"NARENDRA MODI, India’s prime minister, is a once-in-a-generation political phenomenon. He commands support for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) across class, caste and language.

He is the face of his party in national elections, state elections and even local elections. In India’s Westminster-style parliamentary system, only a lucky few have the chance to vote for him directly. But after nearly 12 years of his prime ministership it is no exaggeration to say that every vote cast for the BJP is a vote for Mr Modi.

This is in part because of the elaborate cult of personality built around him. It is a rare morning that Mr Modi’s face is not in the papers—across both advertisements and news reports. He is a mascot for welfare schemes and an icon who graces every central-government website. He looks out from social-media ads and down from billboards. India’s biggest cricket stadium is named after him. A rail service to the capital, Namo Bharat, takes part of its name from a short version of his. There is even a road named after his mother. A visitor to India will encounter Mr Modi’s face more often in one day in Delhi than Xi Jinping’s in a month in Beijing."

https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/12/30/cults-of-personality-pervade-all-levels-of-indian-politics

#India #Modi #Populism

'2026 Will Be A Banger:' Elon Musk, PM Modi, Meloni, Rajinikanth, Neeraj Chopra And Others Tweet New Year Wishes

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FINDING: MODI – Find where & when a photo was taken (geolocation & chronolocation)

https://peertube.gravitywell.xyz/w/iMVUN6xxihEjVwvptULGLF