That's PM Narendra Modi's lookalike dancing at a garba event

What is the claim?

A user on X (formerly Twitter) has shared a video of a man dancing along with a caption, "PM Modi dances at a navaratri garbha program. Very graceful @narendramodi ji (sic)." The video (archived here), shared on November 8 2023, had over 38,000 views at the time of writing this article. Archives of other posts can be found here and here.

However, the person in the video is not the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but his lookalike.

What are the facts?

Some users pointed out in the comments section that the person dancing is not Modi, but his lookalike Vikas Mahante. We then found the Instagram account of Mahante, who describes himself as an actor, businessman, and a social worker. A look at his Instagram posts reveals that he often makes public appearances dressed as Narendra Modi.

Mahante shared the now-viral video on his Instagram account on November 8 with the caption, “Chief guest at London Diwali Mela.” In this video footage, he can be seen at the the event with actors pretending to be his bodyguards. He is also wearing the same attire as seen in the viral video. 

Pranay Mahante, Vikas Mohante’s son, confirmed to Logically Facts that his father is the man dancing in the viral video.

Vikas Mahante’s manager, Atul Parikh, also confirmed that the video was taken at a Diwali event held in London on November 4 and 5, where Mahante was invited as a guest.

The verdict

The person seen in the viral video is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lookalike Vikas Mahante, who often makes public appearances dressed as the prime minister. Hence, we mark this claim as false.