PM Modi tags Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati and film stars in appeal to boost 2019 turnout

After the announcement of the 2019 Lok Sabha election schedule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday morning appealed to politicians, film stars, sportspersons, religious leaders and the media to help raise voter participation, tagging many of them in a string of tweets.

The appeal

In a blog post, Mr Modi noted that the first phase of polling was less than a month away and described voting as one of every citizen’s key duties. He said first-time voters in particular should treat the election as a celebration of democracy, and called for a mood in which people felt proud to vote. His appeal had four parts: register today, check your name carefully on the voter list, plan your day around voting, and encourage others to do the same.

He said he wanted people from public life, politics, industry, sport and cinema to spread awareness, adding that he hoped this election would see turnout that broke all previous records.

Who was tagged

Among the political leaders he tagged were Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati, along with Nitish Kumar, Sharad Pawar, Naveen Patnaik, Akhilesh Yadav, Chandrababu Naidu, MK Stalin, Jagan Mohan Reddy, HD Kumaraswamy, Pawan Chamling, Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Aaditya Thackeray.

He asked actors Salman Khan and Aamir Khan to inspire young people to vote in their own style, and urged Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana and others to help turn voting into a hit story. Addressing cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, he said they had set records on the field and should now help citizens set a record at the ballot box. He also tagged Arun Puri of the India Today Group, saying the media plays a vital role in a democracy and asking him to promote registration and voting.

See also: elections overview.

Originally published on 13 March 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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