PM Modi's followers on X reach 100-million milestone

New Delhi: The number of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's followers on his X handle crossed the 100-million mark on Sunday, registering an impressive growth of nearly 30 million in the past three years, officials said.

He is already the most followed head of government on the social media platform globally.

Officials noted that his followers are quite a few times more in number in comparison to most followed opposition leaders like AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and Congress' Rahul Gandhi who have 27.5 million and 26.4 million followers respectively.

Among other heads of government with a large following are US President Joe Biden (38.1 million) and Turkiye's Recep Tayyip Eedogen (21.5 million).

In a post, Prime Minister Modi said, "A hundred million on @X! Happy to be on this vibrant medium and cherish the discussion, debate, insights, people’s blessings, constructive criticism and more. Looking forward to an equally engaging time in the future as well." An official said, "PM Modi has more followers even compared to active global athletes like Virat Kohli (64.1 million), Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr (63.6 million) and American basketball player LeBron James (52.9 million)." "He is ahead of even celebrities like Taylor Swift (95.3 million), Lady Gaga (83.1 million), and Kim Kardashian (75.2 million)," the official said.

He said world leaders often eagerly engage with Modi on social media because connecting with him significantly boosts their own follower base, engagements, views and reposts. This was seen recently in Italy as well as Austria, the official added.

Prime Minister Modi is also an influential presence on YouTube and Instagram with nearly 25 million subscribers and more than 91 million followers respectively.

Since joining X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2009, he has consistently used it for constructive engagement, officials noted, highlighting that he has never blocked anyone.

"He maintains an active and engaging persona, follows numerous common citizens, interacts with them, replies to their messages, and has never blocked anyone. PM Modi has always used this platform organically, without ever resorting to paid promotions or bots," an official said, adding that it reflects his ability to resonate with a diverse and dynamic audience.