Assam mock poll video is falsely shared as BJP EVM rigging - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 17, 2024
A widely circulated video allegedly shows two people repeatedly casting votes for the BJP inside a polling booth. This video is being shared with claims suggesting that the BJP is rigging the election (here & here). In this article, we will examine the authenticity of these claims.
Claim: Video showing BJP rigging the elections.
Fact: The video depicts a mock poll conducted before the actual election in Assam’s Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency in April 2024. The votes cast during this mock poll were cleared before the actual voting began. The concerned authorities clarified the same. As the agent violated ECI rules by carrying a mobile phone into the polling station, the presiding officer has been suspended. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While the viral video does show two individuals repeatedly voting for a party, this incident took place during a mock poll conducted before the actual election, not during real polling. A reverse image search of screenshots from the video led to multiple news reports confirming these visuals.
According to these reports, the visuals are from Assam’s Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency, where a polling agent recorded a mock poll using a mobile phone during the second phase of the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the votes cast during this mock poll were cleared before the actual voting began (here & here).
As the video went viral, the District Election Officer and returning officer clarified that it depicts a mock poll. However, since the agent violated ECI rules by carrying a mobile phone into the polling station, the polling official assigned as the presiding officer has been suspended. The DEO issued a circular stating this.
Additionally, another circular from the DEO provided further clarification, confirming that the video was taken during a mock poll and that ‘Close Result Clear (CRC)’ was performed before the actual polling began. The circular also clarified that the individual seen in the video is a polling agent for Abdul Hameed, an independent candidate from the Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency. Therefore, these reports establish that the visuals are not related to actual polling and have no connection to the BJP.
To sum up, the Assam mock poll video is falsely shared as BJP EVM rigging.