MUMBAI: It's being called a watershed election - the most important in three decades - and NDTV, the pioneer of election programming and analysis is pulling out all the stops for alpha-coverage led by Prannoy Roy, whose understanding and reportage of Indian politics and polls remains unchallenged 34 years after he anchored the country’s first televised election.

NDTV has innovated to provide the fastest and most comprehensive programming on results with landmark technology and forecasts that are already being cited around the world. Veteran journalists such as Prannoy Roy, Dorab Sopariwala, Vikram Chandra, Barkha Dutt, Sreenivasan Jain, Nidhi Razdan and Vishnu Som will be seen taking viewers out of the studio to real India giving them a ring side view of all the action.

Programming Details

· THE FINAL WORD - Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala, acknowledged as the country's lead psephology team, have commissioned the largest series of opinion polls and exit polls ever - over 200,000 interviews - aimed at greater accuracy and precision (this reduces the sampling error to only +/- 2%, which is unprecedented for India and comparable with global standards). Moreover, the sampling design involves randomized selection from electoral rolls - which ensures that voters in even the most remote and backward areas are not excluded and are interviewed in-depth.

· Based on this rigorous methodology, "The Final Word" will forecast who's winning each state and who will form the next Government at the Centre. The number of seats each party wins will be tracked over the weeks - and reasons for the changes, as campaigning progresses, will be analysed for viewers along with clear and detailed explanations for the swing that's been identified.   

· The Battleground with Prannoy Roy - For India, for over a decade, this has been the gold standard of election programming. Battleground is the original and now much-imitated political analysis show, with the biggest politicians in the country appearing on it to respond to the findings of hard-core on-the-ground reportage and polling data. The series of 6-8 programmes (of one hour each), set the trend of broadcasting not from the studio, but from outdoor locations in the heart of each state i.e. the true Battlegrounds of these elections. This show focuses on the key issues behind the opinion poll and exit poll data and trends. Prannoy Roy interacts with a panel of leading experts who discuss election survey data in the context of the amalgam of the politics and contradictions of each major state. The Battleground is the blue-chip analysis show.  

· The Biggest-Ever Exit Polls: Conducted on a sweeping scale that seamlessly fuses more than two decades of unbeatable experience, world-class graphics and micro & macro analysis, this is the unmissable TV finale of these elections. Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala will forecast the winners and losers in the next Lok Sabha. Trusted as the most accurate of all, these exit polls will be based on a random sample of names chosen from voter electoral rolls, ensuring far greater accuracy than what other polls can command. NDTV's exit polls, led by Prannoy Roy, who is acknowledged as the real-time source of credible forecasts, ensure that any differentials are eliminated on account of turnout - since exit polls only question electors that have already voted. Moreover the larger sample sizes associated with NDTV's exit polls reduce the sampling error to a minimum. The on-air analysis and presentation have, in election after election, drawn top politicians as guests and the widest audiences.  

· INDIA DECIDES - the Final Countdown with Prannoy Roy- (Starts May 16 at 7 am) on counting day, NDTV’s show-stopper will be anchored by Prannoy Roy, whose expertise will ensure NDTV is the first to offer a national forecast based on early numbers. Prannoy Roy’s widely-acknowledged strengths in spotting and decoding trends and explaining their impact on the result, and his projections and his sharp analysis, based on decades of experience, will pivot a show that will also leverage new technology to guarantee the first and most credible look at who India has voted for. During the day, Prannoy Roy will be joined by some of the country’s finest anchors - Barkha Dutt, Vikram Chandra and Sreenivasan Jain, as well as by NDTV’s award-winning network of reporters, who have, through years of election coverage, established their credentials as the absolute A-team of political journalists.

· ‘On The Road 2014’ with Barkha Dutt takes viewers out of the studio to real India…giving them a ring side view of all the action

She travels across the country…reporting from a different city, interviewing a different news maker every day

Its perhaps the only with Exclusive interviews and in depth ground reports every day

But On the Road is more …it’s about the people …it’s about Chai stops

Sip in the local flavour and the mood of the nation with Chai Stops  …

As we talk to people …discussing what matters to them most

Come with us for the best and most extensive coverage of Election 2014

Join us on the Road to 2014 with Barkha Dutt every night only on 24x7

· Stepping aside from petty politics and shrill campaigns Vikram Chandra focuses on real issues.

From the falling rupee and rising unemployment to issues of governance and challenges of communalism, he gets political parties to chart the roadmap which will help turn the India story around

'What’s Your Solution'  

From corruption and security to the safety of women, get to know who suggests what and vote for the solution you believe is the best fit.

The Big Fight continues the debate, not just political agendas, but also key factors that play a crucial role ..as India votes in Elections 2014

‘What's Your Solution and ‘The Big Fight’ with Vikram Chandra are more than just talk.

· Truth vs Hype: Contenders - Anchored and presented by Sreenivasan Jain, Truth vs Hype travels every week to ground zero to answer the questions that lie at the heart of every big story of our time – from politics, to corruption, to conflict zones and now Elections 2014. Shot and edited as a cutting edge news documentary, each episode is backed by solid research, hard facts and a clear-eyed sifting through evidence. Every week, an insightful profile of the key players and the potential Prime Ministerial candidates in this election, reported from the ground and on the campaign trail.

· Left Right and Centre takes daily political debates to a new level for Lok Sabha 2014, where Nidhi Razdan and a panel of experts look at the real issues of this election and why they matter to people. LRC travels to the big cities to get a sense of what India's urban voters are thinking, and what the agendas are of the main political players. Join Nidhi on Left, Right and Centre every night at 8pm for the day's political discourse, simply explained

· The Buck Stops Here Weekend Edition with Vishnu Som focusses extensively on the election campaign. Based on studio discussions and live, on-location reporting, The Buck Stops Here, Weekend Edition, takes the viewer to the heart of major political developments, featuring  exclusive interviews with major players on the election trail, including Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha Chief Minister’s first interview to an English news channel during campaigning; and anchoring live from outside the Aam Admi Party office in Delhi when Arvind Kejriwal dramatically resigned as Delhi Chief Minister after just 49 days.

For years, NDTV has always been the fastest with the results and the first to forecast the final outcome based on early numbers. In 2014, the lead gets far wider and NDTV's non-stop 18-hour election results show INDIA DECIDES - The Final Countdown will reflect the pace, colour, adrenalin and expanse of this election, with uncompromising commitment to making sure viewers have the results first.