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.
Claim
People from different countries appeal against voting for the BJP in 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections.
Fact
Video released as a part of “No Vote To BJP” campaign ahead of 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections.
A video of people from different parts of the world holding up and seemingly passing on a poster saying “No Vote To BJP” has grabbed social media attention. Several social media users shared the viral footage with “#KarnatakaElections2023,” insinuating that people across the world are dissuading the state voters from voting in favour of the incumbent BJP in the assembly elections that are due on May 10. Newschecker found the video to be old, and unrelated to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections.
The video is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter linking it to the upcoming assembly elections in the BJP ruled Karnataka.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
We carefully inspected the poster but did not spot any discoloration, asymmetry in text font/size or any visible alteration, leading us to conclude that the viral placard has likely not been edited.
Following this, we looked up “No Vote To BJP” on Google which yielded a Twitter handle named “@No_Vote_To_BJP.” The handle’s display picture was watermarked on the left top corner in the viral footage.
The description of the account read, “There is no division in Bengal #NoVoteToBJP in #BengalElection2021.”
Further, the viral clip was shared by the handle on April 24, 2021, and has been pinned to their account.
The video was also uploaded on Instagram by @novotetobjp, on April 24, 2021, with the caption, “people’s judgement all over the world There is no division in Bengal #NoVoteToBJP in #BengalElections2021(translated from Bengali by Google)”
Notbaly, the thumbnail of the video featured screengrabs from the clip with the text “Bengalis across the world, saying in one voice, no vote to BJP.”
To know more about the campaign, we looked up “No Vote For BJP,” and “Bengal elections” on Google, which led us to multiple reports elaborating on a campaign launched ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections dissuading people to not vote in favour of the saffron party.
A report by The Wire, dated May 10, 2021, titled ‘How Bengali Civil Society Stood up Against the BJP,’ stated, “…a group of people connected to various social and mass movements came together to create a forum called ‘Bengal against Fascist RSS-BJP’. The forum started a people’s campaign – ‘No Vote To BJP’, which went to the farthest corners of the state.”
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One of the convenors of the forum Kushal Debnath had then told The Wire that through this campaign, they were not asking people to vote for TMC or any other political party, but requesting people not to vote for the BJP. Debnath was quoted as saying, “Stopping the BJP from coming to power in Bengal is extremely crucial today, otherwise their fascist aggression will gain steam across India.”
Multiple other news outlets had reported on the “No Vote To BJP” campaign in West Bengal. Such reports can be read here, here, here and here.
Conclusion
We could thus conclude that the viral post linking a video showing people from different countries holding up a placard reading “No Vote To BJP” is old and is being falsely linked to 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections. The video was released as a part of a campaign ahead of 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections.
Result: False
Sources
Tweet By @No_Vote_To_BJP, Dated April 24, 2021
Instagram Post By @novotetobjp, Dated April 24, 2021
Report By The Wire, Dated May 10, 2021
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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.
