News Broadcasting
CNN-IBN gears for election result coverage
MUMBAI: The polling for the nine phase elections is over, and now as the country awaits the results of the 2014 general elections, CNN-IBN and IBN7 are gearing for the most comprehensive coverage of the election results. The network has created 100 hours of programming for this election season.
While CNN-IBN is telecasting A Billion Votes, IBN7 has launched a post poll survey show called Mera Vote Meri Sarkar. The two will be a five day long election coverage show, which will culminate in the counting day special programming on 16 May.
Starting 12 May, 5 pm onwards, the two channels will bring the most definitive coverage on the final phase of elections complete with latest exclusives, updates and insightful analyses and the most precise projections as they track the climax of the world’s largest electoral exercise.
According to the network, the center piece of this programming line up will be a nationwide post-poll study conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). Covering 22 states and over 18,050 respondents the survey will include vote share percentages and seat projections and will flesh out in detail the likely post counting day scenarios. The finale of the channel’s elections coverage will happen on 16 May, 6 am onwards.
This special coverage will include up to the minute trends, seat tally, extensive live coverage from across the country and the most incisive analysis of emerging scenarios.
IBN network’s coverage will be driven by the channel’s formidable team of journalists led by CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai along with country’s most notable political experts namely Swapan Dasgupta, Ramachandra Guha, Surjit Bhalla, Manini Chatterjee, Sandeep Shastri, Kumar Ketkar, Dipankar Gupta, T R Ramachandran, Aakar Patel, Sharat Pradhan, Shaibal Gupta, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Sanjaya Baru, Rajeeva Karandikar, Sanjay Kumar, Hilal Ahmed, Ajay Singh, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay and Purushottam Agrawal.
“With the results of the biggest elections of our times around the corner, the entire nation is keeping a close eye on the outcome. IBN Network has been the front runner in election programming. Through our 100 hours of extensive coverage, we look forward to continue our leadership and deliver on the expectations of our viewers of being the most accurate & most trusted network for elections,” said Sardesai.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
