The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received huge backlash after releasing a fabricated video made to highlight road conditions and drainage systems in Delhi under the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Soon after, AAP’s investigation proved that the video was shot in Faridabad city in BJP-ruled Haryana state, exposing the attempt to mislead the public and voters.
The video clip posted by BJP’s official social media accounts including BJP IT cell head shows two young women in an auto-rickshaw in an auto rickshaw travelling through a narrow, pothole-ridden street filled with rainwater and mud.
In the staged conversation, one woman complains about the delay caused by bad roads blaming the other for choosing the route. The second woman claims that the main roads are also not accessible due to potholes and waterlogging caused by drainage.
Their auto driver also joins in the conversation and says, “This mistake was made 10 years ago”, referring to the AAP’s tenure. He concludes by suggesting a change in leadership.
The video ends with a narration that contains a political message encouraging people to vote for the BJP with the slogan “Is baar na karein ge chune mai bul, is bar khilayenge kamal ka phool.”
Several fact-checkers including AAP social media team dug into the source and revealed the truth behind the video. The investigation results exposed that the video was filmed in Faridabad, not Delhi.
The investigators debunked the claims by revealing the location of the road visible in the video.
Despite being publicly exposed, the BJP has not removed the misleading video that has garnered millions of views, drawing sharp criticism for its misinformation tactics used to deceive the public.
Meanwhile, AAP has filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the BJP accusing them of spreading misinformation in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
In the complaint, APP argued that BJP shared a misleading video on social media, showing roads in a deteriorated condition and falsely claiming them to be in Delhi, when in fact, they were from Faridabad, Haryana.
“Such actions amount to a “blatant violation” of the Model Code of Conduct, which prohibits the spread of false propaganda during elections”, the complaint letter states.
The party has called for stringent action from the ECI, including the removal of the video from BJP’s social media accounts, legal action under Section 123(4) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, Section 340 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, PTI reported.
The BJP released the video as part of the election campaign strategy ahead of the 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election which will be held for all 70 constituencies scheduled on 5 February 2025. Results will be declared on 8 February.
