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.
A set of two graphics claiming that the debutant Aam Aadmi Party can win around 50 seats in the recently held Gujarat Assembly Elections is going viral following the conclusion of voting in the state. Newschecker found that both the graphics have been digitally edited.
The first image (hereafter referred to as viral graphic 1) carries a picture of Kejriwal, with Hindi text claiming,“गुजरात चुनाव के पहले चरण में AAPको मिल सकती है 49-54 सीटें. (AAP is likely to win 49-54 seats in the first phase of the Gujarat polls).” The second image (hereafter referred to as viral graphic 2) shows the AAP having an edge over the BJP with 49-54 seats.
Several Facebook users shared the both the images claiming that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is all set to oust the BJP from Gujarat after nearly 3 decades of being in power.
Links to such Facebook posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
What Do Exit Polls Predict For Gujarat?
The exit polls have predicted a big majority of the incumbent BJP in Gujarat, followed by the Congress. The AAP, which has been projecting itself as a “symbol of parivartan” in the state has been forecasted to end up third. While Times Now Navbharat ETG exit poll has predicted 135-145 seats for the BJP, 24-34 seats for the Congress and 6-16 seats for the AAP, the ABP – CVoter survey has given 128-140 seats to the BJP, 31-43 seats to the Congress and 3-11 seats to the AAP.
Also Read: Gujarat Polls- ‘India TV’ Graphic Predicting AAP Win Is Fake
Fact Check/Verification
On carefully analysing both the images, we spotted a faint white icon resembling a triangle on the red background at the bottom left of the screen of viral graphic 2. The sign and colour scheme resembled the logo of ABP News. Further, we also noticed Hindi text “ प्रधानमंत्री मोदी आज बनासकांठा पाटन” written on the bottom right in the image.
Taking a clue, we looked up “ABP News,” & “प्रधानमंत्री मोदी आज बनासकांठा पाटन” on Google which yielded a report by the news outlet dated December 2, 2022. The article stated that with the conclusion of phase 1 voting in Gujarat, political leaders are now focussed on phase 2 of the assembly elections. “PM Modi will hold rallies in four places including Banaskantha- Patan,” it added.
Following this, we skimmed through the videos related to the Gujarat polls that were uploaded on the official YouTube channel of ABP news on December 2, 2022, and found a 1:22-minute-clip titled ‘Gujarat Elections Breaking: Arvind Kejriwal’s big statement on the first phase of voting.’
18 seconds into the video, we spotted the same media-text template as seen in the viral graphic 2. On comparing the viral graphic 2 with the keyframe of the YouTube video, we observed that barring the text and ticker at the bottom, the visuals were identical.
Notably, the news anchor in the video can be heard saying “Badi Khabar Iss Waqt Ki… (big news of the moment),” suggesting that the clip is a part of a live broadcast of the news. Taking a clue, we conducted keyword search for “First breaking,” APB Live,” “ABP News” “Gujarat Elections,” & “1st Phase Voting,” on Google which threw up a YouTube video dated December 2, 2022.
The video titled ‘First Century LIVE: दिन की शुरुआत देश-दुनिया की 100 बड़ी खबरों से |Gujarat Election 1st Phase Voting,’ featured over 5-hour-long live streaming of ABP News channel.
At the counters of 18:19 minutes, we spotted the media-text template seen in the viral graphic. Notably, the yellow ticker saying “प्रधानमंत्री मोदी आज बनासकांठा पाटन…” can also be seen in this frame of the YouTube video. However, the text on the right-hand-side of the graphic reads, “गुजरात के लोगों ने कमाल कर दिया -केजरीवाल” and does not show any predictions on the number of seats as seen in viral graphic 2.
Furthermore, around 18:14 minutes into the video, we found a frame showcasing visuals similar to those seen in viral graphic 1. On comparing the keyframe and the viral image, we found that, except for the text, both the visuals were identical.
Notably, instead of “गुजरात चुनाव के पहले चरण में AAPको मिल सकती है 49-54 सीटें”, the text in the frame read, “पहले चरण की वोटिंग पर बोले केजरीवाल.”
We further scanned through the entire section of the news bulletin on Gujarat elections, but did not find any mention of 49-54 seat prediction for the AAP in the recently concluded polls. This led us to conclude that both the viral graphics have been digitally edited.
Additionally, the ABP-C Voter exit poll has predicted a 128-140 seat-win for the BJP, 31-43 seats for the Congress and 3-11 seats for the AAP. Their opinion poll had predicted 134-142 seats for the BJP, 28-36 for the Congress and 7-15 seats for the AAP.
Conclusion
Viral graphics claiming that the AAP can win 49-54 seats in 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections have been digitally edited.
Result: Altered Photo
Sources
YouTube Video By ABP News, Dated December 2, 2022
Self Analysis
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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.
