Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Electoral Office (ECO) clarified that an old video circulated falsely alleging poll rigging in the state.
In a statement here Wednesday, the CEO said a video clip depicting the interior of a polling station, featuring a person identified as the Presiding Officer (wearing a surgical mask), has been circulating on social media.
In the video, a person clad in a striped dark blue round-collar T-shirt is observed standing next to a compartment. Individuals are seen entering and exiting the compartment, with the person in the blue-striped T-shirt providing guidance. A beeping sound, reminiscent of an EVM, is heard each time a person exits the compartment.
Claims have surfaced asserting that the video originates from Bahadurpura Assembly Constituency within Hyderabad Parliamentary Constituency, purporting to reveal electoral malpractice within the polling station.
It has been clarified that the video in question is old footage and is not associated with the recent parliamentary election in Telangana or any other electoral event within the state.
Upon investigation, it was determined that the video was originally shared on the YouTube channel TV9 Bangla on February 27, 2022. The link to the video is provided for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZoW9z_EDIk.
Therefore, it is evident that the video does not originate from Telangana and is unrelated to any recent electoral process, be it the Assembly or Parliamentary elections in the state.
Furthermore, upon careful listening, it can be discerned that the language spoken in the video is not Telugu, the statement added.