Meloni's Minister Told Her To Contest From Delhi After Seeing Posters: 'You'd Win With A Million Votes'

Published 25 June 2026 · local

Meloni's Minister Told Her To Contest From Delhi After Seeing Posters: 'You'd Win With A Million Votes' Published By, Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 16:42

Meloni's Minister Told Her To Contest From Delhi After Seeing Posters: 'You'd Win With A Million Votes' Published By, Last Updated: June 25, 2026, 16:42 IST Meloni travelled to India twice in 2023—first to participate in the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue in March and later for the G20 Leaders' Summit in September. Rapid Read Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni inspects a guard of honour during her ceremonial reception at presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (IMAGE: AFP) Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani once jokingly suggested that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni contest an election from New Delhi after being struck by the sheer number of posters welcoming her to the Indian capital during her 2023 visit. The anecdote finds a place in Giorgia’s Vision, the Italian Prime Minister’s newly released book, where she recalls how roads across New Delhi were lined with large posters bearing her smiling portrait ahead of her arrival and later thanking her for the visit. Meloni writes that the words “Welcome" and “Thank You" were what caught her attention the most—first on her arrival and then again when she departed. “When I arrived, there was a poster with my face and the word ‘Welcome’ every few feet along the road. When I left, the posters showed the same image, but now read ‘Thank you for visiting’. “My colleague Antonio Tajani, who was with me, joked: ‘With all these posters, if you ran for the New Delhi constituency, you’d get a million votes’," Meloni writes while recalling her March 2023 visit.

Meloni travelled to India twice in 2023—first to participate in the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue in March and later for the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by New Delhi in September. The Italian leader, who shares a warm rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has affectionately become part of the social media-coined “Melodi" duo, reflects in the chapter Head Held High Among the World Greats that successful diplomacy often begins by moving beyond rigid formalities and discovering “your personal key" to connecting with fellow leaders. “A few witty words, a personal story, a common interest—it can make all the difference," she observes in the book, which is based on a series of conversations with Italian journalist Alessandro Sallusti. To make that point, Meloni strings together a series of deeply personal encounters with world leaders, arguing that enduring diplomatic relationships are often forged in moments far removed from negotiating tables and official communiqués. One such moment unfolded during her first meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied, whom she describes as a strong-willed leader and a formidable negotiator. After a bilateral meeting that stretched for nearly two hours, Saied invited her to admire the sea from his residence. Meloni, who says she had resumed smoking after giving it up for 13 years, hesitantly asked whether she could light a cigarette. The request unexpectedly transformed the atmosphere. “He was overjoyed! He pulled out his own pack of cigarettes, and that coffee and cigarette break became our moment," she recalls, describing how the informal exchange helped lay the foundation for one of her strongest diplomatic relationships.