Image Credit: Facebook
Uttar Pradesh
Did Election Commission Announce Re-Elections On 142 Seats In UP? No, Viral Graphic Is Morphed
|While sharing the viral graphic, people claimed that the Election Commission has accepted that there has been tampering with the EVMs and elections are to be held again on 142 seats. The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the viral claim.
After the declaration of UP election results, a screenshot of a news channel is going viral on social media. In the viral screenshot, a picture of news 24 channel journalist Sandeep Chaudhary can be seen. The viral graphic reads, "The Election Commission has accepted that there has been tampering with the EVMs. Elections to be held again on 142 seats. Yogi Adityanath's maybe removed from chief minister's chair."
A facebook user wrote, "चुनाव आयोग ने कबूला EVM बदले जाने की बात 142 सीटों पर हो होंगे चुनाव."
[English Translation: The Election Commission has accepted that there has been tampering with the EVMs. Elections to be held again in 142 seats.]
It is being widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with a similar claim.
Claim:
The Election Commission has accepted that there has been tampering with the EVMs and the elections will be held again in 142 seats.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. The viral graphic is morphed.
During the initial investigation, we did an open keyword search to know the authenticity of the viral claim. However, we could not find any credible media reports which can verify the viral claim.
On observing the screenshot carefully, we found the YouTube channel name mentioned in viral graphic "Nation TV". On doing a keyword search on Google, we found the viral graphic as a thumbnail in a video uploaded on Nation TV 's YouTube channel on March 13. There is an audio clip at the beginning of the video, and in this, two people can be heard discussing about EVMs. However, the anchor (Sandeep Chaudhary) whose photo has been used in the thumbnail in the viral video was nowhere to be seen in the entire video. Also, nowhere does it mention the re-election on 142 seats.
We found similar videos on Nation TV 's YouTube channel thumbnails containing misleading graphics with pictures of senior journalists like Ravish Kumar and Sandeep Choudhary. Below you can see the screenshot.
We also found a tweet done by official handle of PIB Fact Check on this matter in which they refuted the viral claim and requested not to share misleading claims.
Our investigation shows that the viral graphic claiming re-elections at 142 seats in UP and Election Commission has accepted the EVM tampering is morphed. The picture of news anchor Sandeep Chaudhary was used as clickbait. The Election Commission has made no such announcement. Hence, the viral claim is false.
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