PM Modi makes special appeal to Indian cricketers

With the Lok Sabha elections looming large over the political horizon, political leaders are appealing to the young, especially first time voters.

There are as many as 15 million young voters, between 18 and 19 years of age, who will cast their vote for the first time in the upcoming elections. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, nudged cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, among others, to influence their fans and young voters to come out in large numbers and exercise their vote.

The Prime Minister tweeted, “Dear @msdhoni, @imVkohli and @ImRo45, You are always setting outstanding records on the cricketing field but this time, do inspire the 130 crore people of India to set a new record of high voter turnout in the upcoming elections. When this happens, democracy will be the winner!”

This is one of the many tweets that Prime Minister Modi put out using his official twitter handle on Wednesday morning.

The prime minister also tagged some Bollywood personalities as well as the leaders of India Inc like Ratan Tata and Anand Mahindra making a similar request.

Polls to elect a new Lok Sabha will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. Votes will be counted on May 23.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the past, used a similar method to promote the ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’ in 2014 when he urged celebrities to influence people to participate in clean-up drives.