Social media influencer Om Prakash Bishnoi, who has over 2.1 million followers across platforms, received just 33 votes in the Rajasthan panchayat elections while contesting for the sarpanch post in Jodhpur district’s Indo Ki Dhani Gram Panchayat.
The results of the first phase of the Rajasthan Panchayat Elections 2026 have been declared, with sarpanches, deputy sarpanches and 28,682 ward panches elected across 3,314 gram panchayats in 16 districts.
Online popularity fails to secure votes
Bishnoi’s electoral defeat has attracted attention on social media, given his substantial online following. He has over 1.4 million followers on Instagram, around 2.32 lakh followers on Facebook and nearly five lakh subscribers on YouTube.
He had campaigned on the issue of de-addiction, keeping his election office free of intoxicants. However, his campaign failed to translate into significant electoral support, with only 33 votes cast in his favour out of approximately 1,600 voters in his village.
Bishnoi reflects on electoral defeat
Following the defeat, Bishnoi shared a post on social media thanking the voters of his native village for their support. Reflecting on the outcome, he remarked that the 33 people who supported him were his own family members.
He also described the fact that his election office remained completely free of intoxicants as a significant achievement, despite losing the contest.
Winning candidate welcomes Bishnoi
In another social media post, Bishnoi shared a video from the residence of the winning candidate, where he was welcomed with a traditional Rajasthani turban.
The result has drawn attention to the contrast between Bishnoi’s considerable digital popularity and his limited support in the local electoral contest.
