PM Modi crosses 100 million X followers, netizens share 2018 report showing 60% fake followers
Similar claims where made when he crossed previous milestones in 2021 and 2012
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official Twitter account, @narendramodi, has crossed a significant milestone by surpassing 100 million followers.
The achievement sparked congratulations from BJP leaders and trended widely on X. However, amidst the celebration, controversy arose as users shared a 2018 study suggesting that Modi had a substantial percentage of fake followers, a claim also highlighted when he crossed previous milestones in 2021 (70 million followers) and 2012 (1 million followers).
Several social media users pointed to a 2018 study conducted by the social media site, which claimed that Modi had the highest percentage of fake followers — 60 per cent.
According to a study by Status People back in 2012, approximately 46% of Modi's followers are deemed fake, while 41% are inactive. This information, provided by engineers based in London, had led to discussions about the authenticity of Modi's massive follower base in 2012 when he had reached 1M followers.
Since its inception in 2009, PM Modi's account has steadily accumulated followers, reflecting his strategic use of Twitter to bolster his social media presence. Previous analyses, including a 2015 study by the University of Michigan found that a combination of carefully crafted tweets and strategic followbacks to other Twitter accounts helped the PM build a powerful social media brand.
“PM Modi is fake from top to bottom, even his followers are FAKE,” one user tweeted sharing the old study of 2018.
Despite the milestone, debates surrounding the methods used to expand PM Modi's X following continue to resonate on social media platforms. Netizens have been pretty vocal in calling out PM Modi for fake followers.
BREAKING NEWS ➖ PM Modi is fake from top to bottom, even his followers are FAKE ⚡⚡
— Ravinder Kapur. (@RavinderKapur2) July 14, 2024
Twitter ( now X ) says Narendra Modi has 60% fake followers and he's No 2 on the list of fake followers on Twitter around the world. pic.twitter.com/RtvTvJKk3U
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Two Delhi men held for BMTC bus phone thefts in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Whitefield police have arrested two men from Delhi for allegedly stealing mobile phones from passengers travelling in Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and solved 14 theft cases, officials said on Tuesday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Jai Chand (25), who worked at a hotel in Delhi, and Tarun (34), an autorickshaw driver in Delhi.
Officials said on January 24, a Mahadevapura resident lodged a complaint that his iPhone 15 Plus was stolen while he was travelling on a BMTC bus towards Whitefield.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case and arrested two suspects within an hour near a lodge on Hosa Road. During the arrest, the police found a bag containing several stolen mobile phones.
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“During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they were stealing mobile phones from passengers travelling in BMTC buses. They had also committed thefts during a concert held under the Channarayapatna police station limits on January 23,” the police said.
Investigations revealed that the accused had travelled from Delhi for the concert and stolen mobile phones from the audience. A third suspect is at large and is likely hiding in the Shahdara area of Delhi.
One of the victims, a YouTuber, raised the theft issue in February in a post on X.
“Here is my (FIR No 0013/2026 is registered in Channarayapatana PS. Your GSC No. is PO1814260100013) request @DelhiPolice @BlrCityPolice to plz look into this & get my device back since it's my work phone & I am a youtuber, all my data is there! someone plz help. @dcpwhitefield,” Anirban Sarkar posted on X on February 6.
Police have recovered 14 mobile phones of various brands, collectively valued at about Rs 9 lakh, from the accused. The two were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.
In total, one case from Whitefield and 13 from Channarayapatna police stations were detected. Further investigation is underway.
