News Broadcasting
Channels line up special shows this Republic Day
MUMBAI: This Republic Day too, it is not different. To bring the nation their best mix of patriotism and entertainment, channels are trying everything possible. Lined up across the television space are a slew of special programmes. A look at what channels are doing to celebrate 26 January.
Kiddy channel Cartoon Network’s Megatoon Movie will celebrate Republic Day on 26 January by featuring back-to-back animated movies through the day beginning 9 am. Premiering at 12 pm on the Republic Day will be the movie Quest For Camelot which portrays the glorious deeds of brave knights living in the countryside. The Network will also conduct on-air contest while airing Quest for Camelot. Further, the Network will also air Tom & Jerry – The Movie, the New Scooby Doo Movies and The Batman movies on the Republic Day.
Hungama will telecast children’s Hindi movie Jajantaram Mamantaram on at 5 pm. On the special occasion, the channel will also announce a mega prize for its ongoing Kids Ka Kamaal contest. The luckiest of the lot will win a diamond set by watching the mega movie. Jajantaram Mamantaram famously known as J2M2 has 63 minutes of special effects, which have, been tried for the first time in India, the record for the longest special effects is 67 minutes, this is sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. Directed by Soumitra Ranade, J2M2 is based on the old Gujarati fable ‘ Bakasur’ which tells about a sleeping giant who only gets up to eat small people.
Walt Disneys classic storytelling heritage comes alive on Disney Channel with the telecast of one of worlds best loved animated features The Jungle Book on 26 January at 7 pm. The feature will be telecast as a part of Disney channels daily feature film destination, Disney Channel Movies.
Nick will showcase a special show Jimmy Neutron: Rescue Jet Fusion at 9 am with a repeat at 5 pm. In the show, Jimmy is enlisted as a spy by the Big Top Secret Organization. His mission is to find and rescue Agent X. When Agent X turns out to be Jimmy’s movie hero, Jet Fusion (and a super spy off the big screen as well), Jimmy and Jet team up to save the world from the nefarious Professor Calamitous and his beautiful, gorgeous daughter, Beautiful Gorgeous.
Star’s movie channel Star Gold commemorates the eventful day with a whole week devoted to showing patriotic movies from 24 January to 28 January in the Ek Baje Ek Break (movies with just one break!) slot called, Swades Special. In this special slot, on the Republic Day, the channel will showcase Ajay Devgan – Abhishek Bachchan starrer Zameen.
English movie channel HBO is telecasting Maid in Manhattan at 4:00 pm, Assassins at 6:15 pm and The Glass House at 9 pm.
Sahara One will telecast Amitabh starrer Dev at 8:30 pm on 26 January. Movies from the Zee stable include the patriotic saga LOC at 2 pm on Zee TV and Bombay in Zee Cinema at 7:30 pm.
News Broadcasting
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.
