UP Congress Chief Challenges Modi's Popularity Despite 100 Million X Followers

Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's social media followers, asserting his popularity is declining. Despite Modi reaching 100 million followers on 'X', Rai highlighted a drop in Modi's Varanasi votes and accused the BJP of failing their promises and dividing the nation.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai has contested Prime Minister Narendra Modi's digital acclaim despite the latter surpassing 100 million followers on social media platform X. Rai claimed on Monday that regardless of Modi's impressive follower count, his popularity among the public is dwindling.

'Modi Ji's graph is now declining. It doesn't matter how many followers he has because his image has now fallen in the eyes of the public. In Varanasi, last time Modi Ji won by 5,00,000 votes, and this time only by 1,50,000 votes. This time, he received 65,000 fewer votes. The public is no longer favouring Modi Ji,' Rai remarked.

Modi has notably become the most followed leader in office worldwide, boasting over 100 million followers on 'X'. When comparing Indian political figures on the platform, Modi's follower count significantly outshines others.

Citing opposition leaders' followings, Rai noted that the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has 26.4 million, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with 27.5 million, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav with 19.9 million, and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee with 7.4 million. He also listed Rashtriya Janata Dal's Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav, alongside NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, underscoring their relatively lower follower counts.

Furthermore, Modi surpasses leading global figures including US President Joe Biden, who has 38.1 million followers, Dubai's HH Sheikh Mohammed (11.2 million), and Pope Francis (18.5 million). Responding to BJP's recent electoral losses, Rai asserted the party's struggles.

'They did nothing about the promises they made to the public. Whenever they talked about jobs, every exam had paper leaks. They had the UP police exams conducted by people from Gujarat, who have now fled abroad,' he criticized. 'Congress is a party that takes everyone along. It has always been the nature of the BJP to divide and rule. They have formed governments by breaking others. They broke their oldest ally, Shiv Sena. They turned the real into fake and the fake into real,' Rai condemned.

Additionally, Rai emphasized the growing alliance between Congress and Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, predicting continued collaboration. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged active participation for upcoming Assembly by-elections and the 2027 Assembly elections.

(With inputs from agencies.)