Narendra Modi got 722 hours of TV airtime in April, Rahul Gandhi only 252 hours

In April, when the Lok Sabha Elections were still underway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received three times more TV airtime than his political opponent and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The data revealed by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) took the period from April 1 to April 28 for the data.

According to the BARC data, Modi was shown by television news channels for more than 722, while Rahul Gandhi was shown for less than 252 hours. This difference becomes even starker since Modi addressed one rally less than the 65 that the Congress President addressed during that period.

Similarly, BJP President Amit Shah got 124 hours of TV airtime, while Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was shown for over 84 hours. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati was shown on TV channels for about 85 hours.

According to the report, Modi was shown on TV channels for longer duration because he apparently boosts target rating points (TRP).

The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 started on April 11 and will continue till May 19. The results will be declared on May 23. The last phase of the election is scheduled for May 19. Fifty-nine Lok Sabha constituencies spread across eight states will vote on this phase - Bihar (8 parliamentary constituencies), Jharkhand (3), Madhya Pradesh (8), Punjab (13), West Bengal (9), Chandigarh (1), Uttar Pradesh (13) and Himachal Pradesh (4).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi contested from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, while Rahul Gandhi contested from Amethi and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies.

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