Rakesh Thapliyal Elected President of NUJ(I), Rakesh Sharma Becomes Secretary General

Khel Today Bureau 

New Delhi: Senior journalist Rakesh Thapliyal (Delhi) has been elected President, while Rakesh Sharma (Jaipur) has been elected Secretary General of the National Union of Journalists (India) [NUJ(I)], affiliated with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). All office bearers and members of the National Executive were elected unopposed in the biennial organisational elections.

Announcing the election results at the NUJ(I) Headquarters, 7, Jantar Mantar Road, New Delhi, Chief Election Officer Ashok Kinker stated that following the withdrawal of nominations, all remaining candidates were declared elected unopposed.

Elected officials:

President: Rakesh Thapliyal (Delhi)

Vice Presidents:

• Silveri Srisailam (Telangana)

• Prashant Chakravarty (Tripura)

• Rajeev Nayanam (Jharkhand)

• Dr. Ranesh Rana (Himachal Pradesh)

• Arvind Singh (Uttar Pradesh).

Secretary General: Rakesh Sharma (Rajasthan).

Treasurer: R. C. Kannaujia (Uttarakhand)

 Secretaries:

• Ayan Mukherjee (West Bengal)

• Mayukh Goswami (Assam)

• Anita Chaudhary (Delhi)

The announcement was made in the presence of Dadhibal Yadav, Chairman of the NUJ(I) Election Commission.

 Executive Committee Members:

Virendra Kumar Saxena, Pramod Goswami, Kamalkant Upmanyu (Uttar Pradesh); Manoj Verma, Manohar Singh, Seema Kiran, Pratibha Shukla, Usha Pahwa, Sachin Budhauliya, Sagheer Ahmad and Dr. Ashok Barthwal (Delhi); Indrani Sarkar and T. Venkata Ramana (Telangana); Prem John (Kerala); Akshaya Sahu, Pramod Kumar Samantaray and Kambupani Mishra (Odisha); Gopal Dutt Sharma (Himachal Pradesh); Bhupen Goswami (Assam);  Deepak Roy and Someshwar Boral (West Bengal).

NUJ(I) President Raas Bihari said that the newly elected office bearers and National Executive members will formally assume office during the National Convention to be held in Jaipur on September 19–20, 2026. More than 2,000 delegates and members from across the country are expected to participate in the convention. The event will deliberate on key issues concerning the media industry, journalists’ welfare, and contemporary challenges facing the profession.

Newly elected President Rakesh Thapliyal said that NUJ(I) has consistently been advocating for the enactment of a Journalists’ Protection Law, as well as the establishment of a Media Council and a Media Commission. He emphasised that, in view of the increasing incidents of attacks on journalists across the country, the enactment of a comprehensive Journalists’ Protection Law has become an urgent necessity. He reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to safeguarding the rights, dignity and professional interests of journalists.