In November 2022, The News Minute and Pratidhvani exposed how Chilume Trust, founded by a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur linked to the BJP, covertly collected voter data of Bengaluru citizens by making field agents pose as election officials. The voter data theft was enabled by multiple government orders that allowed the private trust to ‘create awareness’ about voter rights. We later also found that this data could have been used to target Muslim and Dalit voters, and remove them from the rolls in the Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru. BBMP officials tried hard to cover this up, but old-school investigative reporting by TNM’s reporters blew the lid open on the conspiracy, forcing a government investigation, which has now validated our reporting.
Ahead of the Karnataka elections, we wish to go beyond just reporting on the narratives and counter-narratives dished out by political parties, and provide you with factual, investigative ground reportage like our Chilume series – because that’s what helps you become an informed voter, that’s what you deserve. We believe political journalism is about reporting the impact of politics on people, and not mindlessly airing what politicians say, or only caring about who is going to win. And we can do this only with your support
Elections have become a festival in India. This is not a claim only we are making, even the legacy media organisations and political parties say that elections are “festivals of democracy”. “Who is going to win” is the central theme of most political reporting and TV programming, with an added dose of news anchors singing, dancing and indulging themselves in local cuisine.
Having some fun during elections is ok, life should be fun. But for us as citizens, elections should be serious business. Our elected representatives can change the course of our lives, impacting not just the quality of our lives, but also the quality of our society. With our vote, we decide our future. So, we believe that our job as a media organisation is to help you become an informed voter, and help shape an informed electorate.
Starting with Karnataka elections 2023, we intend to focus on just that. Each story we do on the Karnataka election will answer in the affirmative to the question: did we help inform the reader better towards making their political choice? Our ground reports will focus on the quality of life of people of the state, fact-checking the claims made by various political parties, and questioning leaders hard on their performances and promises. Support us in our mission.
As a supporter of TNM Poll Watch, we will also be adding you to an exclusive mailing list. The first step in becoming a part of our mission to make Karnataka an informed electorate is your support, the next step is reading our stories and sharing them widely. So look out for our stories in your inbox, note with pride what we do with your support, and share them widely.