News Broadcasting
BBC, CNN firm up Indian elections coverage plans
MUMBAI: The two major international news organisations BBC and its American counterpart CNN are devoting a considerable amount of time to cover the Indian elections next month. The results will declared on 13 May.
The BBC has anounced that it will have more journalists covering the Indian elections than any other international news organisation. Its correspondents and camera persons will be reporting from across the country and the region on what the elections mean not only for India but for South Asia and the rest of the world.
The BBC South Asia’s Bureau chief Paul Danahar added: “The outcome of the Indian elections will be a story of global importance and we’ll be treating it that way. We plan to bring our special poll coverage across BBC World, BBC World Service and bbcnews.com of India’s election results to more than 500 million people across the globe.”
The BBC coverage will range from minute-by-minute reporting for the Indian audiences listening in Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and English on BBC World Service radio and via online sites bbchindi.com, bbctamil.com, bbcurdu.com, bbcbengali.com and through to the wider international importance of the polls on the BBCs global television news channel BBC World. There will be a huge interactive site on the BBC online news service, bbcnews.com which records 20 million page impressions every day.
On BBC World, BBC World Service radio and BBC News Online South Asia facing site bbcnews.com/southasia the coverage will be led by BBCs India correspondent Sanjeev Srivastava and South Asia correspondents Adam Mynott and Nick Bryant (South Asia Correspondents), with senior journalists joining them from London. BBC World Service radio journalists will be involved in live coverage from across India in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil and Urdu. Specially commissioned reports and in-depth features will examine the political climate before, during and post elections.
BBC World’s show Asia Today will run special India Elections broadcasts. These will feature interviews with key figures, psephologists, election pundits, political commentators and journalists analysing the incoming results and the initiatives of the new government. BBC World news programmes will explore electoral issues in special reports, features and interviews with key personalities throughout the month. There will be special election editions of Question Time India BBC World’s regular panel discussion show that is presented by Dileep Padgaonkar.
CNN’s Delhi bureau chief Satinder Bindra will report on the elections along with his team including Ram Ramgopal and Suhasini Haidar. CNNs’ coverage will focus on some central themes like our thriving outsourcing history, the growing influence of the youth in the electoral process and our search for global power status. CNN will deploy its latest technology called Digital News Gathering. This enables the broadcaster to se up instant live shots.
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
