News Broadcasting
Bihar call as India News Manch 2025 puts politics centre stage in Patna
MUMBAI: When Bihar speaks, India listens and this September, the microphone will be turned up to full volume. India News Manch 2025, the flagship political conclave from Itv Network’s India News, is set to storm into Patna’s Hotel Maurya on 12 September 2025, bringing together the who’s who of Indian politics just months ahead of the state’s high-stakes election.
Now in its legacy-making run, the Manch has built a reputation as one of the nation’s most influential forums. This year’s edition is particularly charged, with Bihar’s verdict expected to ripple far beyond its borders, shaping alliances, governance strategies and even the national democratic roadmap.
The conclave will see a powerhouse line-up of more than 20 leaders, including deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, BJP stalwarts Ravi Shankar Prasad and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Congress MPs Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Rajesh Ram, RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, VIP’s Mukesh Sahani, Jansuraaj’s Prashant Kishor, RLM’s Upendra Kushwaha, and LJPR MP Shambhavi Choudhary. From Pappu Yadav to Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, the conclave ensures every major party and ideology has a voice on stage.
Beyond the political star power, the agenda is just as weighty: governance, economy, youth aspirations, equity, policy reform, and India’s global standing. With Patna as its stage, the forum will drill into how Bihar’s decisions could once again alter the balance of power across India.
“The future of Bihar is inseparable from the future of India,” said India News managing editor for Input Rakesh Singh. “This Manch will bring those voices to the national stage.” Echoing him, ITV Foundation founder Aishwarya Pandit Sharma noted: “By putting leaders and citizens on one platform, we bridge the gap between governance and grassroots voices.”
As anticipation builds, one thing is clear: this isn’t just another conclave. With Bihar at the crossroads of history, India News Manch 2025 promises fireworks, frank talk, and a front-row seat to democracy in action.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
