Modi tweets Bollywood celebs, cricketers, political rivals with poll message

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister, a prolific social media user, tagged Bollywood stars, politicians, sportsmen, journalists in a series of tweets Wednesday urging them to bring out voters on polling days.

In first tweet this morning, he tagged political rivals Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and MK Stalin.

“I appeal to encourage increased voter participation in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. A high turnout augurs well for our democratic fabric,” he said.

Calling ‘Gully Boy’ stars Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan and Vicky Kaushal his friends, Modi said “many youngsters admire you” and “It is time to tell them: Apna Time Aa Gaya Hai and that it is time to turn up with high Josh to a voting centre near you”.

The Indian PM also urged the super stars of Bollywood Amitabh Bachan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan to " creatively ensure high voter awareness and participation" in the coming election.

Modi, 68, swept his right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party to power in 2014, forming the country's first majority government in almost three decades.

But despite remaining popular, he faces a challenge to repeat the feat when India's 900 million voters cast ballots between April 11 and May 19.

The opposition says Modi's flagship policies have failed to produce promised jobs, while thousands of debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in recent years.

His party however seems to have gained ground after India launched air strikes on Pakistan last month in response to a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops in Pulwama.

The global community however, reacted strongly to Modi's adventurism that brought the South Asian region at the brink of a nuclear conflict.