Fact Check: ABP exit poll video projecting 353-383 seats for INDIA alliance is manipulated
The original version of the clip showed seat projections opposite to what is shown in the clip.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 3 Jun 2024 10:01 AM GMT
Screengrab of the manipulated video. (Source: X/@ShivamYadavjii)
Claim: ABP News published an exit poll projecting 353-383 seats for the INDIA bloc and 152-182 seats for the NDA
Fact: The claim is false. The video has been digitally manipulated. The original version shows seat projections exactly opposite to what is shown in the clip.
Hyderabad: After the final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded on June 1, news channels began airing exit polls from 6 pm.
A majority of exit polls projected a win for the BJP-led NDA predicting numbers significantly larger than the Congress-led INDIA alliance. However, a clip from ABP News featuring anchor Sandeep Chaudhary has been circulating on social media. In this clip, the graphics depict 353-383 seats for the INDIA bloc and 152-182 seats for the NDA.
Chaudhary in the video is also heard saying that while there is a sense of disbelief in NDA the INDIA bloc is overwhelmingly happy.
āThis is Indiaās most popular channel whose EXIT POLL says this. Total Lok Sabha seats - 543. INDIA ___ 353 to 383 seats, NDA ___ 152 to 182 seats. Sandeep Chaudhary has brought the public exit poll in front of Fake #ExitPoll (translated from Hindi),ā wrote an X user who shared the clip. (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video was digitally manipulated. The original version of the clip showed seat projections opposite to what is shown in the clip; BJP-led NDA is projected to win 353-383 seats and the Congress-led INDIA bloc will get 152-182 seats.
We conducted a specific keyword search that led us to a six-minute video clip of the exit poll featuring Sandeep Chaudhary, published on the ABP News website on June 2, 2024. The video is titled, āABP-CVoter Exit Poll Result: BJP In Full Swing As Per Post-Poll Survey Predicts.ā
In the video, Chaudhary is heard saying that while the NDA is overwhelmingly happy, there is a sense of disbelief in the INDIA bloc. The videoās graphic shows the NDA winning 353-383 seats and the INDIA bloc winning 152-182 seats.
We also found an analysis of the exit poll with senior journalists, anchored by Sandeep Chaudhary, live-streamed on the YouTube channel of ABP News on June 2. In this video, Chaudhary can be heard saying again that the BJP/NDA is overwhelmingly happy, while there is a sense of disbelief in the opposition camp/INDIA bloc.
Here is the comparison of screenshots of the graphics from the manipulated and original videos.
Notably, the seat projections for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Arunachal Pradesh are the same in original and manipulated graphics. However, the overall seat projections are exactly the opposite, confirming that the viral video has been digitally manipulated.
On June 3, ABP News put out a clarification on the X, calling the viral video AI-generated and fake. The channel also urged the public to beware of the fake and misleading information being circulated on social media.
Hence, we conclude that the viral clip of ABP News has been digitally manipulated. The claim that the channel published an exit poll projecting 353-383 seats for the INDIA bloc is false.
