The Morning Brief

As Nandigram, the most fiercely contested constituency in West Bengal, goes to the polls, ET’s Deputy Resident Editor (Mumbai) Arijit Barman and Senior Assistant Editor Vasudha Venugopal join in from Ground Zero to tell us why this election is unlike any other and what’s at stake for Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While most service sectors are struggling to recover from the pandemic, IT companies are expanding like never before. How is this pivotal sector seemingly thriving in an economy hit by Covid-19? Listen to anecdotes from IT professional Pallavi Thakur, while staffing firm Xpheno Founder Kamal Karanth and ET's Ayan Pramanik dive deeper into the jobs boom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explosives, a dead man, a top cop, a senior politician and allegations of extortion - this baffling scandal involving the Mumbai Police will have far-reaching implications for the police, politicians and the people, say our guests D Sivanandhan, Former Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Arun Bhatia, Former IAS Officer and Writer-Editor Meenal Baghel. Sound bytes courtesy Times Now. Host - Devina SenguptaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a year since we've been cooped up in fear of a fast-spreading virus. How have the job market, economy, and bourses reacted and adapted to this black swan event? ET's Deepshikha Sikawar, Saumya Bhattacharya, Nishanth Vasudevan, and Divya Rajagopal discuss. Janata curfew byte courtesy TOI Online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will the bumper investor response to e-gaming firm Nazara Technologies' IPO turbo charge India's fast-growing gaming industry? Nazara Founder, Nitish Mittersain and ET's Disha Sharma talk about what lies ahead for esports in India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 7 seasons of the Indian Super League, franchises are yet to break even. Beyond the pandemic, what's making the situation dire even as the game's popularity is rising? Bhaichung Bhutia, Former Indian footballer, Aditya Datta, COO of FC Goa and Balu Nayar, Former MD of IMG India discuss the makings of a successful sports leaguSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rahul Gandhi has been on the campaign trail reaching out to the youth and the marginalised ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Congress' National Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and ET's Senior Editor C.L.Manoj help us decode the party's strategies and what’s at stake for India’s grand old party.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A host of Indian startups are considering going public this year. Is this coming of age spurred by ambition or pressure from investors wanting to exit? Karthik Reddy, Co-Founder of Blume Ventures, and ET Startups' editor Samidha Sharma discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Non-fungible tokens are enabling digital artists to monetise their work in an ingenious new way using blockchain technology. Ramani Ramachandran, CEO of ZPX, Riya Ramani, a Crypto-Artist, and ET’s Anandi Chandrasekhar discuss if the art on a hard drive is just a FOMO fad or it has the potential to revolutionise how contracts are maintained.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic pushed more women than men out of jobs and even made it harder for them to get back to work. Rosa Abraham, a Senior Research Fellow at Azim Premji University, Sairee Chahal, Founder of Sheroes, and ET’s Saumya Bhattacharya uncover the problems that women face in the workplace and ways to fix them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.