Credibility Of Major Indian Media Sinks Further After Modi Loses Majority
June 9, 2024
Prior to the announcement of Indian parliamentary election results on June 4, major media outlets in India – across television, cable, print and online - forecast that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would win re-election with a far larger two thirds majority. Their exit polls too forecast that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win between 380 and 410 of the 543 seats in parliament.
For instance, in May, The Times Of India published an interview with Amit Shah, Home Minister in Modi’s cabinet. Shah stated that Modi’s alliance would win more than 400 seats. “There are no ifs and buts…Both our victory margin and seats will increase,” Shah stated.
Pro-Modi reporting by India’s major media outlets was not surprising.