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
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
