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{{Short description|Indian journalist}}
{{Distinguish|Wasi-wari|text=[[Prasun language]]}}
{{BLP more footnotes needed|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Punya Prasun Bajpai
| image = File:The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh presenting the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism to Shri Punya Prasoon Vajpayee, at a function, in New Delhi on April 12, 2006.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|3|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Muzaffarpur]], [[Bihar]], India
| occupation = [[News anchor]], journalist, editor, author
| years_active = 1989–present
| employer = Former executive editor at {{lang|hi-latn|[[Aaj Tak]]|italic=no}}
| credits = DusTak on {{lang|hi-latn|[[Aaj Tak]]|italic=no}}, Master Stroke on [[ABP News]], Badi Khabar on [[Zee News]]
| height = 5ft 7in
| father =
| awards = [[Ramnath Goenka]] 2006 and 2008
| module = {{Infobox social media personality
| child = yes
| youtube_handle = @PunyaPrasunBajpaiindia
| youtube_display_name = Punya Prasun Bajpai

| youtube_years_active =
| youtube_genre =
| youtube_subscribers = 5.2M
| youtube_views = 1.4 billion
| stats_update = 19 June 2025
}}
}}

'''Punya Prasun Bajpai''' (born 18 March 1964) is an Indian journalist. He has worked at several news networks in his career, including {{lang|hi-latn|[[Aaj Tak]]|italic=no}}, where he hosted the weekday show known as 10 तक,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aajtak.intoday.in/karyakrams/video/das-tak.html|title= 10 तक show at Aaj Tak|publisher=Aajtak}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/live-chat-with-punya-prasun-bajpai-1-720241.html?Sel=1&PSel=|title=Punya Prasun Bajpai, Aajtak|publisher= Aajtak}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2004-04-05/news/27413430_1_aaj-tak-star-news-uday-shankar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614063146/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2004-04-05/news/27413430_1_aaj-tak-star-news-uday-shankar|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 June 2013|title=Punya Prasun Bajpai joins back Aaj Tak|publisher=The Economics Times}}</ref> and [[ABP News]], where he hosted ''Masterstroke'' for four months in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/889246/is-it-possible-for-abp-signals-to-have-been-during-the-masterstroke-show|title=Could a 'rogue carrier' have disrupted ABP News signals during the 'Masterstroke' show?|date= 5 August 2018|publisher=scroll.in}}</ref>

Bajpai is a well-known name in the field of electronic media, with more than 29 years of experience in electronic and print media. Bajpai has worked with various reputed media agencies such as [[Jansatta]], Sunday Observer, Sunday Mail, [[Lokmat]], [[Zee News]] and [[NDTV]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

==Early life==
He was born in [[Muzaffarpur]], Bihar. His father is the late Mani Kant Bajpai, who was an IIS ([[Indian Information Service]]) officer.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}} He did his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kankarbagh, Patna and subsequently did his graduation in Political Science honours from Bihar National College, Patna.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

==Career==
Bajpai started his career in the electronic media with {{lang|hi-latn|[[Aaj Tak]]|italic=no}} in 1996 and worked there until 2003. He then moved to [[NDTV]] for a tenure of fourteen months. In 2007–2008, he was Editor-in-Chief of Sahara Samay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exchange4media.mobi/story.aspx?news_id=27531|title=Punya Prasun Bajpai joins Sahara Samay|publisher=exchange4media|access-date=7 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708170236/http://www.exchange4media.mobi/story.aspx?news_id=27531|archive-date=8 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> He worked at [[Zee News]] for four years as a prime-time anchor and editor before returning to {{lang|hi-latn|[[Aaj Tak]]|italic=no}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exchange4media.com/49522_punya-prasun-bajpai-returns-to-aaj-tak%E2%80%99s-fold.html|title=Punya Prasun Bajpai Returns to Aaj Tak|publisher=Exchange4Media|access-date=7 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531065158/http://www.exchange4media.com/49522_punya-prasun-bajpai-returns-to-aaj-tak%E2%80%99s-fold.html|archive-date=31 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/aug/aug469.php|title = Aaj Tak's Punya Prasun Bajpai joins Sahara Samay as editor-in-chief|date = 31 August 2007}}</ref> Bajpai began hosting ''Masterstroke'' on [[ABP News]] in April, but he resigned four months later on 1 August 2018, due to alleged political pressure on the news channel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/q_and_a/punya-prasun-bajpai.php|title=Punya Prasun Bajpai: 'India is witnessing social collapse'|website=Columbia Journalism Review|language=en|access-date=2019-03-10}}</ref> In February 2019, he joined [[Surya Samachar]] as Editor-in-Chief, where he also hosted the shows ''Jai Hind'' and ''Satta.'' Recently he gave up Surya Samachar.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marathe |first=Akshay |date=2014-03-15 |title=Not So Krantikari |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2014/03/15/not-so-krantikari |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=Newslaundry |language=en}}</ref>

In 2015, Bajpai was one of the ten most active Indian journalists on Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://techone3.in/10-most-active-indian-journalists-on-twitter-in-2015-4978/|title=10 Most active Indian journalists on Twitter in 2015|work=TechOne3}}</ref>

Since 2019, he runs his own news channel on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/@PunyaPrasunBajpaiindia/about | title=Punya Prasun Bajpai - YouTube | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref>

==Publications==
Bajpai has published six books, including ''राजनीति मेरी जान'' (Raajneeti Meri Jaan), ''डिजास्टरः मीडिया एंड पॉलिटिक्स'' (Disaster: Media and Politics), ''संसदः लोकतंत्र या नजरों का धोखा'' (Sansad: Loktantra ya nazron ka dhokha), ''आदिवासियों पर टाडा'' (Aadivasiyon par TADA), R.S.S. Sangh Ka Safar: 100 varsh <ref>{{cite web|url=https://bookshelf.buuks.com/product/r-s-s-sangh-ka-safar-100-varsh/|title= R.S.S. Sangh Ka Safar: 100 varsh Book|publisher=BUUKS}}</ref> and others. He writes articles for a number of daily and weekly news and literary publications in Hindi, several of which are also published on his blog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prasunbajpai.itzmyblog.com/|title= Punya Prasun Bajpai Blog|publisher=Blog}}</ref>

==Awards==
* He received recognition of his work during the [[2001 Indian Parliament attack]] when he anchored live for five consecutive hours.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}
* He won the [[Ramnath Goenka]] award for Hindi print and electronic media in 2005–06 and 2007–08. He is the only journalist to have received this award in TV and print twice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ramnath-goenka-foundation/2005_winners.html|title=Goenka Award Winner 2005–2006|publisher=Indian Express|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624101454/http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ramnath-goenka-foundation/2005_winners.html|archivedate=24 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ramnath-goenka-foundation/2007_winners.html|title=Goenka Award Winner 2007–2008|publisher=Indian Express|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624120717/http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ramnath-goenka-foundation/2007_winners.html|archivedate=24 June 2013}}</ref>[[File:The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh presenting the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism to Shri Punya Prasoon Vajpayee, at a function, in New Delhi on April 12, 2006.jpg|thumb|Punya Prasun Bajpai receiving the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2006]]

==Controversy==
In March 2014 in a leaked video of interview with [[Arvind Kejriwal]], Punya Prasun Bajpai was seen getting instructions from [[Arvind Kejriwal]] on promoting his interview by comparing his resignation to the sacrifice of [[Bhagat Singh]] and dropping a certain portion of interview on privatization of industries which would portray him anti-middle class. Later, when the interview was telecasted it was found that Punya Prasun Bajpai had actually complied to the instructions and raised questions on his journalistic integrity and ethics. This controversy was called "media fixing" at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/media-fixing-why-leaked-video-of-kejriwal-journalist-is-a-big-deal-1427201.html|title=Media fixing: Why 'leaked' video of Kejriwal, journalist is a big deal|date=10 March 2014}}</ref>

Bajpai hosted a prime-time show on [[ABP News]] called ''Masterstroke''. In July 2018, the channel elicited criticism from the government for its story about a video interaction on 20 June 2018, between [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] Mr. [[Narendra Modi]] and beneficiaries of various government programmes. A participant from [[Chhattisgarh]], Chandramani Kaushik, told Modi on the show that her income had doubled after she switched from cultivating paddy to growing custard apples. Two weeks later, based on reports from ABP News ''Masterstroke'' claims that she had been tutored by BJP officials to make false claims.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Scroll Staff |date=2018-08-03 |title=Resignations of two journalists at ABP News cause disquiet in newsrooms and far beyond |url=https://scroll.in/article/889026/resignations-of-two-journalists-at-abp-news-cause-disquiet-in-newsrooms-and-far-beyond |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=Scroll.in |language=en}}</ref>

Following this, ABP News' satellite link started misbehaving during the airing of Bajpai's show. In an article written by Bajpai for [[The Wire (Indian web publication)|The Wire]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/media/punya-prasun-bajpai-abp-news-narendra-modi|title=Exclusive: Punya Prasun Bajpai Reveals the Story Behind His Exit From ABP News|website=The Wire|access-date=2018-10-12}}</ref> he claims that some advertisers, including [[Patanjali Ayurved|Patanjali]], withdrew their advertisements from the channel. Under this pressure, Bajpai was forced to resign from the channel.

== See also ==

* [[Ravish Kumar]]
* [[Abhisar Sharma]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://prasunbajpai.itzmyblog.com/ prasunbajpai.itzmyblog.com]
*{{Twitter|ppbajpai|Punya Prasun Bajpai}}
*{{YouTube|title=|channel=UCXCG3leC3eHChlU2OPWMk_A}}
*{{Facebook|ppbajpai.official|Punya Prasun Bajpai}}
*{{Instagram|prasunbajpaiofficial|Punya Prasun Bajpai}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bajpai, Punya Prasun}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian male journalists]]
[[Category:Indian television journalists]]
[[Category:India Today people]]
[[Category:Indian male bloggers]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Indian YouTubers]]

Punya Prasun Bajpai - Revision history

AmiePesina: started initial data w/ infobox