Pradeep Bhandari | |
|---|---|
| National SpokespersonBharatiya Janata Party | |
| Assumed office 23 July 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Education | Manipal Institute of Technology |
| Occupation |
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Pradeep Bhandari is an Indian BJP journalist, politician,[1] news anchor and psephologist,[2] He was thenews director ofIndia News channel ofITV Network.[3] Earlier, he worked as the consulting editor ofRepublic Bharat TV.[1] He is the founder and editor-in-chief ofJan Ki Baat, a digital media platform.[3] On 10 March, 2024 Bhandari joined as consulting editor forZee News.[4]
He is currently serving as theNational Spokesperson of theBharatiya Janata Party.[5]
He completed his bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering, fromManipal Institute of Technology in 2012.[6]
In August 2022, he was appointed as the news director ofIndia News, aHindi news channel under theITV Network. He foundedJan Ki Baat, a digital media company known for predicting elections through opinion and exit polls.[7] He has made predictions for over 39 Indian elections.[3][8][9]
OnIndia news, Pradeep Bhandari hosts a prime-time show called "Janta Ka Mukadama," which airs 60 minutes a day, at 8 pm weekdays.[2][3]
He gained prominence in 2020 for his reporting on theSushant Singh Rajput'sdeath case and was noted for his unusual reporting style.[1]
Bhandari worked as the consulting editor atRepublic Media Network, before resigning in February 2021.[10] He hosted a popular show, "Lalkaar," on Republic TV.[11] Later, Bhandari joinedZee News asconsulting editor. He resigned from Zee amid rumours of a ban on his live coverage ofPM Modi,Yogi Adityanath andHM Amit Shah.
He has also taught at Pink Flower Public School and served as the Youth Wing Co-ordinator of the Thalassemia and Child Welfare Group NGO.[10]
In July 2024,BJP national presidentJ.P. Nadda appointed Bhandari as a national spokesperson of the party.[12]
In September 2020, Bhandari then worked as a consulting editor withRepublic TV, was attacked by journalists associated withNDTV andABP News outside theNarcotics Control Bureau office inMumbai during coverage of the drug probe involvingDeepika Padukone,Sara Ali Khan andRakul Preet Singh.[13] A video of the attack went viral on social media[citation needed] in which Pradeep Bhandari was seen being pushed by a man who also attempted to slap him. The incident took place in front of aMumbai Police team who were trying to intervene. The cause of the confrontation remains unclear as per the report ofIndian Express.[14] However, according toNewslaundry, the altercation was allegedly triggered by Bhandari's provocative comments towards other journalists and his intrusion into another journalist's camera frame.[1] Later in a tweet, he called the journalists who attacked him "goons" and alleged that the individuals were "frustrated" with his coverage of the drug case being investigated by theNCB.[14]
In October 2020, Bhandari was named in a civil suit filed in theDelhi High Court by 38 production houses and film bodies. The suit alleged that Bhandari, along withArnab Goswami and other journalists fromRepublic TV andTimes Now, made "derogatory" remarks against theHindi film industry.[15][16]
In October 2020,Republic TV reported its editor Pradeep Bhandari, was illegally detained by theMumbai Police at theKhar Police Station despite being granted anticipatory bail by a Mumbai session court.[17] Mumbai Police sources denied the allegation and stated that Bhandari was only being questioned in connection with a complaint filed against him for disobedience to an order by a public servant, assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from carrying out his duty and violating the Bombay Police Act.[18]
In February 2023, theIndian National Congress'sTripura in-chargeAjoy Kumar filed a police complaint against Pradeep Bhandari, for predicting a victory for theBharatiya Janata Party, accusing him of violating the Model Code of Conduct.[19][20]
In October 2021, an article published onNewslaundry, written by Akhauri Avtans Chitransh criticized the reporting style of Pradeep Bhandari. The article claimed that he uses colloquial language and profanity in his reporting on television.[21] According to another source cited byNewslaundry, Bhandari's reporting style has been characterized as "provocative".[1]