Strengthening its national presence and commitment to fearless journalism, The Indian Express is set to launch its Patna edition on Monday. The launch will be graced by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, marking the paper’s eleventh edition published across India.
This expansion comes at a significant moment in history, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Emergency—one of the darkest periods in Indian democracy. In 1975, The Indian Express, under the leadership of Ramnath Goenka, stood firmly against censorship, publishing a blank editorial page to protest the suppression of press freedom. The newspaper’s legacy of bold journalism remains central to its ethos.
The choice of Patna as the next publishing hub carries deep symbolic value. It was from Patna’s Gandhi Maidan that Jayaprakash Narayan called for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution), a movement that would go on to shape the national political landscape. Ramnath Goenka, the founder of The Indian Express, was closely associated with JP, and his steadfast support for democratic values during the Emergency era remains an integral part of the newspaper’s history.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a prominent youth leader during that period and a key voice in the anti-Emergency movement, will inaugurate the edition—bringing full circle a narrative deeply embedded in Bihar’s political consciousness.
Announcing the launch, Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing Director of The Indian Express Group, called it a “homecoming.” He said, “Our founder, Ramnath Goenka Ji, was born in Darbhanga and had close ties with Jayaprakash Narayan. Bihar has always been crucial in the national discourse. Launching our Patna edition is a milestone for The Indian Express because the people in Bihar, known for their acute political sense and social conscience, deserve the best of journalism that does justice to their needs and aspirations.”
With this new edition, The Indian Express will now publish from 11 key cities: Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Vadodara, and now Patna.
The Patna edition promises to bring The Indian Express’s trusted blend of investigative and explanatory journalism to the heart of Bihar—further amplifying voices that matter in the region and across the country.