PM Modi appeals to star cricketers to spread awareness about voting rights ahead of LS polls

The 17th Lok Sabha election will take place in seven phases starting April 11 and will conclude on May 19. The results will be declared on May 23. With over a couple of months to go for the mega election that will see 900 million valid voters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to a number of cricketers – current and former – to spread awareness about taking part in the upcoming election. The prime minister, who will seek his second mandate this time, said if this year’s election could set a new record of turnout, then the real winner will be democracy itself.

Modi appeals to Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit, Sachin, Kumble and others

Modi recently chose to tweet tagging ace current cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma besides former greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman to inspire people to come out and vote, just as they have done on the cricket pitch. The upcoming election will see over 15 million first-time voters and it is without a doubt that all the parties will try to win the support of those debutants.

Modi also appealed to legendary musicians Lata Mangeshkar and AR Rahman to do the same. The current PM continues to be a popular preference of the people and the recent air strikes in Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack certainly boosted the image of his government more among the people.

The Opposition Congress, on the other hand, is trying to cash in on issues like unemployment, Rafale, rural distress and also roped in Priyanka Gandhi, the sister of party president Rahul Gandhi, in January to formally lead the party in eastern UP where the parliamentary constituency (Varanasi) of Modi is also located. She launched the campaign in Modi’s home state of Gujarat on Tuesday.

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!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2019

Dear @anilkumble1074, @VVSLaxman281 and @virendersehwag – your heroic deeds on the cricket pitch have inspired millions.

Come, it is time to inspire people once again, this time to vote in record numbers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2019

When @mangeshkarlata Didi, @sachin_rt and @arrahman say something, the nation takes note!

I humbly request these remarkable personalities to inspire more citizens to come out and vote in the 2019 elections.

A vote is a great way to make the people's voice heard.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2019

The cricketers are expected to respond to the PM’s call even though they have a challenging season coming up comprising the World Cup starting in England and Wales in May.

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