Fact Check: Video of Akhilesh Yadav asking people not to vote for Congress is not recent

Hyderabad: As the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday morning with polling underway at 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories, a video of former UP CM and Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav asking people not to vote for the Congress party is doing rounds on social media. In the video, Akhilesh calls the Congress a ‘cunning party’ and accuses it of betrayal.

The SP and the Congress party are part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, with Congress contesting 17 seats and the SP fighting on 62 seats in alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

“Akhilesh Yadav appeals to the public.” wrote an X user who shared the video (Archive) on April 19.

“Shri Akhilesh Yadav’s order is not to vote for Congress,” wrote another X user while sharing the video (Archive).

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video is unrelated to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as it is from November 2023.

We ran a relevant keyword search and found an extended version of the video published by ANI on November 5, 2023, titled ‘“Do not vote for cunning party Congress”: SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav’s jibe in poll-bound MP.’

NDTV published the video in a report on November 5, 2023. The channel reported that Akhilesh Yadav had asked not to vote for either the BJP or Congress.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times of November 5, 2023, Yadav had attacked Congress amid tension between the INDIA bloc partners over seat distribution in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Addressing a public meeting, he had called Congress a 'chalu' (cheat) party and asked not to vote for either BJP or Congress.

It also mentioned Congress had denied seats to Yadav’s party in Madhya Pradesh saying the INDIA bloc was meant for national politics, not regional elections.

Hence, we conclude that the video of Akhilesh Yadav asking people not to vote for the Congress party is unrelated to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and is misleading.