Old video of BSP leader sloganeering against EVMs falsely linked to 2024 general elections

What is the claim?

A video showing a man shouting at a polling station was circulated as an incident from Nagpur, one of the 102 constituencies where the first phase of Lok Sabha polls was held on April 19. The video emerged on polling day, with allegations that the man threw ink on the EVMs and chanted slogans such as “EVMs murdabad (down with EVMs).”

The viral video depicts a man shouting inside a polling station, after which a group of police officers escort him to a police vehicle. Here, he can be seen expressing his opposition to the EVMs to the media. Numerous users shared the video on social media, asserting it to be a recent incident from Nagpur. Archives of such claims can be found here and here. 

Screenshots of the viral posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this claim is incorrect. A video from the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls has been misrepresented as an incident from the 2024 general elections. The video features BSP leader Sunil Khambe protesting against EVM at a polling station in Thane.

How did we find the truth?

A relevant keyword search revealed that the video is from 2019. News agency ANI released the original video on October 21, 2019, stating that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Sunil Khambe threw ink on the EVM at a polling booth during the Maharashtra assembly elections. He chanted slogans such as “EVMs won’t work” and “Death to EVM.”

Several media outlets, including ABP News and TV9 Marathi, broadcasted the video of Sunil Khambe causing a disturbance at a polling station during the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

On October 21, 2019, Hindustan Times reported that the incident occurred at a polling station in Thane district. As the police were escorting him away, he voiced his opposition to EVMs and demanded the use of ballot papers instead. He declared to reporters, “EVMs should be replaced with ballot papers. This is the demand of the people of the country. Death to EVMs (EVM murdabad).”

The 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were held for 288 seats, took place on October 21, 2019. BSP leader Rajeshchanna Baijnath Jaiswar ran for the Thane seat and received 9,472 votes, securing the fourth position, while the Shiv Sena emerged victorious.

The verdict

The viral video features BSP leader Sunil Khambe protesting at a polling station in Thane during the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The clip has no connection to the 2024 general elections and has been inaccurately circulated as a recent incident from Nagpur. Consequently, we have marked the claim as false.