Sunetra Choudhury is the National Political Editor of the Hindustan Times. With over two decades of experience in print and television, she has authored Black Warrant (Roli,2019), Behind Bars: Prison Tales of India’s Most Famous (Roli,2017) and Braking News (Hachette, 2010). Sunetra is the recipient of the Red Ink award in journalism in 2016 and Mary Morgan Hewett award in 2018.
Articles by Sunetra Choudhury
30-yr-old incident, former CM Veerendra Patil become focus of Karnataka poll campaign
Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah have referred to the fate of the twice-elected chief minister Veerendra Patil in an effort to blunt the Congress’ strategy of attacking the ruling party for what they see as neglect of the Lingayat community
Updated on Apr 07, 2023 12:18 AM IST
I won’t consider myself an Oppn leader, I will stay neutral: Ghulam Nabi Azad
In his memoir ‘Azaad’, the former J&K chief minister and Congress rebel is critical of his former party, describing its behaviour as “bloopers and bombast”
Updated on Apr 05, 2023 11:36 AM IST
BJP forms 50-member team to begin election work in Karnataka
The meeting had a single point agenda -- to assign key persons who would help boost the party’s prospects in the state.
Updated on Apr 02, 2023 05:22 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Centre plans to rope in private companies to help secure govt servers, websites
The government’s IT services are managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which hosts 3.3 million email accounts and maintains more than 10,000 websites and services
Updated on Mar 17, 2023 04:10 AM IST
Binayak Dasgupta and Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Jagan’s party on EC radar, its constitution under lens
Last Friday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) termed the Shiv Sena’s 2018 constitution, which had not been placed on record with the poll panel, as undemocratic because it vested too much power in the hand of the leader, although this wasn’t the reason why it ruled that the Eknath Shinde faction of the party was the real Shiv Sena (support of legislators and parliamentarians tiled the balance)
Published on Feb 24, 2023 03:02 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
No breaking point... parties did not give a concrete offer: TIPRA Motha chief
In the upcoming assembly elections in Tripura, the TIPRA Motha party, led by former Congress leader Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, is being wooed by all national parties for an alliance.
Updated on Jan 31, 2023 02:04 PM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Sunetra Choudhury picks her favourite reads of 2022
A classic on dealing with debilitating sorrow, a book on living in the present, and a surprisingly honest political autobiography
Published on Dec 30, 2022 04:35 PM IST
Charles Sobhraj needs open-heart surgery, says Nepal order
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered the serial killer's release on humanitarian grounds. Sobhraj, 78, has been in jail since 2003.
Updated on Dec 23, 2022 08:44 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Silent troubleshooter Bhupendra Patel helps his party buck anti-incumbency
Bhupendra Patel’s impressive election victory, winning by a record 212,480 votes, added to his achievements – a feat that found mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech
Updated on Dec 09, 2022 08:31 AM IST
Canada’s federal police urged to act on gangsters operating from its soil
In general, New Delhi expects Ottawa to deport people like Brar who are in Canada on student visas, but are involved in organized crime back home
Updated on Dec 08, 2022 04:09 AM IST
HT interview: Data bill in line with global practices, says Vaishnaw
Union minister says carve-outs in India’s new privacy bill are consistent with Constitution provisions
Updated on Dec 02, 2022 12:34 PM IST
Deeksha Bhardwaj, Sunetra Choudhury and R Sukumar
Centre asks ministries for details of clubs, institutes under them
The Union government has sought from ministries details of the functioning of Gandhian institutes, clubs, and conference centres, according to an official note
Updated on Nov 17, 2022 01:05 PM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Govt draws plan to mark Patel birth anniversary; CAPFs to take part
The Centre is planning a large-scale event involving all paramilitary forces, and across all districts in the country, to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on October 31
Updated on Oct 27, 2022 05:03 AM IST
Cong prez polls: Kharge, Tharoor’s nomination papers present contrasting stories
The nomination papers filed by Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor for the Congress presidential election on Friday were studies in contrast.
Updated on Oct 01, 2022 05:04 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Panel pulls up 3 MLAs, does not blame Gehlot
A Congress panel on Tuesday accused three Rajasthan legislators of indiscipline but didn’t blame Ashok Gehlot for the turmoil, people aware of developments said, potentially giving the observers and the chief minister some manoeuvring space to resolve the crisis engulfing the party and its upcoming presidential poll.
Published on Sep 27, 2022 11:42 PM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
Congress poll: Gehlot likely to file nomination after leadership crisis is over
Lawmakers loyal to Gehlot have threatened to bring the government down unless they get to pick his successor
Updated on Sep 26, 2022 12:23 PM IST
Gehlot’s supporters want announcement of his successor postponed till Oct 19
Congress’s central observers Ajay Maken said there seems to be a conflict of interest as a resolution authorises the party chief to take the final decision and that Gehlot could be the Congress president by then
Published on Sep 26, 2022 10:05 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury & Sachin Saini
Congress observers expected to meet Sonia Gandhi today amid Rajasthan crisis
Rajasthan Crisis: Scores of MLAs - in late-night drama - submitted their resignations to speakers.
Published on Sep 26, 2022 09:58 AM IST
Oppn may try different coalitions, but can’t match Modi’s popularity: Thakur
There is no real challenger to the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his politics of development, Union minister Anurag Thakur told HT in an interview.
Updated on Sep 24, 2022 11:06 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury and Smriti Kak Ramachandran, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
An officer and a lady: 30-year fight for equality in the armed forces
It's been an epic journey, especially for the 615 women who fought for permanent commission because the Ministry of Defence only allowed women to work for Short Service Commissions (SSC) which was initially just five years of service and then was gradually increased to 14 years of service.
Published on Sep 06, 2022 09:52 AM IST
Five factors that led to Congress's decline over the years
In this edition of the First Voice Last Word, our weekly podcast on politics, Hindustan Times takes a deeper look at what has led to this decline.
Updated on Aug 29, 2022 09:24 PM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, New Delhi
‘I joined Congress 51 years ago….feel’: Anand Sharma
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sharma lashed out at the top leadership for “humiliating” him by not consulting or inviting him to core party meetings.
Updated on Aug 22, 2022 11:25 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Will BJP rule for the next 30 years?
On HT podcast 'First Voice, Last Word', union minister Bhupendra Yadav helps decode Bharatiya Janata Party's strategy, from ideological roots to the Modi magic.
Updated on Aug 01, 2022 07:16 PM IST
President poll result hints at waning impact of Opposition
The Bhartiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA) started out by being just short of the winning mark at 49% or 533,751 votes of the total 1,086,431 votes in the electoral college
Updated on Jul 22, 2022 05:48 AM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Uniting Opposition is the most crucial thing at the moment: Margaret Alva
Alva faces a tough task as the Opposition’s candidate for the Vice-President’s post with the NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankar enjoying a comfortable majority in the electoral college
Updated on Jul 21, 2022 01:17 PM IST
Sunetra Choudhury, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Why Kartikeya Sharma’s RS nomination in Haryana may queer the pitch for Congress
Kartikeya Sharma’s last-minute nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana has revived memories of 2016 when 12 Congress MLAs were disqualified on the ground that they used the wrong type of ink
Updated on May 31, 2022 04:44 PM IST
Just like Aryan Khan, I'm victim of a made-up case: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren is under fire from the opposition over a case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the grant of mining lease. When questioned, Soren accused the BJP of vendetta.
Updated on May 29, 2022 07:09 PM IST
Sunetra Choudhury | Written by Aryan Prakash
Behind the scenes of Jayant Chaudhary and Kapil Sibal's Rajya Sabha nomination
SP deciding to back the RLD chief and former Congress leader for the Rajya Sabha polls was a tactical call.
Published on May 27, 2022 01:42 PM IST
'There’s no question of joining other party': Kapil Sibal
Kapil Sibal was among the leading members of the group called G 23 within the Congress, which has since August 2020 sought wide-ranging reforms.
Updated on May 26, 2022 11:48 AM IST
‘We admit certain miscalculations on our part’: Himachal CM Jairam Thakur
In the run-up to the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections at the end of this year, the focus is on the incumbent BJP’s main challengers: the Congress, which tasted success in recent bypolls, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) looking to repeat its stellar performance in Punjab
Updated on May 24, 2022 03:21 PM IST
