Fact Check: Viral video of 'Jai Shri Ram' chanting is not from poll-bound Maharashtra but UP
The assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand are scheduled in November 2024. Counting of votes polled for all
Jai Shri Ram slogans
The assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand are scheduled in November 2024. Counting of votes polled for all the 288 seats in Maharashtra will be conducted in a single phase, on November 23, 2024. Polls are scheduled in two phases on November 13 and November 20, 2024. The political parties have started rigorous campaigning and all prominent leaders belonging to the parties are touring the main places in the states.
Amidst this scenario, a video showing people raising slogans “Jai Shri Ram” in a complex is in circulation with the claim that it was shot in Maharashtra during the election campaign. The video is widely in circulation on various social media platforms. The caption shared with the video in Hindi states “*MOOD OF MAHARASHTRA* *महाराष्ट्र चुनाव का अत्यंत ही सुंदर ढंग से प्रचार प्रारंभ।*”
Some of the YouTube channels of news channels also shared the video.
Fact check:
The claim is Misleading. The video is from Kanpur, UP and not Maharashtra.
When we extracted keyframes and performed Google reverse image search using the keyframes, we found a Facebook post published on February 15, 2022 with the caption “प्रभात फेरी , कानपुर पश्चिम “
Another Facebook user also shared the same video with the caption in Hindi “अपार्टमेंट में मिला हिन्दू समाज का समर्थन प्रभात फेरी कानपुर पश्चिम #जय_श्रीराम” When translated, it states: ‘Hindu bhajans received respect during morning walk in an apartment in West Kanpur”.
When we searched using the keywords ‘प्रभात फेरी ‘, we found a Facebook post published on February 12, 2022, with the caption “Morning_walks, Day 14. Morning Walk, which is a daily devotion of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, under Gautam Nagar, Kalyanpur, huge response from the residents of apartments like Ratan Orbit Apartments, Kanha Shyam Apartments, Divinity Home Apartments, Gulmohar Apartments, Imperial Height Apartments, and Indra Nagar, etc.
When we searched for images of some of the apartments mentioned, we found the images of an apartment called Divinity Homes apartments. We found the Google photos where we could see the resemblance with the apartment seen in the viral video.
We can also check the resemblences on the Facebook page of Divinity Home apartments.
Therefore, the viral video is not related to elections in Maharashtra. It is an old video of an old incident that took place in Kanpur, UP. The claim is false.