PM Modi's lookalikes in limelight amid Lok Sabha elections 2024
PM Modi's lookalikes: Rashid Ahmed, an electric rickshaw driver who is affectionately known as 'Modi' in his Delhi neighbourhood, is one of the many prime ministerial lookalikes featured in BJP campaigns.
Ahmed, a local celebrity, lives with his wife, children, and grandchildren in a modest two-room home. Visitors eager to see him or photograph him frequently interrupt his everyday activities, according to Reuters. Ahmed is also known as "Modi uncle" among the children in his Delhi neighbourhood.
"I've been like this since the beginning, but since Modi became prime minister, there's been more discussion about it," Ahmed told Reuters.
Rashid Ahmed has visited Bharatiya Janata Party rallies as a prime ministerial doppelganger, thrilling people in the audience who initially mistook him for the leader, according to the report. Such engagements have earned him approximately 1,000 rupees each. "People do give us money (for the rallies) and we also have to take (it) because we are leaving work," he stated.
Another Modi lookalike is Jagdish Bhatia, who owns a real estate company in an affluent neighbourhood of the capital and practices a spiritual sect that is not affiliated with any religion. When asked about attending BJP rallies, Bhatia stated that he does not accept money for doing so, viewing them as a "social service" because he supports the Prime Minister's vision.
"I admired Modi's efforts for the country's development. That's why I enjoy contributing to the party," Bhatia explained.
- With inputs from agencies
