Fact Check: Jana Sena leader Nagendra Babu Konidela’s allegation over YSRCP leaders using indelible ink is False
Voting for the Andhra Pradesh Voters Assembly elections and the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha general elections was held simultaneously on May 14.
Voting for the Andhra Pradesh Voters Assembly elections and the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha general elections was held simultaneously on May 14. YSRCP president & incumbent CM Jagan Mohan Reddy is contesting from Pulivendula and is among the several high-profile candidates in the race for the Assembly, which includes current leader of opposition & Telugu Desam Party President N. Chandrababu Naidu from Kuppam and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan contesting from Pithapuram constituency.
On social media, a video message is shared by Jaan Sena leader Nagendra Babu Konidela. In the video, he is alleging that: “YCP is attempting to purchase voters and mark them with ink to indicate they've already cast their votes”. On May 11, 2024, Nagendra Babu shared the same video on his social media accounts.
Also on May 11, 2024, the Jana Sena Party shared the same video on their official social media handles.
Fact Check: We have found that the claim is false. The Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh clarified that only officials appointed by the Election Commission of India have the authority to use indelible ink.
During the Google reverse image search, we found on May 12, 2024, the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh shared the screenshot of the video message shared by Nagendra Babu Konidela.
With the picture, the CEO mentioned: “The joint collector and returning officer of Pithapuram Assembly constituency clarified in a video message that the allegations are false. In the post, the CEO also said: “Don’t fall for this latest misinformation! Remember, misinformation can be harmful and misleading”.
When we searched the keyword “Nagendra Babu Konidela ink video”, we found on May 13, 2024, the Times of India published an article with a headline “CEO dismisses misuse of indelible ink claims”.
As per Telugu Vox “Nagababu Gets Exposed By Election Commission”
Hence, the claim is false. The CEO of Andhra Pradesh clarified that only officials appointed by the Election Commission of India have the authority to use indelible ink.