Claim:
A video circulating on social media claims that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to voters to support Congress during the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025.
Fact:
The video is edited and misleading. It is an old clip from the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections, where Arvind Kejriwal was highlighting alleged collusion between opposition parties. A section of that speech has been taken out of context, manipulated, and falsely presented as a recent appeal to vote for Congress in Delhi.
What’s in the Viral Video?
The viral clip shows Kejriwal allegedly saying:
“Do not vote for BJP in this election, all of you should vote for Congress.”
This video was widely shared, especially by a Facebook user named Ramkrishna Mishra, who claimed Kejriwal was urging Delhi voters to support Congress.
Investigation by FactCheck India:
- Reverse Image Search:
We used Google Lens to verify the origin of the video. The search led to the original, unedited video posted on Arvind Kejriwal’s official Facebook page on January 30, 2017, during the Punjab Assembly elections. - Context of the Original Video:
In the full video, Kejriwal says:“For the past two days, there have been reports that RSS and Akali Dal people have started door-to-door campaigns saying, ‘Don’t vote for Akali Dal, don’t vote for BJP, all of you should vote for Congress.’”He was criticizing opposition parties for allegedly working together to defeat AAP. He then urges people to vote for AAP by pressing the ‘Broom’ button—AAP’s election symbol. - Clarification from AAP:
- In February 2017, Kejriwal released a video clarifying that the viral claim was fake and that his statement was edited to mislead voters.
- AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha confirmed that the viral clip distorts the original message.
- Recurring Misinformation:
This isn’t the first time the video has gone viral. It was previously circulated with similar false claims, especially around election periods.
Conclusion:
✅ False Claim: The viral video showing Arvind Kejriwal appealing for votes for Congress during the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 is edited and misleading.
📌 Truth: The original video is from 2017, where Kejriwal was criticizing opposition parties for allegedly supporting Congress to defeat AAP. He was, in fact, appealing for votes for AAP, not Congress.
Verdict: ❌ MISLEADING