PM urges actors, politicos to raise voter awareness
NEWDELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tagged top politicians, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, celebrities including Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, and other prominent personalities on Twitter urging them to “encourage” people to vote in record numbers in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
“I appeal to @Rahulgandhi, @Mamataofficial, @PawarSpeaks, @Mayawati, @yadavakhilesh, @yadavtejashwi and @ mkstal i n to e ncourage increased voter participation in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. A high turnout augurs well for our democratic fabric,” reads one of the tweets posted by PM Modi.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav responded to PM Modi’s tweet with a dig urging people to elect a new PM in the Lok Sabha election. “I felt happy that the prime minister appealed to mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) for mahaparivartan (grand change). I will also appeal to all Indian citizens to vote in large numbers and elect a new prime minister,” Yadav said in his post.
The PM also tagged actors Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan among others saying, “I am sure their message will have a positive impact on our citizens.” He also urged actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, and filmmaker Karan Johar to “creatively ensure high voter awareness and participation in the coming elections.” He also named industry leaders Ratan Tata and Anand Mahindra in his posts on Twitter for “ensuring maximum participation in voting.”
PM Modi reached out prominent personalities from a wide spectrum of society soon after posting a blog.
In his blog, PM Modi wrote: “Would you want a situation where something happens in the country that you disapprove of and you are forced to think - because I did not go vote that day, this unfortunate situation has arisen and the nation is suffering. Spare yourself from that regret and go vote.”