Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), revealed on Saturday, July 20, 2024, that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the most followed political leader on the platform.

"Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being the most followed leader in the world!" Musk tweeted, noting that Modi's following has surpassed 100 million.

Modi's achievement comes on the heels of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing a landslide victory in India's recent general elections, although the opposition claims voters sent a clear message to the Hindu nationalist party after it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in a decade.

The BJP-led coalition secured an absolute majority in Parliament, according to figures released by the Election Commission. However, the BJP itself won 240 seats, down from 303 five years ago, indicating a need for reliance on coalition partners.

Addressing a crowd of supporters in New Delhi after his party's victory, Modi declared that India had given the BJP and its allies a mandate for "a third consecutive term."

"Our third term will see major decisions and the country will write a new chapter of development. This is a guarantee from Modi," he added.

Modi was re-elected from his constituency, representing the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, by a margin of 152,300 votes, compared to half a million votes five years ago.

India's elections are a logistical behemoth, with 642 million voters casting their ballots in major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as sparsely populated forest regions and the Himalayas.

According to the Election Commission, 66.3% of the 968 million registered voters participated, slightly lower than the 67.4% turnout in the last general election in 2019.