Video of opposition party leader 'conceding defeat' in India 2024 election was doctored
A video of Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party in India, was manipulated to make it appear he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win the country's ongoing elections. Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win the vote but Gandhi made no such remarks as of May 26, 2024. In the original video, he actually said the opposition alliance will defeat the BJP in the northern megastate of Uttar Pradesh.
"Today's Breaking News: Congress' senior leader Rahul Gandhi has predicted at a public meeting. On June 4, Modi will be back in power," read a Hindi-language post on social media site X on May 14, 2024.
The post featured a video of opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi speaking from a dais.
A part of the video appears to show him saying: "Narendra Modi will remain the Prime Minister of India. Take it in writing, Narendra Modi can become the prime minister of India. We have done our best, you will see our alliance will get not a seat in Uttar Pradesh."
The post surfaced in the middle of India's marathon six-week parliamentary election, the largest democratic exercise in the world.
Analysts expect an easy win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP thanks in large part to his aggressive championing of India's majority Hindu faith -- and a disparate opposition of more than two dozen parties.
Similar posts featuring the edited video were also shared elsewhere on X and on Facebook here and here.
Comments on the posts indicated social media users believed the claim.
"When this fool already knows that Modi will win the elections, why is he contesting," one commented.
"The people of the country have known that Rahul Gandhi is a foolish leader, and the destruction of the Congress Party is certain to be in his hands," said another.
But there were no official reports as of May 23, 2024 indicating Gandhi said the BJP will win the election.
In reality, the video was edited from a speech where he said the opposite.
Clipped video
A keyword search on YouTube found Gandhi's complete speech livestreamed on the verified account of his Congress party on May 10, 2024 (archived link).
The video's description said it was filmed in Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh state. It read: "Rahul Gandhi's roar in Kanpur, this speech will overturn the entire election! 'Modi is gone... Goodbye, Thank You."
Below is a screenshot comparison of a frame from the edited clip (left) and the video uploaded on the Congress party's verified YouTube channel (right):
The edited video corresponds to the section of Gandhi's speech beginning at the 0:57 mark of the longer YouTube video.
But what he actually said was: "Narendra Modi will not be the Prime Minister of India. Take it in writing, Narendra Modi cannot become the Prime Minister of India" (archived link).
The word "not" was edited out in the circulating video.
Moreover, at the 1:41 mark in the video, Gandhi's actual remarks were: "We have done our best. Now you see, our alliance will get not a seat less than 50 in Uttar Pradesh."
This part was also altered to make it appear he said the opposition alliance "will get not a seat" in the state.
AFP has debunked more misinformation around India's general election here.
