News Broadcasting
Election commission issues diktat on assembly poll coverage
With polls to four states scheduled for next month, the Election Commission has issued a warning to television channels (including national broadcaster Doordarshan) to be impartial in their coverage and not to favour any one individual or political party.
The circular issued by the poll panel reportedly states: “A model code of conduct is established for television to ensure it is not misused but used in the best interest of democracy and the voter.”
DD has been given a circular which states: “It is emphasised that being a public broadcaster all Doordrashan news and programme units should take extra care to ensure fair and balanced coverage of the political activities in the news bulletins and programmes. It should also be ensured that feeds to the New Delhi central newsroom are also fair and balanced.
The EC has instructed DD to ensure “adequate coverage to the Election Commission and the state electoral offices for the preparation of a fair poll.”
Channels have been told to refrain from:
- Coverage of speeches and material inciting communal violence.
- A single candidate in any particular consituency must not be covered. Candidates from all known political outfits contesting in a constituency should be covered.
All producers should also record a copy of their programmes, the EC has said.
The states going to the polls are Punjab (13 February), Manipur (14 February, Uttaranchal (14 February) and Uttar Pradesh (two phases – 14 February & 18 February).
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
