No, This Video Doesn’t Show BJP Giving ‘Cash for Votes’ in Lok Sabha Elections

We found that the video could be traced back to at least November 2023 and is unrelated to 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Fact-Check | This video is old and unrelated to the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video which shows a woman taking out money from an envelope carrying the symbol of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going viral with users linking to the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

What do the viral posts say?: An X (formerly Twitter) user uploaded the video with a caption that said, "CASH FOR VOTES is only allowed for BJP. Right @ECISVEEP @SpokespersonECI??."

An archive of the post can be viewed here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

The post had garnered over 87 thousand views on the platform, when this report was being written. More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.

Are these claims true?: No, the video has been online since at least November 2023 and predates the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

How did we find that out?: We performed a reverse image search on the keyframes of the viral video using the help of Google Lens and came across same visuals uploaded on an X handle.

• It was published on 17 November 2023 and its caption said, "BIG BREAKING: Madhya Pradesh. People of BJP candidate Sudesh Rai are distributing money at night, Ward 13 Sehore. BJP cannot think beyond buying and selling."

News reports: A report published by Zee News said that the Collector of Sehore, Praveen Singh had taken cognisance of the video showing cash exchange from an envelope that carried the photo of a BJP candidate.

The report was published on 17 November 2023.

(Source: Zee News/Screenshot)

• It should be noted that Rai is not contesting in the Lok Sabha Elections, which is another indicator that the video is unrelated to the general elections.

• Rai, a BJP leader, had contested in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh legislative elections and had won the seat of Sehore.

Conclusion: While we could not independently verify the location or context of the video, it is clear that the video is old and unrelated to 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)