Very fair, NDTV!

My love for NDTV 24x7 has grown much in these elections. That Prannoy Roy is outstanding with his opinion and exit polls and on results day is known. But it's the coverage in the run up to General Elections 2014 that I find the channel has been ahead of the race.

Barkha Dutt's campaign trail is excellent, the panels are without the noise and senseless interjections that dominate news television these days. While it was good to see Barkha in Nagpur last night and interview former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, the show I try and not miss these days is Nidhi Razdan's Left Right & Centre. The discussion yesterday was on the problems plaguing the BJP and the guests were Sidharth Bhatia, Swapan Dasgupta, Kumar Ketkar, Anand Sharma with Ravi Shankar Prasad expected to join in.

Half way through the programme Nidhi said that she had to end the discussion as it was raining very heavily in Delhi and Ravi Shankar Prasad (and Swapan) couldn't join the show. Since the debate was on the crisis in the BJP, it was a fair thing to do. For a channel that's said to be anti-right, the decision to not discuss an issue when those who are meant to counter it aren't available was commendable.

I would've thought that the channel could've got some other BJP leaders on the phone, but I guess they mustn't be available. The move was unprecedented and I tried to check with a few friends if they had ever seen or heard about something similar on Indian news television in the past.

They hadn't. Hat's off to NDTV. And as they in say in the world of Twitter: #Respect

Arnab Goswami came back to Newshour with a smile and a "happy to be back" line. And then he was back at what he's good at. Slamming guests who he doesn't agree with.

I thought his remark that BJP leader Jaswant Singh expected a Doordarshan-like old style interview was uncalled for. Not in good taste, Arnab.

Pradyuman Maheshwari is a senior journalist and editor. When he's not chasing news, he's watching it. Twitter: @pmahesh E: noose@pman.in