Washington, Dec 8 (IANS) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the winner of this year’s reader poll for TIME Person of the Year, but his name does not figure in the magazine editors’ own list of final eight.
This year’s possible winners include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani and singer Taylor Swift.
The list also includes groups of individuals, like the Ebola caregivers and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.
TIME magazine editor Nancy Gibbs revealed the eight finalists on the “Today” show Monday morning.
The TIME editors’ choice of the person who have had the biggest influence on the news within the past year will be announced Wednesday.
In the final tally of reader poll, Modi received more than 16 percent of the almost five million votes cast.
Protesters who took to the streets in Ferguson, Missouri, after the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager finished second with nine percent.
Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and the doctors and nurses treating Ebola rounded out the top five.
A majority of votes, 60 percent, came from desktop computers. Just over 35 percent came from mobile devices, and 4.5 percent of readers voted on tablets.