Modi, Mukesh, Sundar in fray for Time Person of the Year

Time said 2015 is filled with newsmakers who have defined the year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reliance Industries Ltd. chairman Mukesh Ambani and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are among over 50 global leaders, business chiefs and pop icons named as contenders by the Time magazine for its “Person of the Year” honour to be announced on December 9.

The title goes to a person who “most influenced the news this year for better or worse”.

“Prime Minister of India has encouraged foreign direct investment in India and is trying to modernise the world’s largest democracy. He has also faced controversy over what some see as right-wing extremism,” the magazine said.

Mr. Modi was a contender last year too, but was only named the winner of the readers’ poll as he had secured more than 16 per cent of the almost five million votes cast. The readers’ poll this year will close at 11.59 p.m. on December 4 and the winner announced on December 7. Mr. Modi now ranks 19th in the poll, with 1.4 per cent of the vote share, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping who has 0.9 %.

“The chairman of RIL — which owns everything from telecommunications properties to the world’s largest crude oil refinery — is the richest person in India,” said the magazine. Mr. Mukesh Ambani has been able to garner 0.3 per cent of the vote share and is ahead of Michael Dell who has 0.2 per cent.

As for the Chennai-born Sundar Pichai, the magazine said: “After 11 years at Google, most recently as co-founder Larry Page’s right hand, Pichai assumed the tech giant’s top job. Amid a wave of change, he will oversee core businesses, including search, ads, Android and YouTube.”

In a separate ‘face-off’ poll, Mr. Modi has been pitted against Mr. Xi, and Mr. Ambani against Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.