News Broadcasting
Deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash
MUMBA: Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday morning when the chartered aircraft he was travelling in crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Baramati airport in Pune district.
The Bombardier Learjet 45, which had been chartered from Mumbai, came down during the landing attempt. Pawar lost his life in the impact, along with both pilots and two of his security personnel who were on board.
Pawar had been flying to Baramati to speak at a series of public meetings ahead of the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections when the plane went down. The entire aircraft was destroyed, leaving charred wreckage strewn across the runway and thick smoke rising from the crash site.
Initial footage from the scene showed a massive blaze and debris scattered over a wide area, with emergency services rushing to contain the fire and begin search operations.
The sudden death of Ajit Pawar, a towering figure in Maharashtra politics, has sent shockwaves through the state, with leaders and residents alike reacting to the tragedy. Investigations are under way to establish the precise cause of the accident, even as authorities work to recover the remains of those who perished.
A routine flight turned catastrophic within minutes, marking a tragic end to a campaign journey and a grim morning for Maharashtra.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
