In this special report, anchor Maria Shakit leads the coverage as voting begins for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The bulletin highlights early voters, including actor Akshay Kumar, and sets the stage for a high-stakes fight between the Mahayuti alliance and the united front of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray. Maria Shakit says, ‘The big thing is that we are live with us from the small polling booth… where Eknath Shinde’s family will vote soon.’ The program explores whether ‘Marathi pride’ will have an impact in local elections after a gap of five years. Reporters provide live updates from Bandra and Thane, discussing the survival of Thackeray’s legacy against the ‘triple engine’ government of the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. The discussion also discusses voter apathy in metropolitan cities and the importance of this first civic election in 2022 after the Shiv Sena split.

On this special report, India Today senior correspondent Pramod Madhav reports from the field as the traditional bull-taming sport, Jallikattu, begins in Tamil Nadu. Marking the beginning of the Pongal harvest season, the event at Avaniapuram will be attended by 1,000 registered bulls and 600 bull tamers. Highlighting the strict medical tests and safety norms implemented after the Supreme Court’s intervention, Madhav says that ‘no kind of chemicals or drugs should be used by bull tamers or on bulls.’ The report details the technical details of the game, where tamers must capture the hump of the bull through the ‘Wadi Wasl’ entrance. As the state celebrates the harvest festival, the program traces the cultural and spiritual significance of this annual athletic tradition, which remains a matter of deep faith for the people of Tamil Nadu.

In this special report, the focus is on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections as voting officially begins in 227 wards. An important development has come to light from Kharghar Sector 20 in Navi Mumbai, where bags of cash allegedly meant for distribution to voters were found. Although no campaign leaflets were found with the money, a case has been registered against unknown suspects at Kharghar police station. The reporter says that ‘the distribution of money, what we are hearing on the ground has been on a large scale and it has been done mostly in envelopes.’ The election marks a high-stakes battle of over 1,700 candidates, with the focus on the ‘triple engine’ Mahayuti alliance and the reunited Thackeray brothers. As early as 7:30 am on January 15, Mumbaikars started exercising their democratic rights to decide the future of India’s richest civic body. After years of anticipation for these local elections, the results of this intense three-way contest are expected to become clear by January 16.

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This news bulletin covers the start of voting for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s richest civic body. The election marks a significant political shift as the Thackeray brothers reunite after twenty years to challenge the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The reporter highlighted that voters are focusing on ‘performance’ rather than ‘power’ with key issues including water shortage, road conditions and traffic congestion. Actor Akshay Kumar was also seen encouraging citizens to exercise their democratic rights, saying, ‘When you can vote, you can actually criticize the system.’ The broadcast further analyzes ‘army fragmentation’ and the tactical strategies employed by various factions, noting that there will be a direct contest between the UBT and Shinde factions in about one-third of the wards. As Mumbaikars head to the polls, the results remain a crucial test for Maharashtra’s evolving political landscape.