Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and author of the best-selling book, '2014: The Election that Changed India'. With 26 years of journalistic experience in print and TV, Sardesai was managing editor of the NDTV network before he set up the IBN 18 network with channels like CNN IBN as founder editor. He began his career with the Times of India and was the city editor of its Mumbai edition at the age of 26. He is presently a consulting editor with the India Today Group and anchors a prime time show on India Today.
Specializing in national politics, Sardesai has won numerous awards for journalistic excellence including the prestigious Padma Shri for Journalism in 2008, the International Broadcasters Award for coverage of the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award for 2007. He has also won the Asian Television Awards 2014 for Best News Presenter in Asia for the coverage of the 2014 general elections. He has been News Anchor of the Year at the Indian Television Academy for eight of the last ten years and his program Big Fight won the Asian TV award for best talk show twice in a row. He has been the President of the Editors Guild of India and was also chosen as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2000. Sardesai writes a fortnightly column across several newspapers, including the Hindustan Times.
An Oxford blue at cricket, he completed his Masters and LLB from Oxford University after graduating in economics from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.
“Modi is a highly experienced leader who has done many things before being in politics. Modi is a good communicator who reaches people directly without a media person. Modiji doesn’t prefer to go through media; rather, he thinks that if people want to connect with me, they do it directly. “Man Ki Baat” is the best example where he elaborates every achievement of his Government. The media is a bit upset because Modiji doesn’t take media with him nowadays. In previous Governments, media used to accompany the prime minister on foreign tours. It has stopped now. His communication with people is direct. Rahul Gandhi was not a natural communicator, and he took many years to communicate. Modi is well aware of the importance of modern communication media, and he uses it ferociously. Modiji was on social media before us. Modiji has used every opportunity to connect with people. Mayavati never used these media, but she still won. Modiji was at the right place at right place. Dr. Manmohan Singh, too, has done a great job, but he fails to communicate. Congress initiated Swachha Bharat, but Modi took it to another level. Everything has its time. Modiji grabbed the opportunity when there was uneasiness toward the UPA government. Modi has indeed changed the Indian Political scenario.”