Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity on the social media platform X has been questioned after a study revealed that over half of his followers may be fake or bot accounts.
According to analysis by Grok, between 40 to 60 percent of Modi’s 109 million followers appear suspicious, with an estimated 44 million to 65 million accounts likely inactive or artificially created.
The exact numbers remain uncertain without access to X’s internal data, as social media platforms regularly remove fake accounts and bots, affecting follower statistics over time.
Earlier reports dating back to 2012 and 2017 had already raised concerns, showing a significant portion of Modi’s followers were either inactive or fake, highlighting the role of bots in shaping online narratives.
Recent research indicates that AI and automated bots have been used to manipulate hashtags and trends for electoral advantages, generating large volumes of fake traffic during campaigns, including the 2019 elections.
These findings collectively suggest that Modi’s online popularity is largely manufactured, raising questions about the authenticity of engagement and the influence of automated accounts in political communication.