Fact Check: Video of Akhilesh Yadav's anti-Congress appeal not related to 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Guwahati: As the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections commenced on Friday, polling stations opened across 102 constituencies spanning 21 states and Union Territories.

However, amidst this electoral buzz, a video featuring former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav urging the public not to support the Congress party has stirred social media platforms.

In the circulated video, Yadav openly criticizes the Congress, branding it as a "cunning party" and accusing it of betrayal.

The SP and Congress are both integral members of the Opposition INDIA bloc, with the Congress contesting 17 seats and the SP fielding candidates for 62 seats in alliance within Uttar Pradesh.

Users on social media platforms shared the video (Archive), with one caption on X reading, "Akhilesh Yadav appeals to the public," while another user emphasized Yadav's directive not to vote for the Congress.

However, a thorough investigation by NewsMeter has revealed that the video in question is not pertinent to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections; rather, it dates back to November 2023.

Further research by the the news website uncovered an extended version of the video released by ANI on November 5, 2023, under the title "Do not vote for cunning party Congress’: SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav's jibe in poll-bound MP."

NDTV published the video in a report on November 5, 2023. The channel reported that
Akhilesh Yadav had asked not to vote for either the BJP or Congress.

Reports from the Hindustan Times corroborated Yadav's remarks during a public address, where he lambasted the Congress amidst tensions within the INDIA bloc over seat allocation for Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Yadav characterized the Congress as a "chalu" (deceitful) party and advised against supporting either the BJP or the Congress.

Moreover, it was noted that the Congress had denied seats to Yadav's party in Madhya Pradesh, asserting that the INDIA bloc's focus was on national politics rather than regional elections.

In light of these findings, it is evident that the video featuring Akhilesh Yadav's appeal against voting for the Congress party is unrelated to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and is misleading.

This story is republished from NewsMeter as part of the Shakti Collective. Read the original story here.