A fake graphic of exit poll figures for Andhra Pradesh, featuring a logo of The News Minute – a Bengaluru-based digital news platform, is being widely circulated on social media.
The predictions from various organisations including India Today-Axis, CNN News 18-IPSOS, Times Now-VMR, Republic-Jan Ki Baat, Republic-CVoter, NewsX-NETA, and Today’s Chanakya are listed. According to all surveys, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is leading over the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), the current ruling party in Andhra Pradesh.
In Andhra Pradesh, the NDA coalition comprises the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) led by actor-politician Pawan Kalyan.
The Facebook post reads: “Keep smiling”.
The above post can be seen here. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim and found it to be fake.
Conducting a Reverse Image Search of the viral picture, our team discovered that Dhanya Rajendran, the Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute, shared it on her X page on May 15. She reposted one of the viral claims, commenting: “Dear TDP and YSRCP supporters. No exit poll results have come. No clue where this graphic is from.”
Dear TDP and YSRCP supporters. No exit poll results have come. No clue where this graphic is from https://t.co/PX638xgGH2
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) May 15, 2024
The News Minute also stated on its official X account that it did not publish the alleged graphic. “This is to clarify that an old image from our story written in 2019 has been shared falsely claiming that we have made a prediction for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election.”
The post also emphasised that according to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), no news outlet or organisation is permitted to publish exit poll predictions while elections are ongoing in certain parts of the country.
Until June 1, the last phase of polling for the Lok Sabha and four state assembly elections, the publication of any exit poll surveys is banned.
We also found TNM’s 2019 story, which discussed exit poll predictions in Andhra Pradesh. It included the same surveys mentioned in the viral claim. Interestingly, even the figures for other parties were identical.
Additionally, the political research organisation Today’s Chanakya issued a statement on their X page, declaring that false poll figures for Andhra Pradesh had been circulated using their name.
Thus, we can conclude that a fake graphic, credited to The News Minute, has gone viral on social media forecasting the NDA’s triumph in Andhra Pradesh.
(This story was originally published by NewsMobile, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)
