Indian elections: controversial and viral pictures

Social media has played a great role in these elections, not only through the Twitter and Facebook accounts of famous political leaders, but also because of the internet trolls and fans who picked images up and made them go viral. Here are a few images that made their rounds on social networks this year.

Meghna Patel and BJP

Meghna Patel left BJP red-faced after photos of her posing nude posing in a bed of lotuses and a placard seeking support for Modi went viral on the internet. The “bold” act left conservative BJP with their jaws hanging, inviting a comment from Madhav Bhandari, Maharashtra State BJP’s spokesperson: “We welcome people supporting us, but we are not in support of such a vulgar display. If you want to support Modi, there are other ways, like attending his rallies. We completely condemn this behavior.”

Tanisha Singh and Congress

After Meghna Patel set the trend, Tanisha Singh, a Bollywood heroine, quickly followed. The actress did a photoshoot for the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, posing nude with placards with his face on it.

Rajiv Shukla and Tanisha Singh's "moment"

Here, Rajiv Shukla is “caressing” Bollywood actor, Ameesha Patel. This picture got mocked widely all over the internet, calling it their “moment”.

Modi's selfie

Congress and other opposition leaders created a storm with the Election Commission after Modi was caught flashing the BJP symbol during polling. After voting, Modi clicked a selfie of his inked finger with the lotus, an action which resulted in a First Information Report being filed against him.

Chiranjeevi tries to break voter queue

This picture of Actor Chiranjeevi trying to jump the queue when he went out to vote on April 30th went viral after a voter stopped him and asked him to respect the queue.

Gajraj Singh tries to kiss Actress Nagma

Actress Nagma, who is a Congress candidate, was publicly touched by Gajraj Singh, the Congress legislator. He tried to kiss her during her campaign in Hapur.

Priyanka Gandhi pinches her mother's cheek

This is a picture of Sonia Gandhi and her daughter’s first joint appearance in the Uttar Pradesh elections. Priyanka pinched her mother’s cheek, followed by an affectionate gesture with the promise of a gift.

Rahul Gandhi inside Amethi polling booth

This image shows Rahul Gandhi talking to voters inside a polling booth, which went viral with another image which showed him looking at an EVM while a voter stood beside him. These images were shared by both the BJP and AAP’s twitters.

Spiderman makes his rounds

Gauruv Sharma, also known as Indian Spiderman, is contesting as an independent candidate in the elections. Here, he’s seen greeting people, dressed in a style not even Modi can't beat.

Here’s another picture of Gauruv Sharma, possibly busting some moves for a group of children.

Arvind Kejriwal's yawn, wow

A picture of Arvind Kejriwal yawning at a public meeting in Ahmedabad was picked up by trolls who immediately began making several memes of it.

Posing in hats

These photographs are of Indian politicians posing in the traditional Assamese ‘Japi’ hat during their campaign rallies in the state.