Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Claim
BRS leader questioned by women voters during campaigning for the Telangana Assembly elections.
Fact
Video dates back to November 2018 and the incident happened during campaigning for the 2018 state elections.
Several social media users are circulating a video, including Andhra Pradesh’s BJP state vice-president, purportedly showing Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and Jubilee Hills MLA Maganti Gopinath being questioned by woman voters over “neglecting public issues”, during campaigning in Telangana for the upcoming Assembly elections on November 30. According to the claims, Gopinath left without answering, while BRS workers told the women voters gathered that they do not need their votes.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Telangana Assembly elections
Telangana, India’s youngest state, is set to go to polls on November 30 to elect all 119 members of the state’s legislative Assembly, with the results to be declared on December 3. Despite grappling with anti-incumbency sentiments, a resurgent Congress, and a fading BJP that is sticky in a few pockets of Hyderabad, the BRS, spearheaded by CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, is determined to clinch a historic third consecutive electoral triumph, according to media reports.
Fact Check
Newschecker first noticed that the scarf on Maganti Gopinath read “TRS”, even though the ‘Telangana Rashtra Samithi’ had successfully changed its name to ‘Bharat Rashtra Samithi’ after the Election Commission of India gave its nod in December 2022, indicating that the viral video was old. The TRS announced the change in name to BRS on October 5, 2022, a move seen then as an indication that the party and its leader K Chandrashekar Rao was eyeing a national role before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Youtube video, dated November 10, 2018, uploaded by Raj News Telugu, stating that women insulted Jubilee Hills TRS Ex-MLA Maganti Gopinath during election campaigning. A comparison of screen grabs from both the viral video and the news report shows that it is the same incident. A similar news report by digital news platform Varthavaani on November 10, 2018, can be seen here, confirming that the viral video was from the campaigning for the 2018 Telangana Assembly elections. The woman voters are heard demanding Gopinath’s intervention over an issue in the locality, mocking him for his inaction despite repeated requests from citizens.
Also Read: Crowd Of 1.5 Lakh Chanted Hanuman Chalisa At World Cup Finals? Edited Video Viral With False Claim
Conclusion
A video taken during BRS’ campaigning for the Telangana Assembly elections in 2018 shared as a recent incident ahead of the 2023 state polls.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Youtube video, Raj News Telugu, November 10, 2018
Youtube video, Vaarthavaani, November 10, 2018
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
