Old Video Passed off as ‘EVM Fraud’ by BJP During 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

A video showing a man removing slips from a voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) is going viral on social media platforms with users linking it to the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

What do viral posts say?: People shared the video with a caption that said, "BJP knows their defeat is 100% sure. Therefore, doing unethical, unconstitutional works to manipulate the EVMs. Supreme Court must direct ECI to look into matters immediately."

What led us to the truth?: Using the help of Google Lens search, we performed a reverse image search on the different keyframes of the video.

• This directed us to the same clip published by an X user named 'Shenaz'.

• It was shared on 13 December 2022 and its caption said, "Landslide Victory In Gujarat. Scene From One Of The Strong Rooms In That State. Bhavnagar Constituency."

• In the comments section, we found a reply from the Collector and District Magistrate of Gujarat's Bhavnagar.

• The magistrate said that the VVPAT slips were removed and were put in a black envelope as per the instructions given by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

• This was done to ensure that the VVPATs can be used for further elections and the entire process is recorded.

Instructions on ECI website: Team WebQoof found a document on the official ECI website which defined the steps to be followed to remove the VVPAT slips after the completion of voting.

• It, too, mentioned that VVPAT paper slips are to be removed from VVPAT and should be kept in a paper envelope made of thick black paper. It would then be sealed using red wax.

• These instructions corroborated the explanation given by the district magistrate of Bhavnagar.

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