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Aaj Tak’s Arup Gopikrishna joins Zee as AVP distribution Zee Cinema, Zee Music
MUMBAI: And the brain drain continues. Aaj Tak’s West zone distribution head Arup Gopikrishna has called it quits as of 2 June. He will be joining Zee as the Zee Cinema and Zee Music assistant vice president- distribution.
Interestingly, he will report to Zee Cinema and Zee Music business head and director special projects Yogesh Radhakrishnan and not anyone in Zee-Turner, the company that manages the distribution of all the channels in the Zee bouquet.
Confirming the new appointment Radhakrishnan said, “We are very optimistic about Gopikrishna. He will be overseeing the national distribution for both Zee Cinema as well as Zee Music.”
During his stint at Aaj Tak, Gopikrishna was a part of the core team that worked to bring about visibility for the channel in Mumbai. “It has been a very productive stint at Aaj Tak. When I started working with Aaj Tak, the channel had almost nil visibility in Mumbai. Not being a part of any carriage deal was really hampering us. With the help of some aggressive marketing and some personal contacts with the cable fraternity, we managed to get the channel on several cable platforms. And it has been the number one channel ever since,” he said.
When queried about his priorities at Zee, Gopikrishna volunteered, “My first priority at Zee is to work on the visibility of Zee Music. The channel, despite good content, has been suffering because it is not as widely available as MTV. I will be involved in establishing relationships with the cable ops and working out better deals for the channel. Zee Cinema, on the other hand, is already a number one cinema channel. So our aim will be to keep it firmly established at the same position.”
Gopikrishna started his career as a cable operator in 1991. He established Win Cable operations in Bandra with Bharat Hirwani. Later he joined the now defunct Technology Media Group (TMG) and was immediately picked up by Aaj Tak for its distribution department. At Aaj Tak, he reported to the distribution head, Amitabh Srivastava.
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UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
