News Broadcasting
Finance Minister P Chidambaram voted Mantri No. 1 in IBN 7
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MUMBAI: Manmohan Singh led UPA government having completed half of its five-year tenure was indeed a noteworthy landmark. With the UPA government crossing the 30-month halfway mark of its tenure, IBN 7, CNN-IBN and ibnlive.com invited their viewers to vote for their favourite minister on ‘Mantri No.1’. The results for the online poll are out and India’s Finance Minister P Chidambaram is voted ‘Mantri No. 1’ of the Cabinet. Viewers were invited to vote on www.ibnlive.com for their favorite ministers on the basis of their performance during this tenure. The online poll received an overwhelming response of over twenty thousand votes from across the country. The performance-based results rated the Union Finance Minister highest on the performance scale and picked him as the favourite among the 33 ministers in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad ended up as the second best choice, but Chidambaram led the race by a very comfortable margin. The voters picked Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran as their third choice while External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee made it to the fourth slot. Commerce and Industries Minister Kamal Nath finished fifth. Kamal Nath narrowly beat his Cabinet colleague and Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal, who ended up on the sixth slot.  “The online poll conducted tries to ascertain the opinion of our viewers on the performance of their leaders. We strongly believe that the citizens of the country have the right to judge the performance of the decision makers. I am glad that viewers have appreciated our initiative and have voted generously.” said Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN and IBN 7. Our aim is to try and ascertain the opinions of our viewers on issues that are of national interest. Mantri No I is a valuable barometer to gauge the public mood. We are glad that our efforts have been duly appreciated and acknowledged by the viewers” added, Ashutosh, Managing Editor,IBN 7. Some other ministers who featured in the survey were Kapil Sibal, Prem Chand Gupta, Ambika Soni, Kamal Nath, S Jaipal Reddy, Sharad Pawar, Ram Vilas Paswan etc. |
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.
