from clinging to office while facing serious criminal the draft laws, any Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or minister arrested for offences carrying a punishment of five years or more would automatically lose office if held in custody for 30 consecutive days, though they could be reinstated upon move comes against the backdrop of controversies in which leaders such as former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji continued to hold office despite being in jail.- EndsTune InMust Watch
The Print
18 minutes ago
- The Print
If India stopped buying Russian oil, China would gain and global prices would go up
Before the war, Russian crude oil import was negligible for India, just 0.2 per cent of imports. In 2024-25, 36-40 per cent of our oil came from Russia. And it was vital for stabilising global oil prices. The US publicly supported India's move. In 2022, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, 'We're happy for India to buy as much Russian oil as it wants… even above the cap…' Former US Ambassador Eric Garcetti said that the US wanted someone to buy Russian oil at the cap. In 2022, the world was on the brink of an oil shock after the Russia-Ukraine war. Panic hit the oil markets and crude prices soared to $137 per barrel. The West had two choices — ban Russian oil completely and let the prices explode or find other ways to keep the market functioning. The G7, therefore, introduced a price cap — $60 per barrel — to keep the supply flowing. Any country could buy Russian crude legally as long as it was below that price. India imports around 85-90 per cent of its crude oil requirements. Its crude import bill was approximately $132-140 billion for FY 2023-24. It is evident that even a minor change in the price of crude can have a large overall effect on the balance of payment position. India does not have the luxury of printing dollars. It must always take steps based on the best interests of its 1.4 billion citizens. Russia's crude production in 2024-25 averaged around 10.45 million barrels per day (bpd), which is about 10 per cent of global supplies. Of this, 4.2-4.5 million bpd was exported. Currently, oil demand and supply are fairly balanced. However, in case Russian supplies were disrupted, crude prices would go up by $10-15 per barrel. The oil market has seen such volatility every time there was talk of Russian flow disruption due to sanctions. Also read: Buying Russian oil, misreading Trump—3 points will define India's next energy strategy India's balancing role India has always respected global compulsions. But, strategically, India's energy security is also linked to regional geopolitics. In 2007, Iran supplied 12 per cent of our crude. After being sanctioned over its nuclear programme, India stopped buying from Iran. Meanwhile, China still buys 1.4 million bpd from Iran despite sanctions. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 40 per cent of Russia's crude exports went to China. And if India stopped buying crude from Russia, Moscow would sell more oil to China at bigger discounts. The net result would be that China will be at a greater advantage and global crude prices will go up. In this global turmoil driven by protectionism and trade and tariff wars, India is treading its path carefully, balancing regional and global geopolitics with resilience. The Indian government's prudent policy decisions are being appreciated across the globe and bringing positive results. Recently, S&P Global has also raised India's long-term sovereign credit rating to 'BBB' from 'BBB-', with short-term rating upgraded to 'A-2' from 'A-3'. The stable outlook reflects confidence in India's strong economic fundamentals, prudent policy management, and effective monetary policy — a recognition of India's growing financial resilience. The successful handling of the economy by the Narendra Modi government has imparted resilience to the economy, ensuring it can bear economic shocks. We are the fastest-growing major economy, our fiscal position is improving, and there is increasing efficiency in government spending. All these means India will be able to negotiate as a partner and won't be a pushover. India's imports of Russian crude oil averaged 1.7–2 million bpd in 2024-25, accounting for 36-40 per cent of its total crude imports. The average discount on Russian crude was approximately $3.5 per barrel, compared to Middle Eastern crude, which was costlier by about $4-5 per barrel. This translated into estimated savings of $7-10 billion on India's import bill, including $2.3-3.8 billion (Rs 19,000-31,500 crore) in direct savings from lower prices compared to alternative suppliers. In addition, India avoided a potential $9-11 billion increase in its import bill by helping stabilise global supply and preventing price spikes. If India stopped buying Russian oil, it would be forced to compete in crowded West Asian markets, likely causing a sharp rise in global crude prices. By importing Russian oil, India is not just reducing its own costs but also helping to balance the global oil market. Gopal Krishna Agarwal is the National Spokesperson of BJP. He tweets @gopalkagarwal. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
