The 2016 poll season ended on Thursday with as much excitement as it began. The Bharatiya Janata Party swept Assam in a historic win, the incumbents in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal survived another day, the Left returned to power in Kerala, and the Congress lies in rubble.
Television punditry began early morning as trends poured in from the five election states. Every data point was analysed by talking heads and every constituency was dissected to hypothesise on the performance of candidates and parties.
True to form, social media had no patience for nuance. Though the Election Commission site was still showing early leads, subject to updates later, social media was drowning in noise and jumping to conclusions. However, the day belonged to Twitter wits and jokesters, who used the gift-wrapped opportunity to create an avalanche of humour.
Here is a selection of gags:As J Jayalalithaa took her throne for another five-year term, some expressed hope that the pre-election push on alcohol prohibition in Tamil Nadu will slow down.