In a scramble to go close to Modi, "future" PM, top PR firms makes personnel changes

By Rajiv Shah
Well-placed sources close to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi are happy – that, even as Modi is fighting a “winning battle” in the Lok Sabha polls to become India’s next prime minister, already, several public relations (PR) firms have begun to line up, even are closing ranks, and are vying with each other to be close to circles around the PM aspirant. According to these sources, they are making an “unprecedented effort” by recruiting persons who they believe have had access to Modi’s inner circles in Gujarat.
“If till now it was only one top international consultant, APCO Worldwide, involved in organizing the Vibrant Gujarat world business summits for Modi, which had managed to reach close to him, now things are clearly changing”, the sources point out. So close did APCO Worldwide reach to Modi that allegations began flying high on how the top international firm was “hired” for 25,000 US dollars a month to promote Modi worldwide, even campaign for visa, denied to him by Washington, amidst influential circles in the US.
While vehemently denying that APCO Worldwide in any way tried doing any other work beyond organizing public relations for the Vibrant Gujarat business summits, which were a biennial event after 2003, latest information with these sources suggests that PR firms in Delhi, Mumbai and elsewhere are trying hard to “highlight” how they are in no way worse that APCO Worldwide in promoting Modi, he becomes India’s Prime Minister. “There is already a lot of one-upmanship”, the sources point out.
By way of example, the sources say, one of the senior persons working with APCO Worldwide and having big claims of access to the chief minister’s office (CMO) in Gandhinagar, has just joined a top Delhi and Mumbai-based firm, Adfactors PR as senior vice president strategic communications and public affairs. “Tushar Panchal worked with APCO Worldwide between 2011 and 2013. His claim to have access to the CMO has seen him quickly ride up the PR ladder”, these sources point out.
Earlier, Panchal worked with Hansa Public Relations, which carried out a recent opinion poll for NDTV India channel. The opinion poll gave BJP under Modi close to 230 seats in the Lok Sabha, and the NDA a clear majority. Soon after the NDTV released its results, allegations were made that Panchal, as head of services to government practice for APCO Worldwide, “influenced” the poll, carried out by Hansa, in a very big way.
Sources close to Modi claim that while Adfactors PR may have “hired” Panchal in the hope that he would help reach closer to the circles around Modi, he is only one of the several persons who were “vying hard” to “handle” Modi’s PR job in the recent past, but with not much success. “Panchal’s exit from APCO Worldwide, if anything, was not amicable”, the sources point out, suggesting that Modi's did not allow to to go even closer to Modi after the Vibrant Gujarat business summit. APCO Worldwide's contract with the Gujarat government ended in March 2013.
Meanwhile, Panchal's profile describes him as a “specialist with over 20 years of experience in communication fields such as advertising, corporate communications, public relations, investment promotions, public affairs, government affairs and marketing communications.” It adds, “He specializes in relationship management and development and implementation of marketing and corporate communication and business strategies.” He is supposed to help top corporate circles in India by making an impact on the future BJP rule under Modi.
As the Adfactors PR’s website says, “As the world's largest democracy, India also has the world's largest number of political parties. Whether incidental or deliberate, their ideologies impact the functioning of practically every institution and sector.” Adfactors PR was hired by Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), which is a dream project of Modi. GIFT has so far failed to take off. Other PR firms which are seeking to go closer to Modi have also worked for the Gujarat government’s various agencies, including Mutual PR, Perfect Relations, Acti Media, Simulations and so on.

Comments

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

As India logs historic emissions drop, expert warns govt against 'policy blunders'

By A Representative In a significant development that underscores the rapid transformation of India's energy landscape, new data reveals the country recorded its largest drop in power sector emissions in 2025. However, a top power sector analyst has urged the Union Government to view this "silver lining" as a stark warning against continuing to invest in new coal, large hydro, and nuclear projects, which he argues could become "redundant" stranded assets.

Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque under siege: A test of Muslim solidarity and Palestine’s future

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* In the cacophony of Israel’s and the United States’ attack on Iran, one piece of news has been buried under the debris of war: Israel has closed the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to Palestinian worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan. The closure, announced as indefinite, affects the third most revered mosque in the Islamic world.

NGO Arunoday’s journey of support and struggle: Standing firm with the distressed

By Bharat Dogra It was a situation of acute distress. Nearly ten thousand people returning to their villages during the COVID-19 pandemic had gathered at the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh near Kanha. Exhausted after walking long distances with little or no food, they were desperate for relief. Yet entry could not be granted without completing essential records and complying with pandemic rules.

Search This Blog