Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Video of alleged vote rigging at a polling booth where voters are handheld, and made to press a specific button on the EVM.
Fact
The video dates back to at least May 2019, and has been shared out of context amid ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections, a video from a polling station showing a woman holding voters’ hands, and allegedly forcing them to press a specific button on EVM has grabbed social media attention. The text overlay on the twenty-seven-second-long-video reads, “Hand held voters are being forced to vote? The Election Commission should answer.”
X user @SunnyWa32028847 shared the video on April 23, 2024, claiming , “Common people’s right to vote has been snatched away, they are made to vote forcibly by holding hands. This is how they will cross 400, otherwise they can’t even reach 150 (translated from Hindi).” The claim insinuates that the incident is from the ongoing elections with the user targeting the BJP.
The video was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Uttar Pradesh Congress on April 23, 2024, with the caption, “Voters are being handheld and forced to vote for the BJP at the polling booth? Who is answerable?”
The link to this YouTube video showing alleged vote rigging at the polling booth has been shared widely on Facebook as well.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the keyframes of the viral footage led us to a YouTube video by Tricolour News Network, dated May 22, 2019. It carried a longer version of the viral video with the caption, “Bogus Voting By BJP Worker.”
We found an X post by @dipumdesai, dated May 15, 2019, carrying the viral footage, and stating, “Yet again murder of voting by TMC in Bengal.”
Also Read: Did Rahul Gandhi Promise To ‘Redistribute Wealth’ Only To Muslims? No, Viral Video Is Edited
It was shared on Facebook by @gujaratgauravnews on May 16, 2019 with the caption, “Somewhere in India”
The video was also uploaded on DailyMotion website by OneIndia Tamil five years ago.
We were not independently able to ascertain other whereabouts of the video. However, the video is at least five-year-old and has been misleadingly shared in context of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
Conclusion
We could thus conclude that at least five-year-old video of an alleged vote rigging at a polling station has been shared out of context amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
YouTube Video By Tricolour News Network, Dated May 22, 2019
X Post By @dipumdesai, Dated May 15, 2019
Facebook Post By @gujaratgauravnews, Dated May 16, 2019
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
