2018 video from MP shared as voter displeased with BJP candidates in Gujarat

The video dates back to 2018 showing a BJP candidate in Madhya Pradesh who was present with a garland of shoes by the voter to express displeasure for the mismanagement of the water system.

As Gujarat heads towards the second phase of its assembly election scheduled on 5 December, a video is widely circulating on social media. The video shows the voters greeting a BJP candidate going door-to-door to ask for votes with a garland of shoes. Users claim that BJP candidates are being greeted with garlands made of shoes in Gujarat.

The caption of the viral video states, “Meanwhile in Gujarat BJP door to door campaign in full swing.”

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Fact Check-

We started our investigation by running a keyword and reverse image search on Google, whose results led us to a tweet by ANI on 7 January 2018. The caption of the tweet stated, “#MadhyaPradesh: BJP candidate in Dhar’s Dhamnod, Dinesh Sharma made to wear a garland of shoes by a man while he was door-to-door campaigning for civic election.”

To this Dhamnod Civic election candidate for BJP- Dinesh Sharma had said that,“They are one of my own. There must have been something, which upset him,& he acted like that. We will sit together and talk. I am like their child.”

According to a YouTube video posted by ANI, the man who made Dinesh Sharma wear the garland of shoes said ‘there was acute water problem. We had complained about it. Our women went to the then Chairperson to complain but a complaint was registered against them. They were called multiple times to police station even at night.’

The caption of the video states, “Local greets BJP candidate with garland of shoes – Madhya Pradesh News.”

According to a report by Amar Ujala,an elderly person from Guljhara had tied a garland of slippers and shoes around Dinesh Sharma’s neck, expressing displeasure over the deteriorating water distribution system and registration of cases against women during the last council.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Partly False. The video dates back to 2018 showing a BJP candidate in Madhya Pradesh who was present with a garland of shoes by the voter to express displeasure for the mismanagement of the water system. The video has no relation with the going Gujarat State Assembly Elections neither the video is from Gujarat.