Noida, TNI Bureau: In a surprising turn of events, Rahul Shivshankar, the Editor-in-Chief of Times Now, has resigned from the news channel, leaving the media industry in shock. On Tuesday, June 20, Shivshankar startled everyone by abruptly quitting all the WhatsApp groups of Times Now, including the crucial editorial group, without any prior announcement, as reported by The News Minute.

According to reliable sources quoted by The News Minute, discussions regarding a potential leadership change at Times Now had been ongoing for some time. The channel’s top management had been in talks with Rahul Shivshankar regarding his future role.

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Insiders at Times Now confirmed that Wednesday, June 21 would be Shivshankar’s final day at the office, as reported by The News Minute. An internal communication from the channel’s human resources department stated, “Rahul Shivshankar, Editor-in-Chief of Times Now, has decided to part ways with the network. Consequently, with immediate effect, the operations of the channel will be under the charge of Navika Kumar, group editor. All operating content managers of the Times Now team will report to Navika,” as reported by the Free Press Journal.

Shivshankar has a longstanding association with Times Now, dating back to its inception in 2005 when he joined the channel. However, he temporarily departed from the group from 2013 to 2016, during which he served as the Editor-in-Chief of News X. After journalist Arnab Goswami’s departure from Times Now in 2016, Shivshankar returned to the channel and assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief.

With Shivshankar’s unexpected departure, speculation is rife about his future plans and the reasons behind his decision to leave Times Now.