Old video shared as 'rising demand for AAP' in Haryana ahead of Assembly polls

What is the claim?

Ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, a video clip is circulating online, claiming to show support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Haryana.

In the video, a reporter interviews three shopkeepers in Hindi about the political situation in Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party, and its work in Delhi. The reporter refers to the AAP's 'Badlaav Yatra' (March for Change) and asks whether a political shift is possible in Haryana. The shopkeepers express their praise for the AAP’s performance and their hope for the party's success in Haryana.

The video was posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Demand for AAP is rising in Haryana. Congress’s arrogance will sink it. ‘Haryana ke Lal’ Kejriwal is yet to hit the ground.” Archived versions of these claims can be viewed here, here, and here.

Screenshot of the claim on social media. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts) 

The video is being shared in the context of the Assembly elections for 90 legislative seats in Haryana, set for October 4, 2024. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the incumbent, the main opposition parties are Congress and AAP. Despite speculation that Congress and AAP might form an alliance, they did not, as AAP announced separate lists of candidates.

However, the video in question is from December 2023 and is being misleadingly presented as recent support for AAP ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections.

What we found 

The video features the red logo of the regional news outlet Punjab Kesari in the top right corner and on the reporter’s microphone. The text "Guhla Chowk" is visible in the top left corner.

A Google search using this information led us to a vox pop video (archived here) uploaded on December 21, 2023, on Punjab Kesari’s YouTube channel. The video features the same individuals as in the viral clip, starting at the 3:48 mark. It shows a reporter from Punjab Kesari interviewing people in Guhla Chowk in Haryana’s Kaithal city. The video is captioned: “What did people say about AAP's Badlaav Yatra... know how much rating they gave it (translated from Hindi).”

The 'Badlav Yatra' was a 10-day state-level march by AAP in Haryana from December 15 to 24, 2023, leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. AAP and Congress had contested the Lok Sabha elections together as part of the opposition INDIA bloc. The march was covered by several news outlets in December 2023, including The Hindu, The Tribune, and ABP news.

A search on Punjab Kesari’s YouTube channel, website, and social media platforms did not yield any recent vox pops related to the upcoming Haryana elections.

Legislative Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, and Jharkhand are scheduled for the latter half of 2024. Voting in Haryana will take place on October 5, 2024, with counting set for October 8, 2024.

The verdict

The video being shared is from 2023 and falsely represents it as recent support for AAP in the run-up to the Haryana Assembly elections.