2018 video goes viral ahead of 2023 Telangana Assembly Elections

The viral video was from the campaigning for the 2018 Telangana Assembly elections, it is not recent.

The month-long poll battle will come to rest with single-phase voting in Telangana on November 30. In Telangana the incumbent Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS and erstwhile TRS), led by K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), is facing competition mainly from the Congress, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to establish a foothold.

In this background, a video that has gone viral on social media appears to show Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and Jubilee Hills MLA Maganti Gopinath being questioned by female voters on several public issues. The users who shared the video claim that it was from the campaign in Telangana for the upcoming Assembly elections on November 30.

The caption states, Women voters questions #BRSParty MLA candidate from #JubleeHills constituency #Maganti Gopinath, he left without answering later #BRS Party workers arguing with women voters in loud voice and said we don’t need your votes. #TelanganaElections2023

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Fact Check- 

We analyzed the viral video carefully, then noticed that the scarf on Maganti Gopinath read TRS, even though the ‘Telangana Rashtra Samithi’ had successfully changed its name to ‘Bharat Rashtra Samithi’ after the Election Commission of India gave its nod in December 2022, indicating that the viral video was old. 

Keeping this in mind, we started the investigation with a reverse image search on Google and the results led us to the Facebook page of A18 Telangana News. Similar video was shared there on 10 November 2018 with a caption,  “A Woman Insulted the TRS Jubilee Hills Candidate Gopinath Maganti During an Election Rally”.

With this hints, we searched more information regarding this incident. We came across a Samayam Telugu report dated 10 November 2018 which carried the same viral video. The report states, TRS leaders in the women’s fire assembly election campaign against a TRS candidate are facing backlash from the people. A woman stopped Jubilee Hills TRS MLA Maganti Gopinath and questioned him, blaming him for not asking for votes. The woman then scolded the MLA’s followers and activists, who claimed they didn’t want their votes. This incident highlights the ongoing tensions between TRS and the public.

The same video was uploaded on YouTube by a verified channel named daily culture on 10 November 10 2018, with a title, “Jubilee Hills Lady Gave Shock to Maganti Gopinath”

Therefore, it is clear that this video is not recent; it was from the campaigning for the 2018 Telangana Assembly elections. The woman voters are heard demanding Gopinath’s intervention over an issue in the locality, mocking him for his inaction despite repeated requests from citizens.

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. The footage shows an incident that took place during campaigning for the 2018 Telangana Assembly state elections. It is not recent.