2024 election propaganda
The results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were declared on June 4 and the NDA government is being formed for the third consecutive time. During the seven-phase election, political parties used every gimmick to gain an edge in this election, the most dangerous weapon of which was fake news. The I.N.D.I alliance formed to challenge the Modi government was constantly engaged in propagating fake news throughout the election, which was supported by its supporters. The Only Fact team took the initiative and constantly investigated these claims on various social media platforms. Today our goal is to shed light on those leaders and groups who resorted to misinformation to influence the election.
Claim: The paper cutting from Dainik Bhaskar Bhopal edition showing a survey claiming I.N.D.I Alliance leading Lok Sabha elections in ten states including Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and BJP is seen to lose its influence.
Fact: The newspaper cutting going viral was fake. There was no such news about the survey in the Bhopal edition of Dainik Bhaskar dated April 13. Dainik Bhaskar has also said that this viral picture is fake.
Claim: Video of Amir Khan saying, “Every citizen of India is a millionaire because everyone should have at least 15 lakhs.. What did you say, you don’t have 15 lakhs in your account.. So where did your 15 lakhs go??? So be careful of such jumlabaaz or else you will suffer loss, released in national interest” was shared and linked to the election campaign.
Fact: The video of Aamir Khan was edited. The original video is 7 years old and is from a TV program called Satyamev Jayate. In this video, he did not talk about BJP promising RS 15 lakh into the bank accounts of everyone.
Claim: The video showing actor Ranveer Singh criticizing PM Modi was shared by Congress leader Sujata Paul.
Fact: The video turned out to be edited. In the original video, Ranveer Singh is praising PM Modi and asking people to never forget their culture.
Claim: Congress supporter Jeetu Burdak shared a video claiming public attacking BJP convoy.
Fact: The claim was found to be misleading. Actually the viral video is three years old, where supporters of two BJP leaders clashed over ticket claims in Bah assembly constituency of Agra.
Claim: UP Congress claimed Meerut winner BJP candidate Arun Govil did not eat food at Dalit’s home and called him casteist.
Fact: Arun Govil had eaten food with a Dalit family, and the viral video was edited.
Claim: India Today’s ‘Mood of the nation’ survey shows Samajwadi party getting 17 seats, Congress 5 and BSP 3 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The survey was false. India Today’s ‘Mood of the nation’ was conducted in February 2024 in which NDA was shown getting 72 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Claim: Supriya Shrinate shared a video claiming people were abusing BJP after seeing its campaign vehicle.
Fact: The video of the BJP campaign vehicle was from the Chhattisgarh assembly elections in 2023. In the original video, the driver of the campaign vehicle spoke in favor of both BJP and Congress but the video was edited and shared by Supriya.
Claim: Seema Pandit shared a video, alleging that stones were thrown at the BJP candidate who went to seek votes in Sirsa.
Fact: The claim was misleading. The video was actually three years old and shows an attack on the convoy of Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa.
Claim: Journalist Dinesh Kumar shared a video of people crushing BJP flags with the claim that BJP flags were not allowed inside the villages of Haryana and Punjab during the election campaign.
Fact: This video was found to be two years old from the farmers protest in Haryana.
Claim: The pro-Congress handle Rofl 2.0 shared a video of a fight at a BJP press conference, claiming that a journalist was beaten up in Amroha for asking unscripted questions.
Fact: The video was of the fight between BJP District Vice President Krishna Kumar and District Media Incharge Ramesh Kalal over calling journalists.
Claim: I.N.D.I Alliance shared an opinion poll claiming that the survey is from Axis My India which projects the NDA to win 243 to 254 seats while the INDI Bloc is projected to win 232 to 242 seats.
Fact: The managing director of Axis My India issued a clarification saying that the opinion polls being published using their name in relation to the Lok Sabha elections are completely misleading. He said that they follow the protocol of the Election Commission and publish opinion polls only after the elections are over on June 1 at 6:30 pm.
Claim: Congress claimed that PM Modi had promised to give Rs 15 lakh and 2 crore jobs.
Fact: Both the claims made by the Congress were misleading.
Claim: TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose claimed that the Election Commission has asked X to remove the posts of the opposition leader.
Fact: The Election Commission had asked the removal of some posts, terming them a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The posts removed by the Commission include those of YSR Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, N. Chandrababu Naidu and Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Claim: AAP leader Sanjay Singh shared a video of Arun Govil and claimed that he had said that if the BJP comes to power, the Constitution will be changed and reservation will end.
Fact: Arun Govil’s statement was presented in a misleading way to show that BJP will abolish reservation. In the original statement, Arun Govil had said that if needed, changes can be made in the Constitution.
Claim: TMC member Saket Gokhale claimed that the BJP has dropped the housing scheme from its 2024 manifesto and has failed to keep the faith in fulfilling its commitment to provide housing to all.
Fact: The 2024 manifesto clearly outlines the BJP’s commitment to expanding housing initiatives for economically disadvantaged families. Furthermore, Gokhale’s claim that Prime Minister Awas Yojana is a fabrication and that the Modi government has not delivered on its promises is also misleading. Data indicates that over 4 crore houses have been provided across both rural and urban areas, demonstrating tangible progress in addressing housing needs under the current administration.
Claim: Shakti Kumar shared a video of people beating BJP workers with a claim that the BJP workers were beaten up in South India.
Fact: The claim of BJP workers getting beaten up during election campaign in South India was false. The incident dates back to August 6, 2022 when a TMC MLA was accused of beating up a BJP worker in Hooghly district of West Bengal.
Claim: Congress supporter Shantanu shared a video of an elderly man meeting PM Modi and losing his balance on the stage. The video was accompanied by the claim that the elderly man was pushed by the PM.
Fact: The full version of the video shows the elderly man momentarily losing his balance. The video shared in the claim was cropped.
Claim: AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that the BJP candidate Bansuri Swaraj was representing ED in Sanjay Singh’s case.
Fact: Bansuri Swaraj’s name was mistakenly included in the list of ED lawyers. Zoheb Hussain told the bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna that it was a big mistake and requested the court to remove Bansuri Swaraj’s name.
Claim: A video of several people carrying BJP flags and allegedly raising slogans like SC/ST murdabad slogan was shared by the handle Adivasi Samachar.
Fact: The video of BJP supporters raising slogans of SC-ST Murdabad was found to be edited. The video has audio of an old video of sloganeering by NDA supporters in Siwan.
Claim: Handle Samajwadi Prahari claimed that the BJP were trying to kidnap the SP block Pramukh candidate in front of the police.
Fact: The video was found to be from the Block Pramukh elections of July 2021. The video had no connection with the current Lok Sabha elections.
Claim: Congress supporter Nasreen Ibrahim propagated the EVM malfunction in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district as a recent incident.
Fact: The video had no connection with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The incident is from the Ater assembly by-election in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh in April 2017.
Claim: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed during the election campaign that his membership was cancelled for speaking on the Adani issue. He said that when I asked about Modi’s relation with Adani in Parliament, he took away my membership.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi did not lose his membership because he questioned Modi’s relationship with Adani in the Lok Sabha. Rather, he lost his membership because he commented on Modi’s surname.
Claim: X user Beatal Pret claimed that BJP leaders were beaten up for seeking votes in the name of religion.
Fact: The incident dates back to March 2022, when suspended Biju Janata Dal MLA Prasanta Jagdev rammed his car into a crowd. The claim about BJP leaders getting beaten up for seeking votes was misleading.
Claim: Tanveer Rangrez shared a video of a protest and claimed that a protest against EVM took place at Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab.
Fact: The video was not of protest against EVM at Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab, but of Gwas Shant Mahayagna in Himachal Pradesh.
Claim: User Jedi Mulnivasi shared a video of a clash and claimed that BJP, RSS leaders were pulled down from chariots and beaten up during election campaigns in Tamil Nadu.
Fact: The incident took place in October 2023 in Balangir district of Odisha. In the incident, there was a clash between two local Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and their supporters.
Claim: Ravish Kumar’s parody account shared a video of a person alleging EVM scam saying that a total of 11 lakh votes were cast in Varanasi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but 12 lakh 87 thousand votes were counted in EVM.
Fact: The claim of EVM tampering is false as not 11 lakh but 18 lakh voters voted in Varanasi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Claim: Congress supporter shared the video of a clash outside the police station with a claim that the BJP leader was beaten in Amethi.
Fact: The claim of a BJP leader being beaten up in public in Amethi turned out to be false. The video shared by Seema Pandit was a year old, in which SP MLA Rakesh Pratap Singh beat up Deepak Singh, husband of BJP Nagar Palika candidate Rashmi Singh.
Claim: Congress supporter Ravinder Kapur shared a photo of a huge crowd and claimed that the photo is from the I.N.D.I Alliance rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Fact: This photo is from 2019 when a massive rally was organised in Kolkata with a call to oust the Modi government at the Centre and Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.
Claim: Congress leader Shahnawaz Aslam claimed that BJP take donation from Pakistani company ‘Hub Power’ through electoral bonds.
Fact: The claim that a Pakistani company donated money to the BJP is completely false. Hub Power Company, which buys electoral bonds, is actually a Delhi-based company, not a Pakistani one.
Claim: User Prahlad tweeted a video in which a man is seen being attacked by some people. The user claimed that this video is of an attack on a BJP worker during election campaign in Dwarka, Gujarat.
Fact: The claim that BJP workers were attacked during election campaign in Dwarka, Gujarat was false. The video actually shows an incident from West Bengal in August 2022, where TMC MLA Asit Majumdar and his supporters were accused of attacking BJP workers.
Claim: SP supporter Shivraj Yadav sharing a newspaper cutting from 2015 claimed that BJP has taken donations from a beef exporting company through electoral bonds.
Fact: BJP did not receive any donations from beef exporting companies in the financial year 2013-2014. All three companies that donated to BJP export buffalo meat. Also, this newspaper cutting is from 2015, it has nothing to do with electoral bonds.
Claim: An ex-handle named Mr Cool claimed Muslims were mistreated and not allowed to vote.
Fact: The claim of preventing Muslim women from voting was misleading. In fact, the video shared is a two-year-old incident in which the police in Rampur, UP caught women wearing burqa while casting fake votes.
Claim: Congress leader Adarsh Katiyar shared a video of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami to claim that he distributed money to people to vote for him during the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Fact: The video is unrelated to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In February 2022, CM Pushkar Dhami was accused of distributing money, but the video does not show him distributing any money.
Claim: Congress supporter Himanshu Singhal shared a photo of MS Dhoni making a six sign with his fingers and claimed that he is appealing to people to vote for Congress.
Fact: The picture of Dhoni has no connection to Congress. In this image, MS Dhoni is indicating that CSK has reached 6 million followers. CSK shared this picture on Christmas in 2020 to celebrate reaching 6 million followers.
Claim: During the first phase of voting, the Congress Sevadal account shared surveys allegedly from Zee News, Republic TV, and India Today, claiming that the INDIA alliance was far ahead in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: It was found that the viral survey of Zee News, Republic TV and India Today showing Congress getting majority is fake. These news channels have not conducted any survey after the first phase of voting started. The Election Commission has also banned all electronic media from showing any kind of survey related to elections from 19 April to 1 June.
Claim: Congress leader Dr. Arunesh Kumar Yadav shared a video of a man breaking an EVM machine and linked it to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Fact: The video was a year old and unrelated to the 2024 elections.
Claim: User Anil Meena claimed that PM Modi had said that he will change the Constitution based on Manusmriti, which even Baba Saheb cannot abolish.
Fact: In the original video, PM Modi attacked Congress for destroying and imposing emergency, saying that Constitution was developed by Panch dates related to Baba Saheb, hence, even if Baba Saheb himself comes, he cannot abolish Constitution. However, the video shared in claim was edited.
Claim: KRK shared a video of actor Allu arjun and claimed that he campaigned for Congress.
Fact: The video shared was of the India Day parade held in New York a year ago and has no connection with Congress.
Claim: Congress worker Sayanti shared a video claiming that locals beat up a BJP leader.
Fact: The video of the attack on the BJP leader is three years old, from the time of the West Bengal Assembly elections in the year 2021.
Claim: Fake news peddler Firdous Fiza shared a video of a man throwing ink and claimed that a man in Nagpur protested at a polling booth and threw ink on the EVM.
Fact: This video is four years old when a BSP leader threw ink on an EVM machine in Nagpur.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi cited the unopposed victory of the BJP candidate in Surat to say that the Constitution is in danger.
Fact: The Congress candidate from Surat failed to present any of the three proposers listed in his nomination papers to the election officer, leading to the rejection of his nomination papers. Consequently, the BJP candidate was declared the winner of the Surat constituency.
Claim: Congress official X handle had shared the video of Priyanka Gandhi where she claimed that PM Modi had promised to two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh to everyone.
Fact: The claim is false; PM Modi never promised to provide two crore jobs and Rs 15 lakh to everyone. In reality, his comment about Rs 15 lakh was a criticism of the Congress party over black money, and his mention of 2 crore jobs was a critique of Congress for not delivering on their promise of creating 1 crore jobs. His statement was taken out of context to suggest that he had made these promises.
Claim: Congress supporter Payal Gupta shared a video of actress Raveena Tandon asking to vote for Congress and claimed that Raveena Tandon has come forward to appeal to everyone to vote for Congress in the 2024 elections.
Fact: This video was not related to the recently concluded elections. Rather, this video turned out to be 11 years old when Raveena Tandon did a roadshow for Congress in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Claim: Congress supporter Payal Yadav shared a video of Kirodi Lal Meena, alleging that he stated the BJP would end reservation and also change the Constitution after securing 400 seats.
Fact: A cropped version of the video was shared. In the unedited version, Kirodi Lal Meena was quoting PM Modi’s statement that the Constitution would not be changed, even if Baba Saheb himself comes to change it.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi had claimed that no Dalit or tribal was seen in the inauguration of Ram Mandir and Parliament House.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi’s claim was false. People from the tribal and Dalit communities were invited to the Prana Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir and were made hosts. Additionally, people from the Ramnami community of Chhattisgarh were also invited to the ceremony.
Claim: The user shared the video of some people engaged in opening a sealed box and taking out the VVPAT machines and then removing all the slips and putting them back in a black envelop and passed off with a claim that tampering is being done with the VVPAT machines by replacing them with the rolls.
Fact: The claim of EVM tampering was false. The process involved removing slips containing details of the votes cast by voters from the VVPAT machine. This procedure, known as VVPAT counting, is conducted after the conclusion of voting.
Claim: Telangana Congress account shared a video of Amit Shah and claimed that BJP wants to end SC-ST and OBC reservation.
Fact: The video shared by the Telangana Congress handle was edited. In the unedited version, Amit Shah discussed ending the Muslim reservation and giving SC-ST and OBC communities their rights.
claim: SP supporter Kavita Yadav shared a video of stone pelting by a mob and claimed that BJP supporters pelted stones at a mosque in Kairupula village of Kurnool district.
Fact: The video shared was of the festival called Ugadi, celebrated on the occasion of Hindu New Year in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
Claim: Congress leader Sandeep Gupta sharing the video of Pramod Krishnan wrote that the BJP’s clear intention is to end reservation.
Fact: Pramod Krishnam’s statement on reservation was found to be old, he gave this statement when he was in the Congress party. He has not joined BJP after being expelled from the Congress party.
Claim: Sadaf Afreen targeted BJP by sharing a video of a truck full of cows and claimed that the cows were exported from Adani Port.
Fact: The video is from Qasr Port in Basra city of Iraq. The video has no connection with India or Adani Port.
Claim: Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair shared a video of PM Modi to defend Rahul Gandhi’s controversial statement about kings and maharajas doing whatever they wanted, including taking land. Rahul Gandhi credited the Congress party, its workers, and the people of the country for achieving independence, establishing democracy, and bringing the Constitution to India. Zubair claimed in his tweet that Prime Minister Modi has made a similar statement.
Fact: Mohammad Zubair shared an edited video of PM Modi. In the original video, PM Modi referred to the kings and maharajas within the context of the Congress party and its historical influence by the British.
Claim: Congress supporter Shantanu shared a video of PM Modi and claimed that while addressing a rally in Belgaum, Karnataka, PM Modi called the people of Karnataka sinners.
Fact: In reality, PM Modi was talking about the betrayal and sins of the Congress government in Karnataka, he did not call the people of Karnataka sinners.
Claim: Adivasi Samachar shared a video of an attack on a woman and linked it to Manipur.
Fact: The video of the attack was from West Bengal, where BJP Mahila Mandal president Saraswati Sarkar was attacked during election campaign.
Claim: Samajwadi Prahari account shared a newspaper cutting and claimed that the BJP government is ending the benefit of reservation in promotion to SC-ST employees.
Fact: The newspaper cutting dates back to Akhilesh Yadav tenure. An Allahabad High Court ruling on August 19, 2015, lifted the ban on demoting Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees who were promoted with reservation benefits. This allowed for the demotion of such employee.
Claim: Congress supporter Shantanu shared a video and claimed that a person casted 5 times votes for Kripanath Mallah, the BJP candidate from Karimganj Parliamentary Constituency of Assam.
Fact: The video was of mock poll and has no connection with the actual voting.
Claim: Congress worker Sonutala accused PM Modi of dictatorship by claiming that a woman came with her 8 year old sick daughter to listen to PM Modi’s speech because she was threatened.
Fact: The newspaper cutting shared by Sonutala was found to be 8 years old and has nothing to do with the 2024 elections.
Claim: The Congress Sevadal handle shared a video of PM Modi talking about reservation and accused him of advocating for its end.
Fact: The video was edited. In the original footage, PM Modi was referencing the false allegation made by Congress regarding BJP ending reservation.
Claim: All India Parisangh shared a 54 second video of PM Modi in which he is saying, “I don’t like reservation.”
Fact: In the original video, PM Modi was reading a letter written by Congress Party leader and the country’s first Prime Minister Nehru to the Chief Ministers of the states, in which Nehru is making his stand clear against reservation in jobs.
Claim: Youth Congress president Srinivas B shared a video of empty chairs and claimed it was from PM Modi’s rally in Pune.
Fact: A large crowd attended PM Modi’s rally in Pune. However, the video was recorded after the conclusion of the event, when the attendees had dispersed.
Claim: AAP leader Gopal Italia claimed that PM Modi’s photo was removed from the vaccination certificate after news of heart attacks due to the vaccine spread across the country.
Fact: PM Modi’s photo was removed from the vaccination certificate due to Model Code of Conduct. The PM’s photo were also removed during the assembly elections in 2022 in poll bound states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab and Goa.
Claim: Congress worker Mahaveer Jain shared a video of empty chairs and claimed that empty chairs were seen at PM Modi’s rally in Jamnagar.
Fact: PM Modi’s rally in Jamnagar, Gujarat was attended by a huge crowd. The video showing empty chairs was taken after the event was over and people had left.
Claim: Mahaveer Jain shared another video of people breaking EVMs and claimed that in the midst of Lok Sabha elections, people are coming out on the streets and breaking EVM machines.
Fact: The video is from May 2023 during the Karnataka assembly elections. The EVM in the viral video was a reserve EVM kept in the election officials’ vehicle, which was broken by villagers under the misconception that the officials were taking the EVMs from the polling booth before the elections were over.
Claim: Congress supporter Manjit Singh Ghoshi had claimed that in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, there were only 90 voters at a booth, but 171 votes were cast in the EVM, 5 Election Commission officers were suspended.
Fact: The matter of 171 votes being cast in Assam despite having 90 voters was not related to the Lok Sabha elections 2024. Actually this matter is three years old. Re-polls were conducted after negligence was found.
Claim: Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared a video of senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan, alleging that Mahajan stated she received calls from numerous people indicating they would not vote for BJP.
Fact: In the full video uploaded on MP Tak, Sumitra Mahajan was conveying the views of certain individuals regarding the withdrawal of nomination papers of the Congress candidate from Indore. Later, in the video she also talks about BJP winning which was edited out.
Claim: Congress leader Arunesh Kumar Yadav claimed that Akhilesh Yadav was garlanded on the statue of Maharana Pratap in Mainpuri which was later washed away by BJP workers.
Fact: The claim that the statue of Maharana Pratap was washed after Akhilesh Yadav garlanded it turned out to be false. The statue was washed because SP workers climbed on the statue wearing shoes.
Claim: SP supporter Surya shared a video of PM Modi’s public rally in Etawah and claimed that he insulted the Yadav community.
Fact: During his public meeting in Etawah, PM Modi discussed his visit to Dwarka, Gujarat, and referenced Rahul Gandhi’s ridicule of the visit. In the context of the SP’s alliance with Congress, PM Modi said SP are yaduvanshi and questioned their alliance with Congress.
Claim: AAP Uttar Pradesh handle shared Amit Shah’s video and claimed he made a statement against Narendra Modi’s guarantee.
Fact: Amit Shah’s statement about guarantee was against Congress, and not Modi.
Claim: Congress supporter Anahat shared an advertisement video which shows a man is seen refusing to pay for the carry bag and carrying all the items bought in his hand. The video ends with the graphic “Paise bachane hain?” and next the tagline Modi hatao, paise bacho, democracy and naukri bachao” appears on the screen.
Fact: The CEAT Tyres advertisement video was edited and shared with the anti-Modi tagline “Modi Hatao, Paise Bachao” to suggest that to save money and the country, remove Modi.
Claim: Congress leader Supriya Shrinate claimed that Akhilesh Yadav visited a temple which was washed later by the BJP leaders.
Fact: Non-Hindus are prohibited from entering this temple. However, Akhilesh Yadav entered the temple with members of the Muslim community, resulting in the cleaning of the temple.
Claim: Congress leader Arunesh Kumar Yadav shared a video which shows a man questioning the officers about them forcing people to vote for BJP and even alleged that they were casting proxy votes at the polling booth. Arunesh accused the BJP of using Army to cast fake votes.
Fact: The video was taken in Jabalpur Cantonment in 2019 when the soldiers had gone to vote with their family members where unknown miscreants tried to snatch their voting cards and tried to malign the image of the army personnel by shooting the video hurling false allegations against army.
Claim: Congress supporter Jeetu Bardak shared a video featuring Kangana Ranaut, wherein Kangana herself acknowledges that while crowds gather to see her, they may not necessarily vote for her.
Fact: The video is edited. In the unedited version of the video, Kangana Ranaut was attacking Mandi MP Pratibha Singh by referring to her statement.
Claim: Congress supporter Shakti Kumar shared a video of assault and claimed that BJP leaders were beaten in Sirsa.
Fact: The video is of a fight between Congress supporters in Sirsa. It had nothing to do with BJP.
Claim: Vikas leader Vikas Bansal claimed that LK Advani has called Rahul Gandhi the hero of Indian politics.
Fact: Senior BJP leader LK Advani did not refer to Rahul Gandhi as a hero. The statement originated from the news portal Avadhbhoomi.com, which later retracted the news from its website after it went viral.
Claim: Leftist Tanmay shared video of EVMs being carried on a vehicle and linked it to BJP.
Fact: The video is from March 2022 and the EVMs seen in the video were going for training on vote counting.
Claim: Leftist writer Salil Tripathi has shared a photo of PM Modi in which he is seen serving food in the langar at the famous Harimandir Sahib Gurudwara in Patna. Salil Tripathi has claimed with this photo that Prime Minister Modi is standing with the food serving vessel only for a photoshoot, while the vessel is empty and there is no plate in it.
Fact: The video posted on PM Modi’s YouTube channel shows him personally serving food to people waiting in the langar queue, with the vessel from which he is serving clearly shown to be full.
Claim: Congress supporter Saurabh wrote shared a picture of newspaper cutting and claimed Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla’s daughter became IAS without giving any exam.
Fact: The claim that Om Birla’s daughter Anjali Birla became an IAS officer without taking the exam is inaccurate. Anjali clarified that she passed both the prelims and mains exams, as well as the personal interview.
Claim: Dr. Vilas Kharat shared a video depicting a man brutally beating another man with a stick, alleging that a BJP MLA assaulted a youth from a backward class with a stick.
Fact: The incident occurred in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The individual involved was not BJP MLA Vipul Dubey but Pratik Tiwari. The victim was identified as Rajiv Bhardwaj. Additionally, there is no caste aspect to this case.
Claim: Supriya Shrinate shared a video of PM Modi offering prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. In the video, the face of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sitting behind PM Modi is shown blurred. Supriya claimed that Yogi Adityanath’s face has been blurred at the behest of PM Modi.
Fact: Yogi Adityanath’s face was not blurred. A channel named ‘Hindi Khabar’ had blurred the right side of its screen, as CM Yogi Adityanath is coming in a blurred frame, due to which his face appears blurred. Apart from ‘Hindi Khabar’, Yogi Adityanath’s face is clearly visible on other channels.
Claim: I.N.D.I Alliance supporter A.K Stalin shared a video of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in which he is saying, “We RSS people oppose reservation from within, but cannot say it openly.”
Fact: At an event in Hyderabad, Mohan Bhagwat said that the RSS has never opposed reservations for certain sections. He further said that the RSS believes in reservation and it should continue as long as it is needed. The video shared by A.K Stalin was edited.
Claim: Claim: AAP leader Sunil has shared a video in which a youth is accusing the police of stopping Muslims from voting. Sunil claimed that this video is from Uttar Pradesh where Muslim voters were stopped from voting.
Fact: The young man in the video accusing the police is Isa Ahmad. Only Fact contacted Isa Ahmad, who confirmed that the video is from Madhya Pradesh. He mentioned that voting was temporarily halted at a booth during the third phase of voting but resumed after some time. Isa clarified that this video is unrelated to Uttar Pradesh.
Claim: Congress supporter Ajay Munde shared a video of PM Modi in which he is saying, “You tell me, do you like this kind of tactics? Would you agree to take away reservations from the OBC community? With all your power, tell me whether you agree with it or not. They want to do this in all states and the country.” Ajay Munde claimed that PM Modi called spoke against Maratha community and called them robbers.
Fact: The video of PM Modi has been taken out of the context of the original video. PM Modi did not call Maratha community robbers. He was referring to the Congress government of Karnataka, which has given OBC reservations to Muslims.
Claim: Congress supporter Prem Kumar shared a video Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat with a claim that the wrestlers were prevented from watching IPL in Delhi. Despite having tickets, they were not allowed entry into the stadium.
Fact: The video of wrestlers being prevented from watching IPL is a year old video.
Claim: RJD supporter Alok shared a video which shows a person is making indecent statements against the people of Thakur community. Alok claimed linked the video to the party of Om Prakash Rajbhar, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Fact: The video is about 4 years old, the police had taken action in this case. Also, the accused person was not a member of any party.
Claim: Congress leader Shivlal Godara shared a video of ‘gold biscuits’ being found in BJP’s campaign material and claimed that gold biscuits were found in every bag along with BJP’s election material in Ghatkopar, Mumbai.
Fact: The claim of gold biscuits getting caught in BJP’s election material was false. The thing that was being called a gold biscuit was actually a perfume bottle.
Claim: The Observer shared a 26-second video of CM Yogi, alleging that he told Muslims seeking reservations to leave the country, go to Pakistan, and beg there.
Fact: It was found that the remark “Go to Pakistan and beg with a bowl there” has no relevance to his comment on Muslim reservations. This remark was directed at Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
Claim: Congress supporter Vikram shared a video of BJP candidate Manoj Tiwari and claimed that he has accepted defeat even before the results are out and Kanhaiya Kumar is sure to win.
Fact: Manoj Tiwari’s video was edited. He was not talking about the Lok Sabha elections 2024, but about his experience of contesting against Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur in 2009.
claim: Lawyer Prashant Bhushan shared a video of PM Modi’s interview with news anchor Rubika Liyaqat, alleging that Modi has claimed to be an incarnation of God.
Fact: Prashant Bhushan had shared an edited video. In the complete version of the video, PM Modi said that the people of the country are God and God has sent me to serve them.
Claim: Samajwadi leader IP Singh posted a 25-second video of CM Yogi and claimed that he insulted the Brahmin community and Pandit Harishankar Tiwari in his speech.
Fact: This video is of CM Yogi’s public meeting in Dumariyaganj Lok Sabha constituency on May 21. In the video, CM Yogi was attacking the mafia and nowhere did he mention the Brahmin community and Pandit Harishankar Tiwari.
Claim: User Manisha Choubey shared a video of PM Modi, alleging that Modi said to vote for Congress if you want the well-being of your children.
Fact: PM Modi’s video turned out to be edited. In the original video, PM Modi had said that if you want to do good for the sons and daughters of the Gandhi family, then vote for Congress. On the other hand, if you want to do good for the children of your family, then vote for BJP.
Claim: Supriya Shrinate claimed that JP Nadda has made a remark that the BJP does not need RSS. Supriya wrote, “This morning, I met a senior BJP leader in the airport lounge. He said that Nadda’s statement has created a ruckus between the party and RSS. Two days ago, Nadda ji had said that now BJP is capable and they don’t need RSS. Then I remembered, this news was not seen much on TV – so how many debates were there on this?”
Fact: Supriya shared only part of JP Nadda’s statement. Nadda did not say that BJP does not need the RSS. He explained that the Sangh is a socio-cultural organization and BJP is a political organization. Both have different duties. Both organizations respect each other a lot and are working for the progress of India.
Claim: UP Congress shared a video of a dispute and claimed that Dalits were beaten up in Kaushambi for not voting for the BJP.
Fact: The video of a dispute between two parties was from Pratapgarh and it over cutting of a tree. The claim of people barging into a Dalit’s house in Kaushambi and beating them up for not voting for the BJP was found false.
Claim: Another video was shared by UP Congress handle of an elderly woman with a claim that she was forced to vote for the BJP in Fatehpur.
Fact: The claim of forcing a woman to vote for BJP by holding her hand in Fatehpur, UP was also false. It was found that when the woman had trouble casting her vote, the presiding officer only instructed her to press the button. Agents of all the parties were present at the time of the incident and no objection has been raised by them.
Claim: Congress supporter Aparna Agrawal shared a video of PM Modi and claimed that about three lakh companies being shut down after demonetisation.
Fact: In the actual video, PM Modi was talking about cracking down on 3 lakh companies involved in corruption and suspicious transactions.
Claim: Congress supporter Ravinder Kapur shared a video of PM Modi and claimed that he had called one of the Panch Pyaras of the tenth Sikh Guru Guru Govind Singh as his uncle.
Fact: PM Modi did not call one of the Panch Pyaras his uncle. PM said one of the Panch Pyaras was from Dwarka, Gujarat. He did not use the word uncle anywhere. The video has been made viral with a misleading claim with the intention of provoking the Sikh community.
Claim: User Braj Shyam Maurya shared a video of a truck in which EVMs are seen, with the that the local administration were rigging the elections.
Fact: The claim of a truck full of EVMs being caught near the strong room in Jaunpur was misleading. There were reserve EVMs in the truck, which had reached there by mistake.
Claim: Congress supporter Amock shared an advertisement video claiming that the Congress had released a new advertisement promoting the Mahalaxmi Scheme.
Fact: The advertisement video was from Prega News and was released to celebrate Women’s Day in 2022.
Claim: Many users on X claimed that a BBC survey shows BJP losing all seven seats in Delhi, while it is getting 10-12 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The viral BBC survey was fake. BBC does not conduct election surveys, nor does it publish any ‘election survey’ conducted by any party.
Claim: I.N.D.I Alliance supporter Kavish Aziz posted a video of an Instagram influencer who was claiming in her video that cups were distributed to buy voters.
Fact: The claim made by the influencer was found to be misleading. Cups were not distributed to buy voters during voting in Delhi. The Election Commission had given gifts to honour elderly voters and disabled people at the pink booth.
Claim: Congressi Roshni Kushal Jaiswal had shared a survey of ABP News and wrote, “Manoj Tiwari is gone.” The alleged survey of ABP News showed BJP candidate from North East Delhi Manoj Tiwari’s seat is in danger. NDA is getting 232 to 253 seats while India is getting 258 to 286 seats.
Fact: The graphic of ABP News turned out to be edited. In the original graphics, on 26 December 2023, ABP had reported that Manoj Tiwari is ahead by a good margin. NDA is seen getting 295 to 335 seats while India is getting 165 to 205 seats.
Claim: I.N.D.I Alliance supporter A.K Stalin shared a video and claimed that the police administration is stopping Samajwadi Party workers from campaigning in Gorakhpur and is forcibly arresting them.
Fact: Police had arrested a SP worker in a case of attempted murder. The claim that police have arrested SP workers to prevent them from campaigning was misleading.
Claim: Leftist journalist Ravish Kumar claimed that the SP MLA Rafiq Ansari arrested for blocking the road.
Fact: SP MLA Rafiq Ansari was recently arrested not for blocking the road but for serious charges like vandalism and arson. The SP leader was issued non-bailable warrants nearly 100 times between 1997 and 2015. Even after this, he was not appearing in court.
In this election, the key leaders of I.N.D.I alliance and its supporters tremendously used fake news as a significant weapon to sway voters. The above mentioned report clearly shows that how fake news dominated social media platforms throughout the election.
Not only did members of the I.N.D.I alliance contribute to the spread of fake news on social media throughout the election, but Congress was also at the forefront of this trend. Cases were registered across the country in the matter of Amit Shah’s edited video on reservation. Congress workers spread this video to a large number of people through WhatsApp.
The name of this Congress worker is Javed and he has an account on X by the name ‘Dabang Yogi’. In one of his posts, Dabang Yogi himself admitted that Congress workers are working hard to make Amit Shah’s fake video viral by sharing it. When Amit Shah’s edited video was fact checked, Dabang Yogi expressed happiness and wrote that ‘Today the Sanghis spent the whole day doing fact check.
At the same time, X user account shared an edited video of the Home Minister and claimed that this will increase the seats of the Indy alliance by two in Bihar. After this, Congress worker Jaivardhan Singh congratulated Dabang Yogi and said that if more such videos are needed, I will share them myself.
After Amit Shah shared an edited video on reservation, Dabang Yogi shared an edited video of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on reservation. After sharing this video, the Congress worker (Amock) proudly said that the fake video on reservation has reached millions of people and this has caused damage to the BJP. Now no matter how much fact check is done, the BJP cannot get back the votes that have been lost.
There is no doubt that Dabang Yogi and other Congress workers who were spreading fake news were working at the behest of the top leadership of the Congress party. In a photo shared by Dabang Yogi after the election results, he can be seen with Congress leader Sushil Shinde.
After the election results, everyone can be seen celebrating on Christmas Eve, wherein they are proudly referring to the edited video of Amit Shah and saying that an edited video completely changed the narrative of the election.
Several false narratives about the BJP’s intention to end reservation by changing the Constitution, Modi’s alleged promise of Rs 15 lakh to everyone and 2 crore jobs, as well as repeated allegations against BJP of EVM rigging and linking it to the elections by sharing videos of old instances, dominated social media platforms. These one-sided false narratives significantly influenced public opinion, with misleading information about the BJP’s alleged intention to abolish reservation and change the Constitution significant traction among the people. Apart from this, misinformation on the caste issue also played a pivotal role in influencing the elections.
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