Old video of woman receiving cash falsely linked to Karnataka Assembly polls
The video has been on the internet since 2021.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 25 April 2023 12:41 PM GMT
(Source: Facebook)
Hyderabad: A video showing a woman opening an envelope carrying money is going viral on social media. The envelope has the Bharatiya Janata Partyās (BJP) symbol and a picture of a candidate.
A Facebook user shared the video and linked it to the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls. He shared the video using the hashtag #karnatakaelection2023. (Archi
(Source: Facebook)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video dates back to 2021.
On performing a reverse image search of the videoās keyframe, we found it tweeted by a user on 28 October 2021. She claimed that BJP was distributing cash for votes in the Huzurabad by-polls in Telangana.
Taking this as a cue, we ran a keyword search and found the same video published by the verified YouTube channel NTV Telugu on 28 October 2021. The channel, in the caption, mentioned that BJP distributed Rs. 10,000 per vote in the Huzurabad by-polls.
An India Today article from 28 October 2021 reported that several videos had surfaced online with the claims that the BJP and the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (now BRS) allegedly gave cash for votes during the campaign for Huzurabad Assembly by-polls in Telangana.
The article also includes the viral video tweeted by Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore. He also alleged in the tweet that the video shows cash distribution by the BJP in Huzurabad Assembly by-polls.
Further, we could match the picture of the candidate on the envelope with that of Huzurabad BJP MLA Eatala Rajender.
The video has been on the internet since 2021. Hence, we conclude that the video does not show money being distributed by the BJP in Karnataka ahead of the Assembly polls. The claim is misleading.
