Fact Check: Clipped video of Yogi Adityanath shared as Balaknath being given Rajasthan CM post

Hyderabad: After the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in Rajasthan, defeating the incumbent Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government, a video of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is in circulation with the claim that he has announced Balak Nath as the new Rajasthan CM.

In the video, Adityanath can be heard saying, “After taking the ‘oath’ in Jaipur and post January 22, Baba Balaknath should come to Ayodhya with Ram devotees of Tijara. Is everyone in agreement? (translated from Hindi)”

“Adityanath Yogi ji has announced the new chief minister of Rajasthan, Baba Balaknath Yogi ji is the new CM of Rajasthan, (translated from Hindi)” wrote a Facebook user who shared the video.

Posts making the same claim on Facebook can be found here and here.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video shows Adityanath campaigning for Balak Nath in Tijara before the elections.

We ran a relevant keyword search and came across Adityanath’s full speech on YouTube, posted on November 22, by a verified channel called Pyara Hindustan.

It is titled ‘Yogi’s Huge Rally in Support of Baba Balaknath in Tijara, Rajasthan, in the Dark of the Night.’

At the 12:06-minute timestamp, Adityanth could be heard saying the same line. He said, “Your blessings in the form of a vote will go to the lotus logo and Shri Baba Balaknath. Is everyone in agreement?” He added, “I will say this to Baba Balaknath that after taking the oath in Jaipur and post 22 January, he should come to Ayodhya with Ram devotees of Tijara. Is everyone in agreement?” He also mentioned that the election campaigning will end on November 23 and asked people to vote on November 25.

The results of the Rajasthan elections were announced on December 3, with the BJP winning the majority with 115 seats out of the total 119 seats. Baba Balaknath won from the Tijara constituency.

As of now, the BJP has not announced the CM of Rajasthan. Mahant Balaknath met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and submitted his resignation as a Member of Parliament from Alwar. According to India Today, Balak Nath is one of the top contenders for the chief ministerial post in Rajasthan.

Hence, we conclude that the viral video of Yogi Adityanath has been shared with the missing context. It does not show him announcing Mahant Balaknath as the CM of Rajasthan.