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.

Fact-Check | The video is old and is being shared with a misleading context.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

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.

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.

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