Ritika Chopra is an award-winning Indian journalist currently serving as Resident Editor (Mumbai) at The Indian Express. She is best known for her investigative reporting on governance, education policy, and the Election Commission of India (ECI), including high-impact exposés on internal functioning and decision-making within the poll body.
Professional Background and Career
She has roughly 19–20 years of experience covering politics, governance, government policy, and institutions.
Career timeline (approximate, based on available professional profiles):
– 2006–2010: Senior Reporter, Hindustan Times
– 2010–2013: Principal Correspondent, Mail Today (India Today Group)
– 2013–2015: Special Correspondent, The Economic Times
– 2015 onwards: The Indian Express — progressed from Senior Assistant Editor to National Education Editor (around 2021–2023), then Chief of the National Bureau (Government) and National Education Editor (around 2023–2025), and Resident Editor, Mumbai (from 2026).
She specializes in tracking the Union Government, the Education Ministry, and the ECI. Her work often involves deep dives into policy implementation, institutional autonomy, and accountability, with a focus on investigative, document-based reporting rather than pure opinion or surface-level coverage.
Education
– Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata (2003–2006).
– ISC from Calcutta Girls’ High School, Kolkata.
Notable Reporting on the Election Commission of India (ECI)
Chopra has long covered the ECI. Key work includes:
– 2019 Lok Sabha elections series: Exposed significant delays by the ECI in acting on complaints against then-Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah regarding Model Code of Conduct violations. She also reported on internal disagreements among the three Election Commissioners. These stories highlighted challenges to the Commission’s autonomy and functioning, and they received wide follow-up coverage.
– 2026 investigation into Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and internal rifts (published around 22–23 September 2026): A major multi-part exclusive based on internal ECI records. It revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected at least 14 times over about 10 months to decisions involving voter registration (changes to Form 6), deletions from electoral rolls, centralisation of the electoral database via the ECINet software system, appeals against inclusions (e.g., in West Bengal), and related processes. The reporting detailed how two of the three members raised red flags about actions taken without full consensus, restricted access for local officers, and potential legal/procedural issues. It also covered related points such as a software glitch affecting voters in Goa and the lack of full Commission meetings for months. This series placed the ECI under intense public and political scrutiny regarding control over electoral rolls.
She has also reported on education-related issues with policy impact (e.g., NCERT textbook changes, NEET controversies).
Awards and Recognition
– Chameli Devi Jain Award 2024 for Outstanding Woman Journalist (jointly awarded; recognised investigative work on government policymaking lapses, attempts to weaken independent institutions, and efforts to rewrite history).
– Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism 2021 (for the series on the inner workings of the ECI and challenges to its autonomy).
– IPI-India Award for Excellence in Journalism 2020 (for exclusive reports on the ECI during the 2019 elections, including the divide within the Commission and delays on high-profile complaints).
– Earlier: Laadli Media Award (print category) for a report on the impact of a Supreme Court verdict related to panchayat polls and literacy requirements.
Public Presence and Approach
She is active on X (Twitter) as @RitikaChopra__, where she shares her reporting and has tens of thousands of followers. In interviews, she has emphasised the value of traditional “shoe-leather” investigative reporting and the challenges of covering opaque institutions.
Note: There are other professionals named Ritika Chopra (e.g., in HR or academia); the details above specifically refer to the Indian Express journalist known for ECI and governance reporting.
Her work is characterised by reliance on internal documents, official records, and persistent follow-up, often prompting institutional responses or further debate. For the most current articles, check The Indian Express author page or her professional profiles.
