Fact Check: Pankaj Tripathi appeals not to vote for BJP? No, video shared by AAP is edited

Hyderabad: Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, likely to be held in early 2025, a video has been circulating on social media purportedly showing Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi in a PSA (public service announcement) urging people not to vote for the BJP.

In the video, Tripathi can be seen saying: “We sell peanuts, not our brains. Look at this message—it is sent by BJP members, saying, ‘Vote for us, and we will bring development (displaying the message on a mobile phone).’ Oh, as if we don’t know! Here we vote for them and the government funds vanish there.”

He demonstrates this by pouring peanuts onto a paper pouch, which has a hole, causing them to fall through. He continues, “I am a peanut seller, not a fool. Remember, if BJP people try to entice you with any offer, just tell them, ‘I’m not a fool.’”

The official X handle of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared the video (now deleted) with the caption, “Tell the BJP people- “I am not a fool…” (Archive) The official X handle of AAP Uttar Pradesh also shared the video.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video showing Tripathi appealing to the people not to vote for the BJP is edited.

We reviewed the comments on AAP’s post and found a user pointing out that the video was fake. The user also shared an identical video, which featured Tripathi raising awareness about not clicking on fraudulent UPI links claiming lottery prize money.

Upon conducting a reverse image search, we found the original video was shared by several official X accounts, including UPI, UPI Chalega, the Ministry of Electronics & IT and Digital India, in September and October. The caption accompanying the posts read, “A moongfaliwala (peanut seller) receives a message claiming he has won a lottery and must click on a link to claim his prize money. Will he give in to temptation, or find a smart solution?”

The viral video has been edited starting from the 0:09-minute timestamp. The original video features him warning against fraudulent links and sharing UPI PINs to claim the lottery prize money.

In the original video, Tripathi said, “Look at this message. It says I have won the lottery. Click the link and enter the UPI PIN to get money. Do they think I don’t know? The moment you enter the UPI PIN, your money is gone. I may be a peanut seller, but I am not a fool. Remember, UPI says, if someone tempts you, just say, ‘I am not a fool’.”

Here is the comparison of the edited and original video.

Hence, we conclude that the viral ad of Pankaj Tripathi appealing to people not to vote for the BJP is edited.