New Delhi, Nov 21

Had elections been fought on the basis of online mentions and conversations, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would've won hands down, according to a report released Thursday.

In its seventh edition of October (first released in April), the report titled 'India’s Most Mentioned Political Leaders' lists Modi as the most mentioned political leader online.

He is followed by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Released by Blogworks, a social media consulting firm, the audit identifies 20 leaders on the basis of their share of mentions in online conversations.

While it was Modi's speech in Patna that drew support and conversations for him, the prime minister's statement he is not above law and ready to face the Central Bureau of Investigation with respect to the Coalgate scandal garnered mentions for him.

"The main idea behind these audits is to understand social conversations. We build upon existing conversations, diagnose them and share it with the people. They also reflect the shift in conversations with regards to political leaders and parties," said Rajesh Lalwani, founder, Blogworks.

For the report, 187 political leaders, including lawmakers and ministers, were considered who were analysed on various themes like corruption, caste and religion, youth and employment, and defence and foreign policy. 

The top 100 most discussed and shared conversation threads were examined.

The report also states the overall volume of mentions around political leaders decreased 23 percent in October as compared to September 2013.

By:IANS