- 2 months ago
The India Today Mood of the Nation survey reports Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK leader Vijay emerging as a prime ministerial choice with 9.2 percent support, trailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 48.7 percent and Rahul Gandhi at 27.1 percent.
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00:01Hello and welcome. Good evening. You're watching Super 6 here on India Today. I'm Akshita Nanda Gopal.
00:05On this broadcast, we're breaking down for you some of the big numbers from the mood of the nation that's
00:11created a flutter in Tamil Nadu.
00:13Why? Well, on the show this evening, we're focusing on the Vijay factor and the fact that in the PM
00:19race, in our Mood of the Nation survey numbers,
00:22Chief Minister Vijay has also broken into that particular race, ranking third after Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi.
00:30On the show this evening, we're going to be taking you through those numbers, giving you details of the methodology,
00:37the people we surveyed and interestingly, the regions where Vijay has emerged on top that's led to him being a
00:44part of this survey.
00:46We'll break down all those details and of course, the reactions coming in from Tamil Nadu.
00:50So lots lined up for you over the next one hour on the special edition of Super 6.
00:54I'm Akshita Nanda Gopal. Here are the headlines.
01:00It's a race against time to rescue over 1,400 missing people in Nepal.
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01:54Today's CM, tomorrow's PM posters in Tamil Nadu.
01:58Vijay for PM chorus after India Today's survey.
02:01Vijay ranked among top three PM choices in India Today poll.
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02:46The Raksha Bandhan by Tamsahar and Tamsahar and Tamsahar.
02:47The Raksha Bandhan by Tamsahar and Tamsahar.
03:05A new political pitch is gaining volume in Tamil Nadu.
03:09We've seen this in the last few months.
03:11Now that buzz has a national number attached to it.
03:14Vijay for Prime Minister.
03:16You've been hearing about this from the TVK.
03:19They've been constantly making this pitch of CM to PM.
03:22But guess what?
03:23The latest India Today C voter mood of the nation poll puts Vijay at number three in the national PM
03:30preference race.
03:32And this is just months into his first stint as Tamil Nadu chief minister.
03:36He's entered politics a couple of years ago.
03:38He's been chief minister for just over 100 days.
03:41And already he's broken into the PM race.
03:44Let me begin by breaking down the numbers for you.
03:46The MOTN mood of the nation numbers that's created ripples across Tamil Nadu.
03:52Best suitor to be next prime minister.
03:54Those numbers are on your screen.
03:56At top position, port position is Narendra Modi with 49% still picking Prime Minister Modi.
04:02In second place is Rahul Gandhi at 27%.
04:05But it is the entry of C.E. Joseph Vijay that's got everyone talking.
04:10Chief Minister Vijay has managed to secure about 9% of the vote in this particular survey.
04:16Abhijit Dipke is at 1%.
04:18Arvind Kejriwal is at 1%.
04:20Abhijit Dipke has also entered the survey for the first time.
04:23But he and Arvind Kejriwal are at the same level.
04:25Vijay above that at 9%.
04:26And then you have Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi.
04:28This particular survey is what's led to endless speculation on whether the TVK could have national plans.
04:35Because there certainly is a curiosity factor that's helping Vijay.
04:39It's not just this.
04:40Let's also give you a sense of what participants of the survey had to say when asked who is best
04:44suited to lead the India bloc.
04:46Vijay has made an entry here too.
04:48Rahul Gandhi is at 29%.
04:50Chief Minister Vijay is at 12%, 12.2% to be exact.
04:55Mamata Banerjee has been pushed to third position at 8.5%, essentially 9%.
05:02So these are the numbers on your screens.
05:05Mamata Banerjee in other circumstances would be at number two when you look at best suited to lead India bloc.
05:10Courtesy of Vijay's entry, she's been relegated to the third position right now.
05:14So you can see that Vijay's entry in the Mood of the Nation survey is on two fronts.
05:20Best suited to be Prime Minister, best suited to lead the India bloc.
05:23Both national roles much larger than Tamil Nadu itself.
05:28And it's triggered political ripples across Tamil Nadu for that very reason.
05:32Right after India today's Mood of the Nation survey,
05:35posters now proclaiming today's CM, tomorrow's PM came up in Tutukudi of Tamil Nadu.
05:42The opposition, the DNKs, dismissed these poll findings.
05:45They're saying, let Vijay first prove himself as Chief Minister.
05:48Forget a national role.
05:50The other question that comes up is, how will Congress see this?
05:53TVK is an ally, because as I showed you in those numbers,
05:56there's Rahul Gandhi and right after that, there's Vijay.
06:06The chorus for Vijay as Prime Minister is getting louder,
06:10and this time it is not just coming from party cadres.
06:14Barely three months after taking charge as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister,
06:19and less than three years after formally entering politics,
06:23Vijay has now entered the national prime ministerial conversation.
06:29The India Today's Sea Voter Mood of the Nation poll puts Vijay at number three
06:34among preferred choices for the next prime minister.
06:38Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads with 48.7%,
06:41followed by Rahul Gandhi at 27.1%.
06:45Vijay gets 9.2% support ahead of Mamata Banerji and Akhilesh Yadav.
06:51And the prime minister's preference is not the only number putting Vijay in the spotlight.
06:57Asked who is best suited to lead the opposition alliance,
07:01Vijay again features among the top choices,
07:03with 12.2% behind Rahul Gandhi at 29%.
07:08The numbers have now triggered political ripples in Tamil Nadu.
07:13TVK leaders had already been pitching Vijay for a larger national role.
07:17The mood of the nation numbers have now added fresh ammunition to that campaign.
07:23Across to Tukudi, posters are already projecting Vijay as the future prime minister.
07:29The message is blunt.
07:31Today's chief minister, tomorrow's prime minister Vijay.
07:35And TVK leaders are doubling down.
07:49But the opposition is dismissing the buzz.
07:54He could not even get a majority in the house here, Tamil Nadu elections.
07:58He has to rely on four parties to continue in power.
08:03Because he doesn't have the full support of the Tamil Nadu people itself.
08:09It's too early to have these kinds of trends.
08:12It might be the wish of somebody to elevate himself from chief minister to prime minister at one go.
08:18Which might not happen in history though.
08:20I hope they stop with the prime minister.
08:22They don't go to the extent of him, nominating him as the president of the United States or UK.
08:28And now a potential fault line within Vijay's own alliance.
08:32The congress has played down the Vijay for prime minister pitch
08:36while continuing to back Rahul Gandhi as the opposition's 2029 phase.
08:41For a leader who entered politics barely three years ago,
08:45Vijay's name is now being placed alongside leaders with decades of national political experience.
08:52The mood of the nation poll may be one set of numbers.
08:56But in Tamil Nadu, it has already opened a much bigger political conversation.
09:01Is the Vijay for prime minister chorus still a party pitch?
09:05Or is it becoming a political proposition?
09:09Bureau report, India Today.
09:16So the mood of the nation survey has been conducted by India Today
09:20in collaboration with Sea Voter.
09:21And joining us on this broadcast is Yashwan Deshmukh,
09:24a phologist, founder and director of Sea Voter.
09:27Yashwan, good evening.
09:28I think your survey has created ripples across Tamil Nadu
09:31with the entry of Vijay for the first time.
09:34Have you ever seen anything like it, Yashwan?
09:36That someone who's been chief minister for just about two months
09:39is now being considered for the next PM role.
09:44Well, it's something for the Gen Z to credit about
09:48because I think he has captured exactly the space
09:51which Arvind Kejriwal was holding till now.
09:53I mean, at one point of time, remember,
09:56Arvind Kejriwal's rating was almost matching Rahul Gandhi,
09:59you know, right after the Punjab assembly election.
10:01So that is where he was.
10:03But then it started going down after the cases
10:05and the Delhi assembly election results were out.
10:07And, you know, look at his number right now at 1%.
10:10So, yeah, I mean, what these numbers suggest is that,
10:14I mean, it has surprised me, first of all.
10:16I must concede that I was never expecting his number
10:20to come anywhere, something like that.
10:23But when I was trying to understand why it is happening,
10:27and I must also concede, being from Gen X,
10:30I was completely unaware of the recent fact
10:34that the Southern cine stars have kind of gained prominence
10:38in the Northern belt and particularly the Gen Z,
10:40the way I don't remember.
10:43Because for us, the only superstar we knew was Ranji Khan.
10:46Beyond that, our GK was really rock bottom.
10:49But I had to actually, you won't believe,
10:53after when I was working on this data
10:55late in the evening with my team,
10:57I had to actually call up a nephew of mine
11:01and kids of my co-workers to understand,
11:05do they even know, I mean, where is it coming from?
11:07And my nephew said that, okay, you know what,
11:10if the guy was contesting from Delhi,
11:12I would have voted for him.
11:13You know, and I was like, kind of think,
11:16okay, this is something different.
11:17Here is a Gen Z voter and a big number of Gen Z voters
11:21who are not only looking at Vijay's meteoric rise,
11:24but similar to the voters of Tamil Nadu,
11:28where they rejected the politics of DMK and ADMK together,
11:32the traditional band of politics, you know.
11:36Actually, I would like to give you another data set,
11:39which kind of surprised me after Tamil Nadu elections,
11:42when we are doing the post-poll analysis for India today.
11:46In that data, which was conducted after the elections
11:49and the results were analyzed,
11:52almost more than 20%, 24%, if I'm not wrong,
11:56actually said that they decided on the last day,
11:59last two days of voting in that way.
12:01And the overwhelming majority of that went to Vijay.
12:04And the most surprising factor was
12:07they decided on the insistence of their kids.
12:11Yeah.
12:12And because when we asked the question,
12:14whom you want to see as the chief minister,
12:16they did not name Vijay.
12:17They mentioned the name of the other two gentlemen
12:20who were the DMK,
12:21and it was completely in contradiction.
12:23Why the hell was happening?
12:24And then we asked them,
12:26then we realized that,
12:27okay, it's the kids of their household
12:29who have kind of...
12:30And they were the voters
12:31who were largely non-political of sort
12:34or politics agnostics voters.
12:37And their kids told them
12:39that you have to get beyond that,
12:40and they insisted,
12:41and the parents went out and voted for Vijay.
12:44So we are coming from that side of spectrum,
12:48and these kids are trying to move beyond the status quo.
12:53So Vijay's number over here
12:55are alarm for the BJP,
12:58and they are alarm for the Congress alike.
13:01Because for the Congress,
13:02BJP has to understand this went wrong.
13:05This last 12 weeks probably tested them
13:08beyond their 12 years.
13:1012 weeks have been more testing
13:12than 12 years for the BJP.
13:14But the Congress has to also ask
13:15why these 9% are not looking
13:18into the graphics of Rahul Gandhi, right?
13:20100%.
13:21You know, there are questions for both sides.
13:22I want to understand from you, Yashwant, also,
13:24because I think this is a question
13:25that's constantly come up.
13:27In the survey that was conducted,
13:28of the 25,000 that were surveyed,
13:31how many of them were actually Gen Z?
13:33Do we have that breakdown?
13:35Oh, almost 25% of them.
13:37And by the way,
13:37we conducted a separate Gen Z panel altogether.
13:42Just for that,
13:43and almost in the last...
13:44Apart from this,
13:46for the political stock exchange
13:47and other programs,
13:48we have interviewed more than 10,000
13:50Gen Z respondents in this country
13:52in the last 12 weeks.
13:53So, it has been a revelation to me.
13:57It's a very, very different Gen Z movement
14:03or the other youth politics movement
14:05that we have seen in this country earlier.
14:07It is very...
14:10I mean,
14:10they are pretty much on the social media.
14:13They understand the news
14:14and understand the variety of news sources
14:17that they are coming to them.
14:19They may interpret in their own way,
14:21but they are pretty much invested
14:24in their own current, present problem.
14:27You know.
14:28Yeah.
14:28And they are least bothered about the history
14:30and the historical baggages
14:32that are debated in politics.
14:34You know,
14:35forget about Nehru being responsible.
14:38They are not even holding...
14:40Manmohan Singh responsible
14:41because they don't know,
14:42because they don't understand that.
14:43Yeah.
14:44They are holding you responsible
14:46because they have only seen you in power
14:48for the last 12 years.
14:50Their memory of becoming a young adult,
14:55majority of that,
14:57if certain party is in power,
14:59they are going to ask questions.
15:01They are going to raise questions.
15:02They are going to make you uncomfortable.
15:04And you cannot deal with that
15:07the way you dealt with Generation X on Facebook
15:11or Millennials on WhatsApp
15:13by bullying into them
15:15that you shall not ask questions.
15:17If you ask questions,
15:18you are anti-national,
15:19you are anti-India.
15:20Go to Pakistan.
15:21Can I just highlight one point here?
15:23Yashwant, you know,
15:24you mentioned how there's a wake-up call
15:25for both the BJP and the Congress.
15:27What we're going to do is
15:28we're going to draw a comparison
15:30of what our biannual survey
15:33actually showed in January 2026
15:35when we asked who is best suited
15:37to be the next Prime Minister.
15:39So we'll draw that comparison up.
15:41Obviously, at that point,
15:42Vijay was nowhere on the list.
15:44He was someone who was still looking
15:46to kind of win Tamil Nadu.
15:48But if you look at the Jan 2026 numbers there,
15:5157.7% was for Prime Minister Modi.
15:5526.6% for Rahul Gandhi.
15:58Now we look at the current data.
15:59You see, Narendra Modi's graph
16:02from 57.7% has dropped to 48.7%
16:06from January to August.
16:07Rahul Gandhi's moral is stagnant.
16:1026.6% to 27.1%.
16:12What this tells me then, Yashwant,
16:15is that this is perhaps,
16:16and the reason that everyone's looking to Vijay
16:18is as an alternative.
16:20That anti-incumbency feeling
16:22moves then to Vijay.
16:24Vijay is gaining at Prime Minister Modi's expense
16:26and it's not Rahul Gandhi.
16:27Rahul Gandhi hasn't gained
16:29from the Prime Minister's numbers going down.
16:32Yeah, true that.
16:33But I must say,
16:34with all humility and credit where due,
16:37you see,
16:37yes, there is a sense of introspection
16:40that should come into the opposition rank and file,
16:42particularly the Congress,
16:43that why these 9% are not there.
16:45But at the same time,
16:46in our routine tracker, Akhita,
16:48every day we do ask all these questions,
16:51big number of questions,
16:52and there is also a two-horse question,
16:54which is like a presidential,
16:55what we field in US,
16:57you know,
16:57like between the two candidates.
16:59And when we ask the two candidate question
17:01between Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi,
17:04then that number for Prime Minister Modi goes up to 52,
17:09but for Rahul Gandhi jumps to 38.
17:12That means whatsoever the Vijay,
17:16Arvind Kejriwal,
17:17Mamata Banerjee,
17:18you know,
17:18all rank and opposition,
17:20rank and file,
17:21voters are naming in different ways.
17:24They kind of rally behind Rahul Gandhi
17:27when asked about the two-horse question.
17:29Now,
17:29this is important to understand here
17:31because in majority of the Hindi heartland
17:33other states,
17:34primarily where it is BJP versus the Congress,
17:37the voters who are naming Vijay
17:39would realize,
17:40Vijay is not going to go and contest
17:42Uttar Pradesh election of Madhya Pradesh
17:43or Rajasthan or Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand.
17:46Right?
17:46Yeah.
17:46So this is where Rahul Gandhi's numbers jump
17:49in a bipolarity,
17:51in a two-horse race question.
17:53But it is not an automatic default coming his way.
17:58So what's the fine point which I am trying to make?
18:03There is a consolidation of the opposition vote for sure,
18:08but Congress has to understand
18:13that there is certain section in that anti-BJP vote
18:19which is not automatically as a first choice
18:23naming Rahul Gandhi or the Congress.
18:26You know,
18:26it's almost like 10% out there,
18:28which ideally,
18:30if Vijay wouldn't have,
18:31the phenomena of Vijay wouldn't have been there,
18:34I would assume that probably Rahul Gandhi's number
18:37would have gone even further up.
18:39You know,
18:40that's not good news for the alliance.
18:42I don't know how the Congress will look at that
18:44considering that they're allies with the TVK.
18:46And now Vijay perhaps is a competitor
18:48based on these particular numbers.
18:51One very,
18:52very interesting aspect of the numbers that came in
18:54is the regional breakup.
18:56Now here's where it gets really interesting.
18:58You'd think that the maximum support for Vijay would come in from the south.
19:01When we broke down the numbers that came in,
19:04it's not the south,
19:05it's actually the northeast.
19:07We've got that on our screen.
19:09This blew my mind.
19:10You know,
19:1118.5% people in the northeast of those we surveyed
19:15want Vijay.
19:17South,
19:1814.3%.
19:182.3%.
19:19This is,
19:20yeah,
19:20Yashwan,
19:20please.
19:21No,
19:21two aspects of that.
19:22I mean,
19:22first of all,
19:23south,
19:24of course,
19:24is the territory.
19:26Northeast,
19:26I can explain you later,
19:27but look at even the number at the east and the north.
19:31You know,
19:31even in the west.
19:33Look at the stardom concept.
19:35The way the southern movies are making an impact,
19:37you know,
19:38they are the biggest of the blockbusters in recent years.
19:41You know,
19:41when we talk about the,
19:42they are beating the Bollywood movies hands down.
19:45Barring Durandar,
19:47which other Bollywood movie has actually matched the success of what other southern blockbusters
19:52dubbed in Hindi that we have seen in recent past.
19:54So that's the impact?
19:55You think this is because of that?
19:56That's the all-India impact.
19:57In the northeast,
19:58there is another additional factor.
20:00I mean,
20:01and one should not mind it because my job is to analyze in the way I look at it.
20:05There is a significant chunk of states and a Christian population over there,
20:09which also carries a certain weightage to Vijay.
20:13I mean,
20:13and that is completely a political mindset,
20:17the way of analyzing it in that way,
20:19not just the Gen Z.
20:20But,
20:20but yes,
20:22northeast also happens to be one territory,
20:24which is largely non-BJP,
20:26non-Congress.
20:27Have you realized that?
20:29Overwhelming majority of the votes in the northeast have been traditionally going to the non-BJP,
20:34non-Congress parties.
20:38You know,
20:40but you leave Assam a bit away right now from that equation because that forms the bulk.
20:46But I'm talking about the smaller states as well.
20:47So there is always a third party faction over there which gets into it.
20:52But look at the north and look at the east and look at the west.
20:56In the west and the east,
20:58you are almost touching double digits.
20:59So there definitely is about 10%,
21:02I would say,
21:03the voter,
21:05which includes a big chunk of young voters,
21:07who are going and looking at beyond traditional duality of the politics.
21:12And they want to try the third options.
21:14They have voted for third option in the name of Kejriwal and Aam Admi Party.
21:20At some point of time,
21:21they also got disillusioned.
21:23Otherwise,
21:24Vijay's name would not have trumped Kejriwal's name right here.
21:28So that's also a thing for the new age leaders to also realize
21:34that you may ride the non-duality wave at some point of time,
21:39but it only takes a matter of time if you don't,
21:43you know,
21:43You have to keep yourself relevant,
21:45essentially.
21:46If you don't walk the talk,
21:47if you don't walk the talk,
21:49it will be the only matter of time somebody else will take your place.
21:52Kaushik Dekar,
21:53managing editor of India Today magazine is also with us.
21:56Kaushik,
21:57you know,
21:57if you see the region-wise breakdown,
22:00it's stunning really that the northeast has chosen Vijay more than,
22:05you know,
22:05the southern states have.
22:06What explains this?
22:07Do you think it's just,
22:08you know,
22:08the fascination,
22:09the curiosity around Vijay because of all of the social media traction?
22:12Or it's much more than that?
22:14Yeah,
22:15partly true.
22:16But I'll tell you one story.
22:19Some three years back when Vijay was just a film star,
22:23the daughter of an ASMI's IAS officer,
22:26she came to me and she requested that whether I possibly can organize a meeting with Vijay.
22:32Because we work in media,
22:34they say that you invite different film stars to your conclaves.
22:37So I was very surprised at that time because he was not asking for Shah Rukh Khan or Ranveer Singh
22:42or any North Indian film star,
22:45but Vijay.
22:46I hadn't watched any movie by him at that time.
22:50So it struck me.
22:51Then I had the discussion with some other youngsters and they all knew about Vijay,
22:55not just Vijay,
22:56some other film stars also.
22:57That's one part.
22:58As I said,
22:58as a film star,
22:59he has great appeal among youngsters.
23:03Second part is,
23:04as Mr.
23:05Yashvan Deshmukh has explained,
23:06that Christianity is also an impact,
23:08but not that so much.
23:10You have to also understand that in terms of,
23:13not exactly culture,
23:15but certain lifestyles,
23:17there is a similarity between North Eastern states and South Indian states,
23:23starting from rising in culture.
23:25I think.
23:26Yes.
23:27And the way they behave,
23:29they focus a lot on education.
23:32English is another important factor here,
23:35the language.
23:36So all these things also create a kind of proximity between the North Eastern students and South India.
23:44And you probably know that there are a large number of North Eastern students
23:49and other professionals also working in the South.
23:52So they have a familiarity with South culture.
23:55And at the Vijay's get-up,
23:57that he is one politician who is always in suit
24:00and he dresses nicely,
24:02is a film star,
24:03good-looking film star.
24:04And you know,
24:05North East is a fashionable place.
24:08Fashion plays a very important role over there.
24:10So all these things,
24:11I believe has created that they have found someone who is not just like another Indian politician.
24:18So I am not surprised because I had this inkling that there is attraction of South Indian film stars around
24:25North East.
24:26So this hasn't surprised me.
24:28But yes,
24:29I didn't anticipate that the numbers will go higher than South India itself.
24:34Yeah, I agree.
24:35That was really surprising.
24:37But the number of factors that you have listed for us,
24:39it kind of, you know,
24:40brings it all together.
24:41But do you think,
24:41Kaushik,
24:42that this is something that's actually,
24:44you know,
24:45something that will sustain?
24:46Let's say we hold our next survey
24:47in another six months from now.
24:49Do you think Vijay's numbers will go up further?
24:51That graph will rise?
24:53It depends on how he performs.
24:55So they are watching for his performance as a CM,
24:58as an administrator.
24:58Of course,
24:58of course.
24:59At the moment,
24:59at the moment,
25:00there is a novelty factor.
25:01I mean,
25:02I don't think this generation has seen a film star becoming a CM.
25:08There were other chief ministers earlier in from the South.
25:11But the current generation,
25:14if we talk about Gen G or Gen Alpha or youngsters,
25:17they haven't seen it.
25:18So there is a novelty factor.
25:19And then,
25:20as I mentioned,
25:21if you are talking particularly about North East,
25:23then the look and get up of Vijay,
25:26it's like pretty much like a Western politician.
25:29So that has an appeal among youngsters.
25:31You can't discount that.
25:33And I'm sure that that appeal is across India,
25:37not just restricted to North East of India.
25:40So people are watching him.
25:42And because there is a disillusionment,
25:44if you look at the MOTN poll,
25:46you will see that with the established political culture in India,
25:51the youngsters are not very happy with that.
25:53They want a change.
25:54Change doesn't mean from Mr. Modi to Rahul Gandhi,
25:57not individual change,
25:58but they want a change in the system,
26:00the way politics is practiced in India.
26:03And I believe somewhere Vijay,
26:04at the moment,
26:05means we do not know how he will perform,
26:07whether he would become,
26:08his story would become like that of Arvind Kejriwal.
26:11But at the moment,
26:12people probably have hope from him.
26:14And if he performs 50% of what is expected out of him,
26:19his numbers will remain or may go up.
26:21But as I said,
26:23it depends on how he performs entirely on him.
26:26Okay.
26:26Mr. Simansi Raman and Mr. Rangaraj Pandey are with us also on this broadcast.
26:31Mr. Simansi Raman,
26:32you've been listening to what Yashwant Deshmukh and Korshid Dekka have said.
26:35Were you a bit stunned,
26:36taken aback by those numbers of the MOTN survey, Sam?
26:40No, no.
26:41I was not surprised at all,
26:43because I've been seeing almost every day,
26:47so many reels,
26:49which are,
26:50you know,
26:51from people in the north and in other parts of the country,
26:54talking about Talpati,
26:56Talpati,
26:57and saying that he's going to,
26:59you know,
26:59he has done this and he has done that.
27:01Most of it is fake news,
27:02but never mind.
27:03So,
27:04obviously,
27:04there's an organized campaign that is going on to promote him in other parts of the country.
27:09I don't know who's funding it.
27:10I don't know from where this whole thing originates,
27:13but clearly hundreds of influencers at the same time,
27:18putting out a lot of fake news and promoting an individual.
27:21I refuse to believe it's happening organically or it's happening by itself.
27:26So,
27:26clearly something is going on.
27:28So,
27:28you think it's manufactured,
27:30sir,
27:30because,
27:31you know,
27:31also there's a lot of traction.
27:32And so,
27:33when there's traction,
27:34people tend to fall into that,
27:35use it to go ahead and boost their own numbers.
27:37And that's why they'll constantly post about Vijay Talapati,
27:41as they call him.
27:42Yeah.
27:42Yeah.
27:43So,
27:43I think that definitely this is not organic.
27:47This is sort of manufactured to some extent.
27:50Now,
27:50to what extent is it manufactured?
27:52That I do not know.
27:53We'll have to wait and see.
27:54But this Northeast thing,
27:57I don't think it's just the religion part.
28:00Religion may have a role to play in his popularity in the Northeast.
28:04But mind you,
28:05Akshita,
28:06for his popularity,
28:08he's basically a star of the South of Tamil Nadu,
28:10to some extent Kerala,
28:12and,
28:12you know,
28:12marginally in Andhra Pradesh and to some parts of Telugana.
28:17So,
28:17for such a star,
28:19to poll a higher percentage in the Northeast than in the South,
28:23it makes zero sense at all.
28:24So,
28:25the only possibility is that this campaign may have been more successful in Northeast and state,
28:32maybe a larger proportion of Gen Z participated in those states or so on.
28:37But I don't think it's only the religious factor.
28:40Religion,
28:40yes,
28:41there is some extent the religion factor has to be kept into account.
28:45But,
28:46first of all,
28:47he's totally unproven Akshita.
28:50And most of those reels are spreading fake news.
28:54You know,
28:54that is what is of concern.
28:56They're not spreading factual information about what he has done.
29:00So,
29:01I think that,
29:02yeah,
29:02go ahead.
29:03I agree.
29:03I agree that I've seen a lot of these fake news reels,
29:06but it's also beyond that,
29:07isn't it?
29:08The fact that,
29:08you know,
29:08you have a superstar turned CM,
29:10I think that itself has garnered a lot of attention,
29:13curiosity,
29:14which perhaps is turning into this kind of support,
29:17where people say,
29:18look,
29:18let's see what he's going to do.
29:20Let's take a chance.
29:21Let's give him an opportunity,
29:22which is what we saw,
29:23play out in Tamil Nadu,
29:2410x,
29:25of course,
29:25of this particular sentiment.
29:27Mr. Rangaraj Pandey is also with us.
29:29Mr. Rangaraj Pandey,
29:31for the last few weeks,
29:32we've been seeing this campaign in Tamil Nadu itself,
29:35saying,
29:35Vijay for PM.
29:36Ministers have said it,
29:37TVK leaders have said it,
29:38posters have been put up today.
29:40And that's what leads to questions about whether it's all being put together for 2029, sir.
29:47According to my understanding,
29:49Mr.
29:49Desmukh's,
29:50he voters' outcome might be about the popularity of the candidates,
29:55not might be of the,
29:57whether they can win the 2029 election.
29:59We understand that Vijay is most popular star,
30:02without any doubt.
30:03And he is not going to eat the BJP vote at the cost of PM Narendra Modi,
30:08but he's going to eat the vote of Congress Party,
30:12which was already tried and literally challenged by Amatmi Party,
30:17as well as CJP.
30:18So might be the third of our forces,
30:21which were trying by communist parties,
30:25the left parties,
30:26then later AAP,
30:27now CJP.
30:28People may think that AAP is not working,
30:31CJP is not going to work.
30:32So let us try with Mr. Vijay.
30:34That might be the only reason.
30:35I see this as a popular one,
30:37that he's getting the third position,
30:38not that he can become a prime minister.
30:41And as everyone surprised by the Northeast votes,
30:45share of Mr. Vijay,
30:46I probably doubt that
30:48this might be the vote of Northeast people working in Tamil Nadu.
30:54It's region twice in the sense,
30:56sir, the survey happened in that region also.
30:59Yeah, it might be.
31:00So Northeast people are working hugely in Tamil Nadu,
31:02so they also might be influenced.
31:04And I see the similarity,
31:05only one thing that
31:06only after the election season,
31:09Mr. Vijay promoted himself,
31:11projected himself as Joseph Vijay.
31:13So I have to strongly buy the fact
31:17that the Christian link
31:18between the Northeast and the candidate,
31:21that might be the single point of a thing
31:23that which promoted him
31:24because people are already tried and tired
31:26with Mr. Rahul Gandhi
31:27and tried and tired with Arvin Kejirwal
31:30and they have not at all tried with Abhijit Divya.
31:32So this name,
31:33like from a film background,
31:35might be very interesting.
31:36And we have to check
31:38if the Northeast is giving a highest number
31:41than South India,
31:43South India includes Tamil Nadu also.
31:45That doesn't mean
31:46in Tamil Nadu,
31:48Mr. Vijay is losing his popularity.
31:50If you decode this one into state-wise,
31:53Mr. Modi and Mr. Vijay
31:55might be in equal position in Tamil Nadu.
31:57But here I am seeing that
31:59Mr. Vijay is declining
32:01in Tamil Nadu,
32:03in South India than Northeast.
32:04So this may give you a projection
32:07that Vijay is...
32:07I mean, Yashwant,
32:09you want to take that?
32:10I will come to him later.
32:11I will come finish it quickly.
32:13So it may give you a projection
32:15that Vijay is growing beyond Tamil Nadu.
32:18But we have to understand
32:19whether he is losing the ground in Tamil Nadu.
32:21Okay, fair enough.
32:22Yashwant, do you want to answer that?
32:24No, no, no.
32:24Just pointing out that
32:26Mr. Vijay happens to be the second phenomenon
32:28and Mr. Kaushik Dekha knows that.
32:32Sumant has been discussing that
32:33on the screen as well.
32:35Yogi Adityanath also happens to be
32:37the one politician
32:38who is more popular
32:39outside his state
32:39than his own state.
32:40That happens.
32:42Because sometimes,
32:43sometimes the phenomenas
32:44become phenomena.
32:46You know, sometimes...
32:47Because you remember
32:49the day the counting got over,
32:52I guess the biggest headline
32:54would have been West Bengal,
32:56but Vijay got the similar headline
32:57everywhere across India.
32:59You know, as a phenomenon,
33:01whether how it is happening,
33:02how it is digging through,
33:04you know,
33:04so sometimes we surprise ourselves.
33:06Sometimes we see things coming up
33:08and this is the age of social media
33:10where people capture imagination
33:13by one single reel,
33:14one single act,
33:15and Vijay has won a state.
33:16I think what has happened here
33:18is that India has been
33:20a ground of always looking
33:24for that third angle somewhere.
33:26You know, it has been.
33:28For a long time,
33:29that third angle was absent
33:31in the name of Aam Admi Party.
33:33It got up short to fame.
33:35Imagine,
33:37Arvind Kejriwal was the
33:38chief minister of Delhi
33:39which controls only
33:40seven Lok Sabha seat.
33:41Yet,
33:42he always managed to have
33:44ten times more popularity
33:46than the chief minister of Tamil Nadu
33:48at that point of time.
33:51You know,
33:51be it Aam Admi,
33:52be it Stalin.
33:54Because Aam Admi's presence was
33:56in Gujarat,
33:58in Goa,
33:59in Punjab,
34:00in all other
34:01North Indian states also,
34:02their presence were there.
34:04It wasn't that big.
34:06You see,
34:07what happens is that
34:08you punch way above your weight
34:10when your perception
34:12goes beyond a thing.
34:13You punch way above your state.
34:14The question is,
34:15the question we should be asking
34:17or raising is,
34:18is this sustainable?
34:21Yeah.
34:21Or is it the honeymoon period
34:23of the social media campaign?
34:24Is it sustainable?
34:26If a person like
34:27Arvind Kejriwal,
34:29who at one point of time,
34:30let me just complete this point.
34:32Sir, just show them.
34:33Mr. Pandey, one second.
34:34Let me just complete this point
34:36because I have to go
34:36for another recording.
34:37Please, please, yes.
34:37If a person of a caliber
34:39of Arvind Kejriwal,
34:41whose national rating
34:42were at one point of time,
34:44almost at par with Rahul Gandhi.
34:47Kaushik, you remember that,
34:48I mean,
34:48this was right after,
34:51I think,
34:51Punjab assembly election
34:53got over.
34:54His number,
34:55and if they went up
34:56and then it crashed down
34:58to one percent,
34:59then it's also a question,
35:01how long is it sustainable?
35:04Are people going to look at it
35:06tennis-tardom
35:07or are at some point of time,
35:09people are going to weigh up
35:10what exactly is being delivered
35:12on the ground in Tamil Nadu?
35:14That is something.
35:15How much would be of the campaign?
35:17How much would be
35:18the actual performance?
35:19He has just entered.
35:21He has become a,
35:22he was a phenomenon
35:23on the screen.
35:25He has become a phenomenon
35:27on the political side.
35:29Let's just wait and watch.
35:30Let's just wait and watch.
35:33That is what I was saying.
35:34You're right in saying
35:35it's a honeymoon period right now.
35:36There's no doubt about that.
35:38That is what I was saying.
35:39That Mr. Vijay may eat
35:42Rahul Gandhi's food.
35:43As I already said,
35:45the people were trying
35:46to find out some good alternative.
35:48We've done that comparison.
35:49If you look at our numbers
35:50from January 2026 to now,
35:52off the Mood of the Nation survey,
35:55you actually see
35:56that the Prime Minister's
35:58number has come down
35:59at the cost of Vijay going up.
36:01So essentially,
36:02their anti-incumbency
36:02alternative narrative,
36:04which would have otherwise
36:04gone to Rahul Gandhi,
36:05has gone now to Vijay.
36:08So that is a comparison
36:09that gives you a sense
36:10of what's happening.
36:10Final question, Kaushik.
36:11Since you spoke about
36:13the popularity of Vijay
36:14in the Northeast,
36:16everyone's asking,
36:16is this something
36:17that will hold?
36:18So let's create
36:19a hypothetical situation here
36:20and indulge me for a moment.
36:22If Vijay were to,
36:23let's say,
36:23contest elections
36:24in the Northeast,
36:25would he succeed?
36:28There are local leaders
36:30in the Northeast.
36:31So if there is
36:32a prime ministerial candidate
36:33and if there is a candidate
36:35from the Northeast,
36:36then Vijay would not succeed
36:37because there could be
36:38Konrad Sangma,
36:39there could be
36:40Dr. Himanta Vishwa Sarma.
36:41So you have local leaders
36:43over there.
36:44But if Vijay is the option
36:45and Rahul Gandhi
36:46and Narendra Modi
36:48are the options,
36:49then maybe,
36:51maybe.
36:51And the situation
36:52is like this.
36:53Six months later,
36:54what happens,
36:55we don't know.
36:55So I'm assuming
36:56you are asking me
36:57in today's context.
36:58Yes.
36:59Yes, he will have
37:00a great support over there
37:01because he's fresh.
37:03He's much like them,
37:05many of them.
37:06So I think he has
37:08a fair chance
37:08provided election
37:10happens today.
37:11And let's not discount
37:13Prime Minister Narendra Modi
37:15is still very popular
37:16in Northeast also.
37:18It's not that
37:18Mr. Modi has lost
37:20all his popularity.
37:22Of course.
37:22So I see
37:24it will be a fight
37:25between Mr. Rahul Gandhi
37:27and Vijay
37:27who captures
37:28the second highest position.
37:30Okay.
37:31So I mean,
37:31a lot of ifs and buts.
37:33You know,
37:33if it happens today,
37:34if the situation
37:35is as it is,
37:36if you see the same players,
37:38only then
37:39could you perhaps
37:40see Vijay
37:40really making inroads.
37:42But 2029
37:42is a far, far way off.
37:44A lot will change
37:45by then.
37:46This is like
37:47Yashwan Deshmukh put it,
37:48the honeymoon period
37:49for Vijay.
37:50There's curiosity,
37:51there's social media
37:53traction,
37:53here's a superstar
37:54turned chief minister
37:55and so the entire country
37:57right now
37:57is talking about him.
37:58Six months,
37:59one month down the line,
38:00you don't really know.
38:01One misstep
38:02and maybe the country
38:03could be talking about you
38:04for completely different reasons.
38:05But thank you very much
38:06Mr. Sumansi Raman,
38:07Mr. Rangaraj Pandey,
38:08Kaushik Dekar
38:09and Yashwan Deshmukh
38:10for taking the time out
38:11and joining us
38:11on this broadcast.
38:13Remember,
38:13like I said,
38:14that we've seen
38:14a lot of leaders,
38:16TVK leaders
38:17making comments
38:18about Vijay
38:19for Prime Minister,
38:20a string of
38:20Tamil Nadu ministers
38:21in particular,
38:22Adhavarjuna,
38:23Sengotian,
38:24Murray Wilson,
38:24they were all
38:25openly rooted
38:26for Chief Minister Vijay
38:27to be the next
38:28Prime Minister
38:29of the country.
38:30This has been going on
38:31for the last few weeks.
38:38Joseph Vijay
38:39has been the
38:40Chief Minister
38:40of Tamil Nadu
38:41for just more
38:42than three months.
38:43But already,
38:44the chorus for Vijay
38:45as Prime Minister
38:46phase is growing
38:47within his party.
38:48And the Prime Minister
38:49will emerge
38:50from the south,
38:51the Tamil Nadu
38:52Vetri Karagam.
38:53Many of his ministers
38:55openly rooting for him
38:56to be the Prime Minister
38:57of the country.
38:59His trusted
39:00Lieutenant and Minister
39:02Adhavarjuna
39:02speaking at the
39:04India Today roundtable
39:05pitched the idea
39:06of a future
39:07Prime Minister
39:08emerging from the south.
39:10And I say
39:12this clearly today,
39:15a Prime Minister
39:16must emerge
39:17from the south
39:19and the Prime Minister
39:20will emerge
39:21from the south,
39:22maybe not now,
39:25in future.
39:28He will represent
39:29every Indian
39:30and will treat
39:32every Indian equality.
39:35Soon,
39:36many more ministers
39:36started projecting
39:38Vijay
39:38for Prime Minister.
39:39coming up
39:55from the south.
39:55He is
39:56He is
39:56about it.
39:57He is
39:57about it.
39:59He is
39:59about it.
40:01He is
40:01about it.
40:04Thank you very much.
40:36Vijay's ally, Congress, however, is not taking kindly to the suggestion.
41:06Will Vijay for Prime Minister pitch remain a non-starter, or does the former superstar
41:12seriously harbour ambitions of becoming the Prime Minister?
41:16If it does, then Vijay's alliance itself with the Congress could come under threat.
41:21You will report India Today.
41:51Now, if, in fact, these are the numbers for Adhapradesh, in 2024, the looks by elections,
41:58the NDA managed to win 21 of the 25 seats.
42:02In the Mood of the Nations survey of January that we conducted, that number went up to 24.
42:08Now it's down to 20.
42:09But here's what's interesting.
42:11If I, and I went through the data in detail, it's actually the BJP that's fallen from 3
42:16to 1 versus the NDA allies, TDP and Janasena, from 18 move up to 19.
42:21So they're holding their own.
42:22The reason Andhra has fallen is because of the BJP for the NDA.
42:27Okay, let's talk about Telangana now, where, in fact, in 2024, you had, in fact, the India
42:34bloc, which is the Congress and others at 8, the NDA at 8 with BJP and the others.
42:40The MOTN Mood of the Nations survey numbers of January 2026 projected that the BJP would
42:45be on the rise, go up to 10, and that Congress on the decline to 6.
42:49August 2026, it's not good news for the India bloc, for the Congress, down to 4 versus
42:54the NDA at 9.
42:56So this shows, essentially, then Telangana, it's good news for the BJP, they're on the
43:01rise versus the Congress, which is falling, in fact.
43:06Let's take a look at Tamil Nadu.
43:07And here, it gets a little interesting.
43:09The NDA is at 0 in the elections.
43:12According to our Mood of the Nations survey, they could have gained maybe 1 back to 0 as
43:16per our projections.
43:17Now, the India bloc of the 39 seats in 2024 swept all of it, 38 as per the Mood of
43:24the
43:24Nations survey in January, but now 28, down, in fact, by 11.
43:29Why is that?
43:30The question is about TVKM, whether that's the impact of the Tamiragavetri Karagam, because
43:34at this point, the India bloc, remember, had the DMK also on board.
43:39Let's take a look at Keralam.
43:4020 seats up for grabs in Keralam.
43:42We just had an election.
43:43So what does that mean?
43:45It means that the Congress is holding its ground.
43:47At 19, the India bloc was, in fact, that was the result it got in 2024 of the 20 seats.
43:54And now, if elections were held in Keralam, it would be pretty much the same result of
43:5819 to the India bloc and one to the NDA.
44:00That one is the BJP.
44:03Karnataka, 28 seats.
44:04What would it look like if elections are held today?
44:06That the NDA would be on top.
44:08Again, status quo of 2024 looks about elections.
44:12The NDA at 19, now too, would be at 19.
44:15The India bloc, which is the Congress, would be at 9 and 9 if elections were held today.
44:20So in January, that picture was very, very different.
44:22Now, you see it coming back to what the 2024 election results look like.
44:27So that was a quick run of what the Southern States Mode of the Nation survey looks like
44:32if elections were held.
44:33Those were the numbers that would hold today, in 2026 August.
44:43Let's get your breaking news coming in right now.
44:46In a big, big fallout of the alleged Valmiki scam in Karnataka,
44:51Minister B. Nagendra has announced his resignation.
44:54Getting rather emotional, Nagendra has confirmed that he is resigning as a minister.
45:01He's continued to maintain that he's completely innocent.
45:04He's being targeted, according to him, because he's a Dalit.
45:07So saying that he's innocent in the Valmiki scam, but amid pressure from the opposition,
45:13B. Nagendra has decided that he is resigning.
45:16This is the moment when he made that announcement, where he broke down, getting rather emotional.
45:21Let's, in fact, give you a sense of exactly what happened when Nagendra had, in fact,
45:28made the announcement that he is going to resign.
45:31Before, in fact, we get to that entire sequence, let's take a look at exactly what D.K. Shivkumar,
45:39Karnataka Chief Minister, had said on Nagendra, on the allegations against him in the Valmiki
45:43scam at the India Today roundtable a couple of days ago.
45:47Even on Nagendra case, I was, I myself, Sridharamaya, we both spoke and we took his resignation.
45:54Last two years, he was out of the cabinet.
45:56We discussed, we came to a conclusion, we got a report from our officer's department that
46:03he was not been involved anywhere.
46:05That is why we included him in the cabinet.
46:09Since after, almost B report was almost signing, then Delhi wanted to do some politics, EDs,
46:16Ebay all entered.
46:18They could not find even a single rupee in his house or any account was not been there.
46:22But my own state government information, whatever the police department inquired and they would
46:29reserve, collected whatever the money is there, 95 percent already they have been collected
46:33from the different sources.
46:35It was not Nagendra who did it.
46:37But still, Nagendra is a disciplined source of the party.
46:40In the interest of the party, whatever the party dare, she would do.
46:43But we don't want to unnecessarily fall into the trap of these BJP guys.
47:13And we also want to get into the political pressure.
47:15Well absolutely, it was a decision of the high command.
47:19Remember just one day back, D.K.
47:21Shiv Kumar, the Chief Minister and Rahul Gandhi and Malikarjun Kargi and Sir Randeep Sujewala
47:25had a closed-door meeting.
47:27And this topic was touched upon, is what we are told.
47:31And this came at a time when, because BJP was doing Padhi Yatra on September 1st,
47:43because September 1st to September 14th, they had announced two weeks of complete Padhi Yatra,
47:48starting from Raichu District, where a lot of scheduled tribe constituencies are there.
47:53And that's the reason why the Congress Party took a decision that they should not give a chance
47:58for the BJP's Padhi Yatra to happen and ensure that the resignation is taken from Minister Raghindra.
48:03Naghindra has second time resigned as a minister in this specific government.
48:07After the first year of his tenure as the minister, he immediately resigned.
48:11He was arrested by the ED back then, is now out on bail, re-inducted in the cabinet.
48:15And in a month or so after the re-induction, the High Command has taken a call that Naghindra will
48:21have to resign
48:22to ensure that the party is not put through the embarrassment,
48:24because BJP and JDS together had announced a Padhi Yatra starting from September 1st,
48:30from Raichu to Ballari, where that would also impact the party's image ahead of the 2028 elections.
48:36Just 18 months left for the next elections.
48:38So the Congress Party felt that it is now necessary to ensure certain strict actions to be taken,
48:43and now they've sought his resignation.
48:45Minister Naghindra has announced, and he would be giving the official resignation letter,
48:49volunteer letter, to the Chief Minister any moment from now.
48:52Now, what's interesting, however, Naghindra, is that this is clearly out of political pressure.
48:56You know, constantly, and even a couple of days ago, when we hosted the Chief Minister
49:00at the India Today Roundtable, he highlighted exactly what Naghindra has said in that press conference,
49:05that there's no evidence of the allegations against him.
49:08So the assumption always was that the Congress would back him to the hilt,
49:12and that there would be no question of buckling to the BJP's demand here.
49:17Absolutely, but you also remember, the moment after the session of Chief Minister,
49:21we had Leader of Opposition, R. Ashok, he said that no matter what, we will seek this resignation,
49:25and he was quite confident that resignation would happen, because of the pressure that was mounting on him.
49:31Naghindra once again has spoken about his, you know, his interference or not interference in this whole scam.
49:37He said he's been targeted only because he's in Adivasi, he's in Dalit.
49:39He's never signed on any paper in this scam, neither has he given verbal instructions.
49:45There's no evidence against him.
49:47In fact, he went on to say that the probing agencies added his name in the charge sheet in the
49:52final moments,
49:52and that's the reason he's being targeted by the BJP.
49:55He also challenged the BJP, saying he's willing to resign as an MLA, not just as a minister.
49:59He's questioning the BJP, saying, let me fight you in the field, in the electoral field.
50:04I will resign as an MLA also, if you need this, let's both fight BJP and me together.
50:09We can see who will win the Ballari election, if need be, is what Naghindra has said.
50:14But he also broke down during the course of the press conference, also saying,
50:19it's quite an emotional moment, because this is the second time he's designing in the last three years.
50:24It has never happened in the history of Karnataka politics.
50:26There's a mantri re-inducted once again, as told to design from the party high command.
50:31So, if the team, Congress high command had decided much better,
50:35this episode of embarrassment for Naghindra and the party could have been saved.
50:40Okay, Nagarjun, thanks very much for getting us all of those details.
50:44So, like Naga pointed out, here's a minister who's had to resign the second time in three years,
50:49again, over these kind of allegations.
50:51But it's also because the BJP has constantly raised this particular issue.
50:55And let's listen in to what Arashoka, who's the leader of opposition in the Karnataka Assembly,
51:00had to say on the issue of the Valmiki scam and the allegations against Naghindra.
51:04Making it clear they won't back off.
51:26This is my question.
51:29People asking the question to the CM.
51:46In fact, what Mr. Arashoka is saying for our audience across the country is that
51:52Siddharama in the first cabinet, when he became the chief minister, dropped Naghindra.
51:55What is the reason that he was dropped and now why is he re-inducted?
51:59Naghindra, when DK Shukam became the chief minister, he became one of the cabinet mantris.
52:03And that's the reason why the LOP is asking a question,
52:06what was the reason to drop him first and what is the reason to be re-inducted into the cabinet?
52:12Sir, Rajanamai Kodala Anteelitra, Mundin Nadeen Sir.
52:16Kodala Anteelitra Bido Prashnanayla.
52:18The only one agenda, corrupt, looted, Dalitra Mountainna loot madhidra, S.E.A.N.A. na loot madhidra.
52:26We never leave.
52:28I am telling.
52:29So you will take it to a logical conclusion.
52:32India today, India today debate alay, I am participating.
52:35Hundred percent, we never leave.
52:39Only after resignation only, next assembly also run.
52:44Otherwise, there is no assembly.
52:46We fight for the justice, return back to all our S.E. amount, return back to our treasury.
52:55That is the agenda.
52:56We never leave.
52:58We fight.
53:00End.
53:01In fact, Ega, just Bandira Sudhyanana, Naghindra has sent a press statement saying that
53:05I will not resign.
53:07Whatever rumors that you are hearing about my resignation should not be believed.
53:10I will not resign.
53:11A message just half an hour before to all the media is issued a statement.
53:14We are not.
53:17Alright, so you have heard there from the BJP.
53:20The Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shiv Kumar chose to defend Naghindra.
53:23But ultimately, the high command has ensured he has had to resign.
53:26And the minister here will be now meeting with Chief Minister D.K. Shiv Kumar
53:30and handing over his resignation.
53:32Very, very clearly, the Congress high command has said they cannot afford any graft allegations,
53:38especially with elections just about one and a half years away.
53:42And D.K. Shiv Kumar already dealing with all of these allegations in his own government.
53:48So we'll track the latest that comes out of that particular story and much, much more.
53:52That's all we have time for in this edition of Super 6.
53:54Thanks very much for tuning in.
53:56I'll see you same time.
53:57Mom.