Video of T20 World Cup win fete falsely shared as BJP poll triumph revelry
- Published on May 12, 2026 at 16:11
- 3 min read
- By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India
After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in key elections in opposition-held West Bengal in May 2026, posts recirculated a months-old video falsely claiming it shows post-election celebration in the state. The footage was actually shot in northern Uttar Pradesh state in March and captures festivities after India won its third T20 World Cup title.
"West Bengal simply needs assurance that the TMC's goons won't resort to violence and rape after the results. The central forces arrived. The fear dissipated, and Bengal turned around. Never before has the country witnessed such post-election celebrations as are being witnessed in Bengal," says a Hindi-language Facebook post shared on May 6, 2026.
The Indian prime minister has accused the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party in West Bengal since 2011, of enabling goons to perpetrate atrocities against women and lawlessness, allegations the party has denied while the state faces widespread loot and misgovernance (archived here and here).
The clip attached with the post shows a massive nighttime street celebration by a huge, energetic crowd waving Indian tricolor and saffron flags.
The video was shared alongside similar claims on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X posts after the BJP recorded a landslide victory in elections in opposition-held West Bengal, its first-ever electoral win in the state (archived link).
Visuals of BJP workers and supporters celebrating erupted as the party took a strong lead in the state assembly elections, eventually claiming a landmark 207 out of 294 seats in the legislative assembly on May 4 (archived here and here).
Following the election, TMC along with the opposition Congress party accused the Election Commission and central government agencies of rigging the vote in the BJP's favour (archived link).
The BJP has dismissed the allegations (archived link).
Comments indicate some users believed the claim.
"After watching the video, it seems like Bengal became independent on the election result date," wrote one.
Another said: "Show this video to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. The public is very happy. Your party won by looting. Now you will go to jail."
But the video was filmed in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh and is unrelated to the elections.
T20 World Cup win
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the clip led to a similar video posted on Instagram on March 8, 2026 (archived link).
"After India wins T2O World Cup," reads text overlaid on the clip.
India won a record third T20 World Cup title and became the first team to defend their crown with a 96-run victory over New Zealand in a lop-sided final on March 8 (archived link).
The user marked the location as Loknath Chowk, a market in the city of Prayagraj in northern Uttar Pradesh state.
A structure with the name "Suman Ornaments" can be seen in the false post and the Instagram clip.
The footage in the false post corresponds to the Google Street View imagery of Loknath Chowk in Prayagraj (archived link).
Indian media organisation Times Now Sports also published a similar video (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to the West Bengal poll.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2026. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
