Fact Check: Old video of poll agent influencing voters falsely linked to 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Hyderabad: With just two voting phases remaining for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a video circulating on social media depicts a scene at a polling booth where a man in a blue t-shirt appears to be casting votes for women. The accompanying claim links the incident to the BJP allegedly being involved in voting fraud in Uttar Pradesh.

In a sarcastic jab at the BJP’s ambitious goal of winning 400 seats, X (archive) and Facebook (archive) users shared the video, implying that the alleged voting fraud depicted in Uttar Pradesh is part of the ‘UP model double engine’ strategy aimed at achieving the target.

Fact Check

NewesMeter found that the claim is misleading. The video shows voting malpractice but the incident occurred in 2019, not during the current election cycle.

Upon conducting a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found it featured an NDTV report published on May 13, 2019, titled ‘Election 2019: Poll Agent Arrested Over Video of ‘Booth Capture’ In Haryana’s Faridabad’. According to the channel, a polling agent in Haryana’s Faridabad was allegedly voting for women when they entered the voting compartment in the sixth round of the 2019 General Elections.

According to a report by The Indian Express dated May 13, 2019, the polling agent affiliated with the BJP was apprehended by the Palwal Police following the circulation of a viral video allegedly showing him attempting to influence voters at a polling booth in Faridabad. Identified as Giriraj Singh, he was arrested after an FIR was lodged against him.

In the FIR the presiding officer Amit Atri stated that the accused under the guise of aiding voters had pressed voting buttons thrice despite the attempts to stop him.

On May 12, 2019, the district election office in Faridabad (archive) shared a thread on X, stating that the purported polling agent was caught attempting to influence three female voters. The thread further confirmed that the accused had been apprehended, and an FIR had been filed against him.

In a follow-up report published on May 14, 2019, The Indian Express reported that following an investigation, the Election Commission had ordered fresh repolling at the affected polling station on May 19, 2019. Additionally, the presiding officer of the station was suspended.

Hence, we conclude that the video does not show voting malpractice in the ongoing General Elections in Uttar Pradesh. The claim is misleading.