The Big Take

How a Polarizing Modi Became India’s Most Popular Leader in Decades

A lot of people want a piece of India’s Narendra Modi. But it wasn’t always this way: listen to our new podcast, The Big Take Asia.

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By K Oanh Ha, Yang Yang, and Naomi Ng

May 14, 2024 at 10:29 PM UTC

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Narendra Modi is arguably the world’s most popular politician. With nearly 1 billion Indians eligible to vote in a six-week election that concludes on June 4, Modi and his party are expected to win a majority for the third time in a row and extend their decade in power.