Times Now Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar quit the channel on Tuesday evening. The development was communicated by the Times Now HR department to select senior employees. OpIndia has exclusively accessed the copy of the internal email communication.
Shivshankar’s Twitter bio too has been updated to “Editor-In-Chief Times Now, 2016 to 2023”. Shivshankar reportedly exited all WhatsApp groups of the channel.
21 June will be his last day at the Times Network.
The operations of the channel will now be helmed by Group Editor Navika Kumar, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of Times Now Navbharat.
Rahul Shivshankar joined Times Now in 2016 after resigning as Editor-in-Chief of NewsX. He rose to fame by hosting the 8 PM primetime show “India Upfront”.
Meanwhile, the newsroom rivalry between Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar has always been a hot topic of discussion. While Shivshankar held the lone position of chief editor, Navika had dual power as group editor and chief of TN Navbharat.
It is only natural to assume that Rahul Shivshankar will now pursue an opportunity of relatively unchallenged power, unlike the situation in his previous organisation.
Shivshankar leaves social media speculating
Even as the Times Now HR’s internal communication says that Rahul Shivshankar has decided to part ways with the network, some Twitter users are speculating whether he was sacked.
Rahul Gandhi loyalists have somehow absurdly linked Shivshankar’s resignation to “winds of change”.
Major changes sweeping through Noida channels as they perceive winds of change. One hate spewing anchor has been sacked and his boss was not given a raise- the only one in the network. This despite the anchor trying to desperately show that he had the support of some powerful…
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) June 20, 2023
Another Twitter user linked the development to the 2024 general elections.
He was fired. Market has sensed of a change in general elections.
— Manjeet Kohli (@Futurality) June 20, 2023
Meanwhile, some are also speculating that Rahul Shivshankar could join NDTV, which too has seen some big names resign following the takeover by the Adani Group.
In January this year, reports of Padmaja Joshi likely to join NDTV were galore after the resignation of former group editor Srinivasan Jain. However, the same did not materialise.
Recently, news anchor Rubika Liyaquat quit ABP News to join Bharat24 as vice president.
