New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS): Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi are among India's top 25 most-influential voices on LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned professional networking platform said on Tuesday.

LinkedIn's annual "Top Voices" list celebrates and spotlights the contributors who have shaped industry opinion, analysed key trends, and inspired other professionals to join the conversation and share their voice on the platform.

"This year's India list sees new entrants such as government dignitaries Kiran Bedi and Ravi Shankar Prasad, and inspiring industry leaders such as Sairee Chahal, Kunal Shah, and Ankur Warikoo, who have used the platform in innovative ways to share articles, updates and videos that spark discussions on a host of topics," Adith Charlie, India Managing Editor, LinkedIn, said in a statement.

Sairee Chahal is the Founder and CEO of Sheroes, an online platform for women to discuss health, career, and other life stories.

Kunal Shah is Advisor to the Board, Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (Times Group).

Ankur Warikoo is the Co-Founder and CEO of nearbuy.com, an e-commerce company.

Besides Bedi and Prasad, other new entrants to the list include Debjani Ghosh, President at IT industry's apex body Nasscomm and Pooja Kapur, Ambassador of India to Bulgaria and Macedonia.

These "Top Voices" have written engaging posts and articles, created LinkedIn-first video series, and forecasted trends on topics such as entrepreneurship, women in leadership roles, developments in technology, and the startup ecosystem that have kickstarted engaging industry discussions, LinkedIn said.

The third edition continues to see popular names Vartika Kashyap, Marketing Manager at Proofhub; Hari T. N, Head of Human Resources at BigBasket; Tamal Bandyopadhyay, Consulting Editor at Business Standard; Annesha Dutta, Consultant and Corporate Trainer; and Ester Martinez, CEO and Editor-in-Chief at People Matters, who are renowned industry leaders and opinion-makers on LinkedIn.

According to LinkedIn data, "Top Voices" in India are three times more likely to respond to comments or reply to another member's post.

And compared to all members sharing in 2018, the Top Voices received an average 11 times more comments, 34 times more likes and seven times more shares on their posts, articles and videos.