Over 300 EVMs Captured Inside a Shop in Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli? A Fact-Check

The video is from to 2019 Lok Sabha Elections and shows reserve EVMs being transported in Chandauli.

Abhishek Anand
WebQoof
Published:
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Fact-Check | The video is old and is being shared with a misleading context.</p></div>
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Fact-Check | The video is old and is being shared with a misleading context.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

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A video of several people transporting Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is being shared on the internet as a recent incident from Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh.

  • Those sharing the video have claimed that over 300 EVMs were caught inside a shop in Chandauli.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

The video had garnered over 39 thousand views on the platform. More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.

What is the truth?: While the video is from Chandauli, it could be traced back to 2019 and is not recent as claimed.

  • According to the local administration, the video showed voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) being transported in the presence of political parties' representatives during 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

  • The Election Commission of India (ECI) spokesperson had, too, denied the mishandling of EVMs in 2019.

How did we find that out?: We performed a reverse image search on the keyframes of the video and found the same video shared on a Facebook page named 'FekuExpress2.0'.

  • The video was uploaded on 20 May 2019 with a caption that said, "Murder of Democracy! More than 300 EVM caught by the locals stored inside a shop. Location - Chandauli, UP."

What did the local administration say?: The District Magistrate (DM) of Chandauli responded to one such viral video on X and refuted the claims.

  • He confirmed that the video was taken during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

  • The DM mentioned that the VVPAT was being shifted in the presence of representatives of political parties. He added that no irregularities were reported.

Response from the local police: Chandauli Police had shared a post on their official X handle requesting people to not fall for fake news on social media platforms.

  • The post's caption further mentioned that a case will be registered against those spreading the viral claim.

  • It carried several news clippings about the EVM video.

Allegations of EVM tampering were levelled: According to a news report published in The Indian Express, tampering allegations were levelled in parts of the country.

  • The report mentioned about the viral video from Chandauli.

  • It carried a statement from the Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh, who said that all the EVMs used in the elections were sealed under security.

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ECI spokesperson had rejected the claims in 2019: The spokesperson had shared factual reporting about the videos that were going viral on social media platforms.

  • The report said that after the seventh phase of voting in Chandauli concluded on 19 May 2019, the polled EVMs and VVPATs were preserved in the presence of present candidate/representative.

  • On 20 May 2019, the unused EVMs and VVPATs that were kept as reserve at Tehsil Headquarters were being transported to the additional strongroom. This is when the protests erupted.

Conclusion: It is clear that an old video is being shared with a misleading claim stating that around 300 EVMs were caught inside a shop in Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli.

(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 webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

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