Fact-Check: Clip of Atishi Telling People ‘Vote for Goons to Defeat BJP’ Is Old!

The video shows Atishi speaking at an event in April 2019 and has no connection to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The video of Atishi asking people to vote for anyone to defeat BJP is old.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

A video of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi Marlena talking about voting for candidates is being shared on social media, amid the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Who shared the clip?: Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) national secretary Tajinder Bagga shared the video on his X (formerly Twitter) account, which gathered over 124,000 views at the time of writing this report.

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mumbai's spokesperson Suresh Nakhua also shared this video, along with author and television personality Anand Ranganathan.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

What is she saying?: In the short clip, Atishi talks about removing the BJP power by voting for whichever candidate is contesting against them, in Hindi. Here is a translated version of her speech.

"In Uttar Pradesh, only the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) and SP (Samajwadi Party) coalition can defeat the BJP, nobody else can defeat them. So if we are UP voters, what should we have done? We should give our vote to the SP-BSP coalition, regardless of how their candidate is. When I was speaking to someone I know, they said "the candidate in our area is a goonda, what do I do?". I said, close your eyes and give your vote to the coalition, because this is an election where it is necessary to defeat the BJP."

AAP leader Atishi Marlena's statement in the viral clip

But..?: The video is from 2019 and has no connection to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

How did we find out the truth?: Some claims, which shared the video, carried a watermark reading 'Okhla Times 2019'.

The video carries a watermark of 'Okhla Times'.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

Taking a cue from this, we looked for Okhla Times on the internet.

• This led us to a YouTube channel with the same name, where we looked for videos related to Atishi.

• Here, we came across a video which was uploaded on 19 April 2019, which mentioned that Atishi Marlena, who was a Lok Sabha candidate from East Delhi for the 2019 polls, was speaking at Tikona Park.

Nearly 37 minutes into the video, Atishi can be heard speaking about the 2019 polls.

"I don't think this election is like any normal election," she says, telling the audience that when people go out to cast their votes for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, they are not just casting their vote for the next five years.

• She goes on to say, "We are voting to save the future of our country. No matter which part of the country we vote from, it is our collective responsibility to to vote for such a candidate or party, which can defeat the BJP there."

• Further, Atishi acknowledges that there is "no single party in the entire country that can defeat the BJP," but different parties in different states have the capability to defeat them.

• The part that follows is the clip shared in the viral claim.

"For example, in UP, only the BSP-SP coalition can defeat the BJP, nobody else can defeat them. So if we are UP voters, what should we have done? We should give our vote to the SP-BSP alliance, regardless of how their candidate is. When I was speaking to someone I know, they said "the candidate in our area is a good, what do I do?". I said, close your eyes and give your vote to the coalition, because this is an election where it is necessary to defeat the BJP."

• A keyword search on Google led us a report by The Indian Express, published in 2019, which mentioned that Atishi drew heavy criticism from the BJP over this statement.

• However, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi had spoken to support Atishi.

Conclusion: An old video of AAP leader Atishi is being shared on social media, where users are linking it to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)