Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has raised concerns over the stagnant growth of his followers on X (formerly Twitter), stating that his follower count has remained unchanged for the past four years. Tharoor, who currently has 8.4 million followers on the platform, highlighted the issue publicly after a user questioned the anomaly.
The issue was first flagged by X user Bharat Tiwari, who pointed out the static follower count and tagged Elon Musk and X India. Tharoor, sharing Tiwari’s post, confirmed that he had been observing the trend for years.
“Good question. This has been the case for four years! A source at the old Twitter India told me there was a problem he couldn’t understand,” Tharoor wrote in his post. The MP added that the source had analyzed his account’s daily statistics over six months, discovering an unusual pattern: while his account gained over 1,000 new followers daily and lost around 60-70, the total follower count never exceeded 8.495 million.
The source speculated that this might be due to an algorithm glitch, with Tharoor’s account potentially being “shadow-banned.” Followers also reported not receiving his posts in their timelines, further fueling suspicions.
Despite seeking clarification from the platform, Tharoor said he received a legal response denying any issues. “So much for corporate responsiveness,” he remarked. Since then, his follower count has steadily declined, now standing at 8.429 million.
Tharoor expressed frustration at the lack of accountability, stating, “There is clearly something wrong that the people in charge of X India don’t care about.” He added that he hoped bringing the matter to public attention might prompt action but remained skeptical.
While acknowledging the trivial nature of the issue compared to larger public concerns, Tharoor emphasized the importance of transparency. “Whether it is deliberate or accidental, I hope those asking understand that there is a problem,” he said.
Tharoor’s remarks have sparked a broader conversation about account visibility and algorithmic fairness on social media platforms. However, it remains to be seen whether his concerns will elicit a response from X or its leadership.
