A video of Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati started doing rounds on social media platforms with a claim that she has come out in support of BJP amid assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
A Facebook user shared the video with a caption in Hindi that roughly translates to, “Hurt by the insult done by the Congress party, BSP supremo Mayawati appealed for her voters. Leave no stone unturned to defeat Congress in Madhya Pradesh, it is better to vote for BJP than wasting votes – Mayawati”
(Original: कॉंग्रेस पार्टी द्वारा किए गये अपमान से आहत बसपा सुप्रीमों मायावती ने अपने वोटरों के लिए की अपील।मध्यप्रदेश में कॉंग्रेस को हराने में ना छोड़े कोई कोर कसर, वोट बर्बाद करने से बेहतर है BJP को दे दें वोट – सुश्री मायावती)
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral video and found it to be shared with a false claim.
We searched and found a video report in a BBC article dated November 2, 2020.
According to the report, in October 2020, ahead of the elections for 12 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats scheduled for January 28, 2021, Mayawati made a statement that her party would vote for any other political outfit, including BJP, to ensure Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party’s defeat.
News agency ANI tweeted a short clip of her statement on October 29, 2020.
Several other media outlets also reported her statement.
However, for ongoing assembly elections, Mayawati has not made any such statement about her party supporting BJP. Contrary to the viral claim, during a BSP election rally in Saharanpur on February 5, 2022, Mayawati criticized both SP and BJP for their “anti-Dalit politics” and asked people to support the BSP and reject other parties.
Therefore, it can be concluded that an old video of Mayawati is being shared with misleading claims.
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