Old, False Claim About PM Modi Being Nobel Peace Prize Contender Resurfaces

The claim, which first surfaced in 2023, is completely false.

An old, false claim about Prime Minister Narendra Modi being a contender or nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize has resurfaced on social media.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

A news report by Times Now showing the Deputy Leader of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee Asle Toje is being shared on social media, where the anchor can be heard saying that as per Toje, "Prime Minister Modi is the biggest contender of the Nobel Peace Prize ahead of the 2024 elections."

The claim: The video is being shared with the statement in the report, with some users claiming that "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize."

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Altered by The Quint)

(Archived versions of more posts sharing this claim can be seen here, here, here, and here.)

But...?: The report old, dating back to 2023, and PM Modi was not considered a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize even back then.

• Toje's words had been misrepresented, prompting widespread media misreporting.

How do we know?: A simple keyword search on Times Now's social media accounts led us to a longer version of the video in the claim, which was first shared on 16 March 2023.

Team WebQoof had debunked this claim back in 2023 as well, when the same claim had gone viral.

We debunked this claim in 2023.

(Source: The Quint)

• For our fact-check, we went through Asle Toje's speeches and interviews with Indian news organisations, including two by ABP News and ANI.

• Speaking to ABP News, Toje mentioned he could disclose any nominations as he was bound by secrecy.

At the 03:59-minute mark, Toje tells the reporter, "Well, you're asking whether he [PM Modi] is a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize."

"The thing is I have the same answer to anybody. My answer is that I hope that every leader of every nation will be inspired to do the work that is necessary to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize."I hope that for President Modi. Obviously, I'm following his efforts and we all are. I really hope his initiatives will come to fruition. (sic)"

Asle Toje, Deputy Leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, March 2023

• Similarly, while speaking to ANI, Toje again made no specific statements about Modi being nominated or considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.

• A search for similar, recent reports did not show us any credible reports about such considerations in September 2025.

Names cannot be revealed: As per the statutes of the Nobel Prize committee, as seen on their website, information about nominations and nominees "cannot be revealed until 50 years later."

• Additionally, the website says that members of the committee do not divulge names of nominees or winners "neither to the media nor to the candidates themselves."

The website details clear rules for revealing names of nominees.

(Source: Nobel Prize/Altered by The Quint)

Conclusion: An old, false report about PM Modi being nominated or considered for the Nobel Peace Prize has resurfaced on social media.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)