A new political row has erupted after unidentified individuals put posters with the message "Missing Prime Minister Narendra Modi" on some of the private compound walls, gates and house doors, and the government has dismissed it as a form of political protest.
The posters arrived overnight in residential areas, catching homeowners by surprise, the newspaper reported. The posters were posted on private property without permission and local officials are looking into whether anyone in the neighborhood did it, the newspaper reported.
The posters from many angles have been said to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be visible on many issues and have a label of "Missing Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
Obviously, the motive of the campaign is not clear yet, but the incident has quickly caught the eye of social media where images of the posters have been widely shared.
Political analysts refer to this development as another of the growing trend of “poster wars” in Indian politics. Campaigns have come to be quite frequent during elections and major political events where both ruling and opposition parties use posters in order to draw attention to and build political narratives.
Leaders of the ruling party criticized the act, saying it was an attempt to generate unnecessary controversy and spread misinformation. They maintain that Modi is still taking part in governance, infrastructure projects, international diplomacy and public welfare policies.
Opposition supporters have defended the posters as symbolic political expression, saying they reflect public dissatisfaction over selected national issues. No major political organization has said anything in public about the campaign yet.
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— Btv ಕನ್ನಡ (@btvnewslive) July 24, 2026
The local police have started looking into CCTV footage from affected neighborhoods to identify the poster campaign. Residents whose property was used without their consent are also being contacted, they say. If the individuals are identified, they could face charges of defacement of private property and unauthorized public messaging.
There is much debate on Prime Minister Modi and the poster campaign on social media. But in the eyes of some, the campaign was disrespectful and the poster campaign is an act of political dissent.
Political experts say such poster campaigns often gain traction due to their visual impact and viral potential on social media. But they also note that using private property without permission raises legal and ethical concerns regardless of political affiliation.
And officials have pleaded to the public to not spread unsubstantiated claims and let the investigation find out who was behind the posters and what their intentions were.
It’s another example of how politics has come to be a lot about visual advertising across the web and are no longer about rallies but rather about a video campaign on display.
