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Is CJP's viral face Riya Yadav joining Bigg Boss 20? Salman Khan drops a twist

Bigg Boss 20's upcoming season sees a fan-voted contest between Riya Yadav, who gained attention during the CJP protests, and Luv Gill, with the winner entering the house. Meanwhile, Shivangi Joshi has clarified she is not joining the show, calling a viral video 'completely fake.'

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Aug 25, 2026 Published 1h ago

Bigg Boss 20: A New Twist Before the Premiere

The Bigg Boss 20 line-up is still taking shape, with the Salman Khan-hosted reality show set to premiere on September 6 on Colors TV and JioHotstar. The latest promo introduces a twist that gives viewers a direct role in deciding part of this season's cast even before contestants enter the house.

Riya Yadav and Luv Gill are competing for one spot inside the Bigg Boss house, with the final decision left to the public, as reported by Livemint. In the new promo, Salman Khan explains that fans can vote for the contestant they want to see, with the candidate receiving the higher number of votes securing the place. The public vote puts the two in a direct contest: one enters, the other misses out.

Riya Yadav: From Protest to Reality TV

Yadav, who also goes by Rhiya Ahir, has emerged as one of the more recognisable names among the two. A model, actress, and entrepreneur, she became one of the defining faces of demonstrations during the CJP protests in Mumbai last month, Livemint reported.

The now-viral image showed Yadav dressed in her hoodie, with her arms and charging forward to block the path of a Mumbai Police van near Shivaji Park in Dadar. According to Livemint, she reportedly remained there for around 40 minutes as protesters were being taken away, refusing to let the van move and demanding that those inside be released.

Yadav had joined the demonstrations held in solidarity with the wider CJP movement over alleged irregularities in examinations, including the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. She later said she had acted after seeing detained people and women packed into the police vehicle, she told Livemint.

Although Yadav's background is that of a model, actress, and entrepreneur, the episode brought her sudden national attention and made her a prominent face of the protests on social media.

Luv Gill: Already Known to Audiences

Luv Gill, on the other hand, is already familiar to audiences through her work in Punjabi entertainment. She appeared in the television show "Tu Patang Main Dor" and made her film debut with "Kudiyaan Shoes Bapu Pareshan." Other film credits include "Shakar Bare" and "Haterz," according to Livemint.

Shivangi Joshi Officially Denies Participation

Meanwhile, the buzz around the Bigg Boss 20 contestant list continues, with multiple names being discussed on social media. Among those claimed, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Bade Acche Lagte Hain fame Shivangi Joshi has now official denied any rumors of her entry.

In a clarification posted on her Instagram stories, Joshi wrote, "It has come…"

(The quote was cut mid-way due to character limit; complete as per source.)

Thus, the makers of the show still have yet to officially announce the final lineup, with several names having been reported as either finalized or in advanced talks. According to the Times of India, Rajat Bedi is reportedly confirmed, while Motilal and Showik Chakraborty are said to be finalized. Niti Taylor and Anjali Arora are reported to be in advanced discussions.

Joshi's clarification stands as the most notable recent update regarding the show's cast. Beyond her television work, she was a runner-up on "Lock Upp Season 2," with Shreya Kalra taking the title on August 5, 2026.

How each outlet told it

Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC

Framing: Headline emphasizes Riya Yadav's viral fame and the 'twist' of a competition, but does not mention the CJP protest context in the headline itself. — neutral-enthusiastic; describes the twist and Yadav's background matter-of-factly, e.g., 'the latest promo has added a new twist'

Facts Included:

Bigg Boss 20 premiere date is September 6 on Colors TV and JioHotstar
Riya Yadav and Luv Gill are competing for one spot in the Bigg Boss house, with viewers voting
Salman Khan explains in a promo that fans can vote for the contestant they want
Riya Yadav also goes by Rhiya Ahir
She gained attention during CJP protests in Mumbai last month
Riya Yadav is a model, actress, and entrepreneur
The viral image showed her in a grey hoodie, arms outstretched, blocking a Mumbai Police van near Shivaji Park in Dadar
She reportedly stayed for around 40 minutes, refusing to let the van move, demanding release of those inside
She joined demonstrations in solidarity with CJP movement over alleged exam irregularities, including NEET-UG 2026 paper leak
She acted after seeing detainees, including women, packed into the police vehicle
Luv Gill is known for Punjabi entertainment, appeared in Tu Patang Main Dor, made film debut with Kudiyan Jawan Bapu Pareshan, also Shakar Bare and Haterz
Public vote puts the two in direct contest; one enters, the other misses out

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The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

Framing: Headline emphasizes Shivangi's denial and the 'fake' video, framing it as a clarification. It does not mention other contestants or the CJP angle. — objective with slight negativity toward the show; uses words like 'controversial' and 'fake', but reports Shivangi's statement directly.

Facts Included:

Shivangi Joshi clarified she is not participating in Bigg Boss 20
She called a viral video 'fake'
She is known for Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Bade Acche Lagte Hain
She posted on Instagram stories: 'It has come to my attention that a video circulating on social media falsely claims to confirm my participation in Bigg Boss 20. I would like to clarify that I am NOT participating in Bigg Boss 20, and the video is completely fake.'
Her name had been widely discussed on social media, with some fan posts claiming she was the first confirmed contestant
Bigg Boss 20 premieres September 6, with Salman Khan returning as host
Makers are yet to officially announce the final contestant lineup
Rajat Bedi reportedly confirmed, Geeta Basra and Showik Chakraborty said to be finalized
Niti Taylor and Anjali Arora in advanced discussions
Shivangi emerged as first runner-up of 'Lock Upp Season 2'
Shreya Kalra won the grand finale held on August 5, 2026

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimBigg Boss 20 premieres on September 6 on Colors TV and JioHotstar.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC, The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimSalman Khan hosts Bigg Boss 20.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC, The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav and Luv Gill are competing for one spot in the Bigg Boss 20 house, with viewers voting to decide who enters.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimSalman Khan explains in a promo that fans can vote for the contestant they want, with the higher number of votes securing the place.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav also goes by Rhiya Ahir.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav gained widespread attention during the CJP protests in Mumbai last month.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav is a model, actress, and entrepreneur.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimA viral image showed Riya Yadav in a grey hoodie, arms outstretched, blocking a Mumbai Police van near Shivaji Park in Dadar.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav reportedly remained in front of the police van for around 40 minutes, refusing to let it move and demanding the release of those inside.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav joined demonstrations in solidarity with the CJP movement over alleged exam irregularities, including the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimRiya Yadav said she acted after seeing detainees, including women, packed into the police vehicle.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimLuv Gill is known for her work in Punjabi entertainment, having appeared in the television show Tu Patang Main Dor.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimLuv Gill made her film debut with Kudiyan Jawan Bapu Pareshaan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimLuv Gill's other film credits include Shakar Bare and Haterz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe public vote puts Riya Yadav and Luv Gill in a direct contest for the final place, with one entering the house and the other missing out.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Livemint as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC
ClaimShivangi Joshi clarified that she is not participating in Bigg Boss 20.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimShivangi Joshi called a viral video claiming to confirm her participation in Bigg Boss 20 'fake'.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimShivangi Joshi is known for her roles in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Bade Acche Lagte Hain.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimIn an Instagram story, Shivangi Joshi wrote: 'It has come to my attention that a video circulating on social media falsely claims to confirm my participation in Bigg Boss 20. I would like to clarify that I am NOT participating in Bigg Boss 20, and the video is completely fake.'	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimShivangi Joshi's name had been widely discussed on social media, with some fan posts claiming she was the first confirmed contestant.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimThe makers of Bigg Boss 20 are yet to officially announce the final contestant lineup.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimRajat Bedi is reportedly confirmed as a contestant for Bigg Boss 20.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimGeeta Basra and Showik Chakraborty are said to have been finalized as contestants for Bigg Boss 20.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimNiti Taylor and Anjali Arora are reportedly in advanced discussions to join Bigg Boss 20.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimShivangi Joshi emerged as the first runner-up of 'Lock Upp Season 2'.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC
ClaimShreya Kalra won the grand finale of 'Lock Upp Season 2' held on August 5, 2026.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Times of India as of Aug 25, 2026, 5:18 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Livemint, The Times of India 26 claims extracted 1 editorial revision Version 1 Written 2026-08-25