MUMBAI: CNN-IBN and IBN7 concluded that the Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav led Grand Alliance was set to form the government in Bihar, an hour before rest of the TV channels. CNN-IBN and IBN7 had called the elections and declared that Nitish Kumar was set to retain power on the 8 November at 10:03 am.

Both the channels were miles ahead of other channels in reporting the most accurate figures. By 9:30 am, while all channels were predicting a BJP win, CNN-IBN and IBN7 had already aired that the Grand Alliance was likely to win the elections. Network18’s extensive network of reporters who were present at every counting station all over Bihar tracked the trends and reported the same to the News Centre without any delay, thereby enabling the IBN Network to beat all other competing channels.

Commenting on this, IBN Network CEO Avinash Kaul asserted, “At Network18 we always strive to give our viewers information that they can absolutely rely on. This is yet another example of how we as a news network have the right mix of reporters, anchors and experts, who have the acumen to understand the pulse of politics, analyze the ground reality and bring forth the most accurate news, faster than anyone else.”

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram commented, “I must congratulate CNN-IBN for getting the results first and they got it just around 10am.”

The former CM of Bihar Rabri Devi also congratulated the channels for declaring that they have won, an hour before the others.