Chitra Tripathi is a prominent Indian Hindi-language television journalist and news anchor, best known for hosting political prime-time debate shows, first at Aaj Tak and now at ABP News. Chitra Tripathi biography details show she rose from a regional Doordarshan reporter in Gorakhpur to one of Hindi news television’s most recognisable political anchors, winning the Ramnath Goenka Award for her Kashmir conflict coverage. As of 2026, she remains a frequent presence in national political debates and continues to generate significant online search interest around her career moves and personal life.
Quick Facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Chitra Tripathi |
| Date of Birth | 11 May 1986 |
| Age (2026) | 40 |
| Birthplace | Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | |
| Education | Graduate, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University |
| Profession | Television journalist, news anchor |
| Known For | Political prime-time debate shows (Aaj Tak, ABP News) |
| Spouse | Atul Agarwal (m. 2008); separation reported 2025, not officially confirmed |
| Social Handles | Instagram: @chitraaum |
Who Is Chitra Tripathi?
Chitra Tripathi is one of Indian Hindi television’s leading political anchors, known for a direct, confrontational interviewing style on prime-time debate shows. Over roughly two decades in journalism, she has moved through several major Hindi news networks, building a reputation as an aggressive on-air questioner during election seasons and breaking political news.
She is also a frequently searched figure for reasons beyond her reporting work — her personal life, a 2025 viral-video controversy, and periodic online speculation about her marriage have all driven independent search traffic around her name.
Early Life and Family
Chitra Tripathi was born on 11 May 1986 in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a middle-class family. She grew up in Gorakhpur and, according to widely repeated profiles, did not originally set out to become a journalist — her interest reportedly developed after she took a job at the local Doordarshan Kendra station, which exposed her to the newsroom environment early on.
Education
Chitra Tripathi completed her graduate degree at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University. Specific details of her field of study are not consistently reported across sources. [
Career
Early Career: Doordarshan and Regional Reporting (2005 onward)
Chitra Tripathi began her television career in 2005 as a reporter and anchor at Doordarshan Kendra, Gorakhpur. This regional posting is credited across multiple profiles as the starting point that pulled her toward journalism as a profession.
Rise Through National Hindi News Networks
After Doordarshan, she moved to Delhi and worked through several national Hindi news channels, including Sahara India, India News, News24, and ETV Network, before joining Aaj Tak.
Aaj Tak and Political Prime-Time Shows
At Aaj Tak, Chitra Tripathi became one of the channel’s recognisable anchors, eventually rising to Deputy Editor. She hosted and moderated politically focused shows including “Kaun Banega Rashtrapati,” “2019 Kaun Jeetega,” and “Modi Ke 4 Saal,” and covered major national stories, including reporting from the Kashmir conflict — coverage that earned her the Ramnath Goenka Award in 2015.
Move to ABP News (2024–present)
Chitra Tripathi left Aaj Tak in 2024. Reported reasons for the move vary across sources and have not been officially confirmed by her or the network. She subsequently joined ABP News, where, as of 2026, she hosts programs including “Janhit” and “Mahadangal,” alongside earlier ABP shows such as “Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri.”
Awards and Recognition
- Ramnath Goenka Award (2015) — for her reporting on the Kashmir conflict.
- Best Anchor Award — cited in some profiles without a named awarding body or year.
Controversies
2025 Ravi Kishan private-event video controversy: On 8 August 2025, a video from a private family gathering — her nephew’s birthday celebration in Gorakhpur, attended by BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan along with his wife — was shared publicly on social media. Chitra Tripathi publicly objected to the video’s circulation, stating that other women from her family who were not on social media had been filmed without consent, and she threatened legal action against the user who shared it. The incident drew wider commentary after Chitra responded to a critic, writer Ashok Kumar Pandey, with a remark referencing the burqa; several commentators online characterised her response as prejudiced, while others defended it as a reaction to a privacy violation. Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak separately used the incident to accuse Chitra of a pro-BJP bias in her television debates — a claim that reflects a political dispute rather than a documented, adjudicated fact, and is presented here as an allegation, not a settled conclusion.
2024 deepfake video: In March 2024, fact-checking outlet BOOM identified a viral video using fake audio and a fabricated News24 survey attributed to Chitra Tripathi, falsely suggesting she had predicted a Congress-led alliance win in the Lok Sabha elections. BOOM confirmed the video was doctored from a genuine July 2023 debate clip and did not reflect anything Chitra actually said about that survey.
Personal Life
Chitra Tripathi married Atul Agarwal, a fellow journalist and founder of the Hindi Khabar news channel, on 23 November 2008. The couple have a son, Aum Agarwal.
Reports on the current status of their marriage conflict. Some coverage states that Chitra announced a separation from Atul in March 2025 after 16 years of marriage, reportedly framing it as an amicable co-parenting arrangement, with some reports linking the strain to a 2022 controversy in which Atul was accused of staging a robbery case in Noida (later found by police to be fake). Other, more recent 2026 coverage states there has been no official confirmation of a divorce, describing separation reports as unconfirmed rumours. Because these accounts directly conflict, this should be treated as unverified/disputed rather than settled fact until a direct statement from either party is available.
Net Worth
Chitra Tripathi’s net worth is reported by industry estimate sites at approximately ₹15–20 crore as of 2026, with a reported monthly anchoring salary in the range of ₹5–7 lakh. These are third-party estimates, not confirmed disclosures, and should be presented as such.
Chitra Tripathi in 2026
As of 2026, Chitra Tripathi continues to anchor prime-time political programming on ABP News, including “Janhit” and “Mahadangal,” and remains a regular presence in national election and budget coverage — including anchoring ABP’s Union Budget 2026 coverage in February 2026. Her birthday in May 2026 was marked by tributes from within the Indian television journalism industry, describing her as an inspiring figure for women entering the field. She remains a frequently searched name in Hindi news media, driven both by her on-air work and continued public interest in the 2025 controversy and her marital status.
FAQs
1. How old is Chitra Tripathi?
Chitra Tripathi was born on 11 May 1986, making her 40 years old as of 2026.
2. Which channel does Chitra Tripathi work for now?
She currently anchors for ABP News, having left Aaj Tak in 2024.
3. Who is Chitra Tripathi’s husband?
She is married to Atul Agarwal, a journalist and founder of the Hindi Khabar news channel; reports on whether they have separated are conflicting and unconfirmed.
4. What is Chitra Tripathi’s net worth?
Her net worth is estimated at ₹15–20 crore as of 2026, based on industry estimates rather than official disclosure.
5. What awards has Chitra Tripathi won?
She received the Ramnath Goenka Award in 2015 for her reporting on the Kashmir conflict.
6. What was the Chitra Tripathi–Ravi Kishan video controversy?
In August 2025, a private family-event video featuring Chitra, BJP MP Ravi Kishan, and family members was shared online without consent, leading Chitra to threaten legal action and sparking wider debate over her response to critics.
Last updated: September 2026
