News Broadcasting
LMIL reverses salary cuts effective 1 September
Mumbai: In a piece of good news for the employees at Living Media India Ltd (LMIL), founder and chairman Aroon Purie has announced the organisation’s decision to reverse the salary cuts imposed last year amid the pandemic.
Apart from the over and above the Ex-Gratia Award given recently, the salary reductions for all the staff will be reversed, effective 1 September 2021, informed Purie in a letter written to the entire staff.
Purie said the reduction of salaries in June 2020, was the “most painful decision” that he had to make in the 46 years he has worked in India Today, which is published by LMIL. “As you know, even before the pandemic, the magazine industry was under severe stress. With the economy contracting, advertising, our primary source of revenue, virtually collapsed, plus distribution was impacted due to corona lockdowns. The only way to survive was to reduce costs,” he wrote.
Purie also thanked his employees for working through the crisis undeterred, and ensuring that the magazine did not miss a single issue, and maintain the quality at the same time.
“You have shown courage, resourcefulness, forbearance and ingenuity. While we are nowhere near pre-COVID levels, or expect to be there in the foreseeable future, we must move on and adjust to a new reality. I have faith in our strong brands, content, our team’s belief in the magazine and our will to succeed,” he wrote.
Purie highlighted that despite the churn in the media landscape, magazine stories have a profound and lasting impact. “Advertisers see that too. I hope more will. The good times will return. They have to. We will all then progress and prosper with our magazines,” he added.
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.
