#/media/File:The_Guardian_Building_Window_in_London.JPG){kind=link}
The Western press has continued with its stereotypical negative coverage of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, despite being called out on several occasions by the Indian political leadership.
In an appeal published on its website on Thursday, the British publication stated that it would like to hear from the young or the first-time voters.
"The elections have been described by analysts as the most predictable polls India has held in decades, with prime minister Narendra Modi and his BJP widely expected to win a third term in power. Amid a crackdown on the opposition, analysts and opponents have warned this could be the most one-sided election in India’s history," the Guardian stated in its apparent reachout to Indian voters.
Casting doubts on the sincerity of Guardian's appeal to Indian voters, author and analyst Prashant Pandey told Sputnik India that the Western media acknowledged the fact that Modi had a massive popularity among the young, or the first-time voters.
"The Western establishment, of which media is a part, is seeking to discredit the Indian election by trying to confuse the voters or discrediting the popular mandate. This is their Plan B after the West failed to influence the Modi government on its foreign policy choices," stated Pandey, the co-author of book BBC's True Lives released this year.
"There's a definite reason why they are interested in the election more than ever," Pandey added.
On the other hand, Voice of America (VOA) amplified claims of the main opposition Congress party which has accused Prime Minister Modi of delivering a "hate speech" during a campaign rally in the western state of Rajasthan on 21 April.
"It is communal politics and a concerted attempt to otherise minorities and Muslims in particular and instill a sense of insecurity among the majority Hindu community by pushing the opposition into the bracket of those who work for welfare of the minorities,” the VOA quoted an Indian political analyst as stating.
The same publication has also rehashed opposition claims casting doubts on the integrity of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), as it called for the counting of Voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPAT) to bolster "voters confidence".
"How could Modi be blamed if the election is turning out to be one-sided, as the western press continues to claim," he questioned.