English news channel Times Now has suspended its election results coverage for 4 states and 1 union territory on May 2 and beyond citing the COVID-19 emergency in the country. Counting for recently held assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will take place on May 2.

Times Now said in a statement, “As the wave keeps climbing, with it claiming more innocent lives, it is clear that there has been serious lapse in leadership at all levels - across the political spectrum. It is unfortunate that our institutions have also failed us leading to the current state of disarray, anguish and all-round panic.”

“TIMES NOW has been vocal against these lapses and we have been raising our voice and asking the difficult questions that we are known for. We have questioned the Kumbh mistake in March 2021 as much as we had highlighted the Tabligi fiasco in May 2020,” it said.

The network has decided to carry flash news updates on the counting and results for those interested in the same.

Explaining their stand on the present crisis, the statement further said, “Our nation faces its biggest health emergency in a century. Each one of us has now experienced the devastation and loss the pandemic has brought home or very close to it.  And there is right indignance amongst citizens at large, that the second wave would have been better controlled had we avoided two of the mega risk events in the last two months – Kumbh Mela and elections in five states in normal campaigning mode. As the wave keeps climbing, with it claiming more innocent lives, it is clear that there has been serious lapse in leadership at all levels – across the political spectrum. It is unfortunate that our institutions have also failed us leading to the current state of disarray, anguish and all-round panic.”

Times Now had conducted exit polls for the recently held elections. In West Bengal, the Times Now-C voter exit poll predicted that Mamata Banerjee might come back to power in West Bengal. However, the polls of the poll forecasted BJP victory in the state. And Times Now’s exit poll in Tamil Nadu predicted the return of DMK-Congress to power while in Kerala it said Pinarayi Vijayan-led government is set to retain power in the state. In Puducherry, on the other hand, the Times Now exit poll prophesied a BJP government coming into power. In Assam too, the BJP is going to emerge as the biggest party and will form a government in the state, the Times Now exit poll predicted.

Image: Times Now