MUMBAI — Saurabh Dwivedi, the founding editor and prominent face of The Lallantop, officially resigned from the India Today Group on January 5, 2026, ending a 12-year tenure with the organization. Dwivedi confirmed his departure via social media posts on X and Instagram, where he quoted Urdu poetry to express gratitude for the identity, lessons and courage the platform provided him.
Following his exit, editorial leadership has been handed over to Kuldeep Mishra, a founding member and regular host of Netanagri while Rajat Sain will take charge of the production team. Dwivedi mentioned taking a brief personal break or “study leave” before embarking on a new professional journey, though an internal email described the exit as a “homegrown generational transition.”
The official reason cited for Dwivedi’s departure is a desire to explore new media frontiers outside the India Today Group’s current portfolio. However, several speculative theories have emerged due to the timing of his resignation, which occurred shortly after his final broadcast on January 2, 2026.
In that episode, he critically addressed a water scandal in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and questioned the BCCI’s handling of IPL controversies, leading to social media speculation regarding potential external pressures. Despite these observations, no official link has been confirmed between his editorial content and his decision to leave the organization.
History of Saurabh Dwivedi & Lallantop
- Early Career: Dwivedi began his journalism career at NavBharat Times and Dainik Bhaskar before joining India Today Group in 2013 as a Features Editor for aajtak.in.
- Founding Lallantop: He co-founded The Lallantop in 2016 alongside Kamlesh Kishore Singh.
- Impact: Under his leadership, the platform grew to nearly 35 million YouTube subscribers, redefining Hindi digital journalism with its conversational style and youth-centric ground reporting.
- Key Shows: He became a household name through flagship programs such as The Lallantop Show, Neta Nagri, Duniyadaari and the interview series Guest in the Newsroom.
