The digital transition of the president of India’s official account

What's happening in India and around the world, happens on Twitter. Today, we are paving the way for the digital transition of the President of India’s official account. A smooth transition between administrations is one of President Pranab Mukherjee’s top priorities, and digital is a key pillar in today’s Internet age. The new President Ram Nath Kovind will now use the official President of India account @RashtrapatiBhvn. As President Pranab Mukherjee is the 13th President of India, his official Twitter account history will be archived with the handle @POI13.

As part of this transition process, a few changes that will take place today as the Presidential swearing is completed include:

1. All embedded Tweets from President Mukherjee will automatically link to @POI13 for continuity and preservation of the digital history of his administration.
2. Those who were following @RashtrapatiBhvn will now automatically follow BOTH accounts: @RashtrapatiBhvn and @POI13, to facilitate communication from the official President of India account to its audience. Users who do not wish to follow either accounts may unfollow through our normal process.
3. People who would like to continue following President Pranab Mukherjee on Twitter can engage with him through his personal Twitter account: @CitiznMukherjee.
   

President Pranab Mukherjee was India’s first President on Twitter. He created hashtag #PresidentMukherjee on Twitter to engage with citizens through his term. President Mukherjee sent his first Tweet as the President of India on 1 July 2014. During his term, President Mukherjee’s most Retweeted Tweet was about demonetization last year:

“President Mukherjee leveraged Twitter extensively to make it easier for citizens to stay connected with the Rashtrapati Bhavan. They were able to get a real-time glimpse into the activities on Raisina Hill and experience traveling alongside the President as he visited different parts of the country and met leaders around the world. His  handle (or account, whatever is the technical language) is being archived now. This transition ensures that his legacy is captured in digital history and the people of India will benefit from the continued real-time citizen engagement with his successor through the official President of India account @RashtrapatiBhvn,” says Mrs Omita Paul, Secretary to the President, in relation to the digital move.