Saurabh Dwivedi, the founding editor of the digital news powerhouse The Lallantop and a prominent face of modern Hindi journalism, has resigned from the India Today Group after a 12-year tenure.
Dwivedi announced his departure through a reflective social media post on Monday, marking the end of an era for the platform he helped build into a digital-first media giant.
Under his leadership, The Lallantop transitioned from a niche news blog into one of India’s most influential YouTube-led news brands, known for its colloquial language and deep-dive political coverage.
The veteran journalist confirmed his exit on Instagram with a brief message in Hindi, thanking the platform for the immense joy and experience it provided him.
Sources within the India Today Group indicate that the organisation has already initiated a leadership transition to ensure editorial continuity for its massive audience.
Kuldeep Mishra, a senior editorial member who has been an integral part of the team, is expected to step up and lead the editorial operations following Dwivedi’s exit. The move comes as a surprise to many in the creator economy who viewed Dwivedi as the primary architect of the platform’s unique storytelling style.
During his time at the India Today Group, Dwivedi became a household name through signature segments like the Chunav Yatra, a series of ground-level election reports that utilised a grassroots approach to political journalism.
He was instrumental in proving that long-form, personality-driven news content could thrive on digital platforms like YouTube and Facebook.
Dwivedi joined the India Today Group in 2012 and launched The Lallantop in 2016, a project that quickly disrupted the digital landscape. By using local dialects and a casual presentation style, the channel amassed over 29 million subscribers on YouTube, making it one of the most successful digital-first news properties in the world.
Aspiring creators often look to Dwivedi’s career as a blueprint for building high-engagement digital brands.
Before the inception of The Lallantop in 2016, Dwivedi worked across various verticals within the India Today Group and had previous stints at other major media houses like Dainik Bhaskar and Star News. His departure marks one of the most significant leadership changes in the Indian digital news landscape in recent years.
Industry insiders suggest that Dwivedi is likely to venture into the independent media space, moving from a corporate structure to a self-owned creator model. This transition highlights a growing trend where top-tier journalists leverage their personal brand and “distribution” to build standalone businesses.
