The animal (cow) has managed to top over other high-profile contenders in Yahoo’s list of 2015 Year in Review (YIR) for India.
Yahoo has awarded Cow as its personality of the year.
Reasons: why “cow” is most searched in India.
- According to Yahoo India, the announcement of beef ban in Maharashtra, led to massive debates and arguments.
- The Beef Controversy was fuelled further by Dadri lynching and Award Wapsi campaign, and the cow soon became the icon of discussions on intolerance.
Other top searched events in 2015
- Personalities: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal were among the top newsmakers of 2015.
- Events: The rise of ISIS, 2015 World Cup, APJ Abdul Kalam’s demise, the Sheena Bora Murder investigation and the Vyapam Scandal featured on the list of Most searched news / events
- Political person: Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained the Most Searched Politician in 2015 too.
- Barack Obama’s India visit, AAP’s landslide victory in the Delhi elections, Lalitgate and Bihar’s Mahagatbandhan were among the top Political Moments of the Year.
- Sunny Leone fetched the top position as the Most Searched Female Celebrity for the fourth year in a row.
- Among the male celebrities, Salman Khan claimed the top spot, while singer-rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh came in second.
The review is based on users’ daily search habits and a selection of what they read, recommended and shared most on Yahoo.