The person in these election rally photos is M. K. Stalin (DMK), not Rahul Gandhi (Congress) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 25, 2021
A couple of photos are being shared on social media with a claim that they show people of Tamil Nadu welcoming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu are going to be conducted on 06 April 2021. It is in this context that this photo is being shared. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being welcomed by the people of Tamil Nadu.
Fact: The person in these election rally photos is M. K. Stalin (DMK). The photos were taken at an election rally in Tamil Nadu on 19 March 2021. On 19 and 20 March 2021, Rahul Gandhi participated in the election meetings in Assam. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photos were run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photos were found to be uploaded by the official Facebook and Twitter handles of ‘DMK – Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’ on 19 March 2021. In other photos related to the event, it can be clearly seen that the man in the photos is M. K. Stalin, the President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
The live video of Stalin’s election rally on 19 March 2021 from the same location in Tamil Nadu (TN) can be seen on the Facebook page of M. K. Stalin. The DMK and Congress are alliance partners for the upcoming election in TN. But Rahul Gandhi was not present at this rally on 19 March 2021.
On 19 and 20 March 2021, Rahul Gandhi participated in the meetings held in Assam, another poll-bound State. Some of the photos and videos of Rahul Gandhi in Assam on those days can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, election rally photos of M. K. Stalin (DMK) are being shared as people of Tamil Nadu welcoming Rahul Gandhi (Congress).