Misinformation on India protest video fans voter fraud allegations

Published on December 10, 2024 at 06:35
3 min read
By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India

As elections in the western Indian state of Maharashtra concluded, a video made the rounds in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed crowds flooding the streets to protest against electronic voting machines (EVMs) following allegations of tampering in the polls. The footage was in fact filmed at an anti-EVM march in the Indian capital Delhi in January 2024 -- months before the Maharashtra elections.

"The spark to remove EVM now turns into a movement," read a Hindi-language Facebook post shared on November 26, 2024.

"People are on the streets against the Election Commission in many villages of Maharashtra. There is deep doubt about #EVM in the country."

The post included a short clip of crowds chanting in Hindi, "Remove EVM, save the country".

India, the world's biggest democracy, uses electronic voting machines that allow for ballots to be counted faster.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on November 26, 2024

The video spread on Facebook and X after Indian opposition leaders alleged irregularities in voting machines in Maharashtra elections in November -- in which an alliance led by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a landslide victory.

The accusations sparked protests in the state against the use of EVMs, and India's election commission promised a transparent review of opposition leaders' concerns (archived links here and here).

The video circulating online, however, does not show a protest in Maharashtra against voting machines.

Delhi protest

A reverse image search on Google and a keyword search for the Hindi phrase chanted in the video led to a similar video posted on the official YouTube channel of India-based newspaper O Heraldo on January 31 (archived link).

The YouTube video is titled, "Nationwide Movement to Ban EVMs Gains Momentum at Jantar Mantar, Delhi".

Below is a screenshot comparison of the false post clip (left) and the YouTube video (right):

Screenshot comparison of the false post clip (left) and the YouTube video (right)

Indian news website Sabrang published similar images from the protest on January 31 (archived link).

According to the report, thousands marched following allegations of EVM tampering and misuse by the ruling BJP just before elections in India's lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha.

Signboards visible in both the falsely shared video and the O Heraldo video correspond to signs in Jantar Mantar.

Comparison of the signboards seen in the falsely shared video (left) and the same signs in Jantar Mantar, as captured by an AFP reporter (right)

AFP has debunked other false claims about the state assembly elections here, here and here.

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