Fake newsclip shared to claim TDP will support Congress in Andhra Pradesh polls

What is the claim?

Social media users have widely circulated a 17-second video purportedly from Telugu news channel ABN Andhrajyothy, alleging that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is extending indirect support to the Congress in Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The video suggests that Chandrababu Naidu, chief of the opposition TDP, is indirectly endorsing YS Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is the Congress candidate for the general elections from the Kadapa constituency. According to the clip, TDP candidate Bhupesh Reddy is engaged in a "friendly contest" against Sharmila, with Naidu purportedly urging party members to cooperate for her victory.

This claim has garnered significant attention online, mainly as the TDP has formed alliances with the Jana Sena Party (JSP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is contesting against the Congress and the YSRCP in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Criticism of Chandrababu Naidu's alleged decision has surfaced on social media, with archived versions of such posts accessible here, here, and here. 

Screenshot of the viral social media post (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, it has come to light that the video circulated on social media is digitally altered and not authentic news broadcast by ABN Andhrajyothy. The channel did not air any such news.

What did we find?

Upon investigation, no credible news reports corroborating Naidu's purported support for YS Sharmila were found. Additionally, discrepancies in the video clip, such as misspelling the name of the TDP candidate from Kadapa, suggest fabrication.

Additionally, while the clip's template and background music are from ABN Andhrajyothy, the font used for its content in the 'Breaking News' segment differs from that in the viral clip. The font in the regular Breaking News segment is thicker than the one in the viral clip. Similarly, the 'ABN' watermark on the channel's regular news clips is thicker and brighter compared to the viral news clip.

Comparison between the viral template and the original ABN template (Source: X/ABN Andhrajyothy/Screenshots)

ABN Andhrajyothy also issued a clarification on April 7, 2024, confirming that they did not broadcast such news, denouncing the viral clip as fake. 

It's worth noting that alongside the manipulated video, a purported letter attributed to Naidu circulated on social media, reiterating the claim of TDP's support for Sharmila. However, the TDP officially refuted the authenticity of this letter on April 7.

This incident is not isolated, as similar instances of fabricated news clips and fake open letters purportedly authored by Naidu have circulated previously on social media platforms. Logically Facts has previously debunked several such claims, which can be read here and here.

The verdict

A fabricated news clip from ABN Andhrajyothy channel has been shared to claim that the TDP has decided to indirectly support Congress candidate YS Sharmila in the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency. Consequently, we have marked this claim as false.